Walthamstow dog track looked like a symbol of the whole town, the day it closed. The Save Our Stow marchers gathering outside it in the afternoon; the dressed-up crowds arriving later to enjoy one last evening out. Over it all the glorious, gaudy neon curve of the iconic sign that’s long been a welcome to Walthamstow. And like so much else in our town, its fate is in the hands of the council, who are soon to decide whether it will live or die.

It’s funny how councillors have been saying they want an “iconic landmark” building for Walthamstow, when we’ve already got this one that’s recognised around the country. Local Labour and Tory MPs joined the Save Our Stow march to the town hall, carrying a petition signed by thousands of supporters. But not a councillor was to be seen. Their idea of “iconic” is a tower block they want built in the town centre – the sort that most other councils put up in the 1960s and pulled down in the 90s.

Meanwhile, just a couple of miles away, the genuinely famous and iconic landmark of the dog stadium has been sold to developers – including, to its shame, London & Quadrant housing association. (Remember when housing associations were the good guys? Building what people needed, not destroying one of a community’s few remaining assets?) The closure of the dog track is the latest loss in what has been called a “cultural cull”, but is starting to look like an all-out massacre. Waltham Forest’s cinemas, music venues, theatres, libraries, museums, art spaces, evening classes, you name it – they’ve all fallen victim to a council that claims to cut costs while pouring endless millions away on consultants and failed redevelopment schemes.

And yet the council could save the dog track without spending any money at all. A consortium of greyhound owners and financiers want to take it over and keep it open. They have already offered the developers more than they paid for the site. And as the developers need to obtain permission from the council for change of use, a refusal would make the land worthless to them.

The last night of the dogs was a dazzling event. It was packed to the brim with a good-humoured crowd, as it has been for weeks since the announcement that it was to close. New punters who’d been meaning to visit for years were berating themselves for having only just found out how much fun it was. Old hands who were first brought there as babies took time to explain the bewildering scoring system. People holding drinks over their heads apologised to each other as they squeezed through the same tiny space. Outside, crowds waited patiently to get in. Inside, queues snaked away from the bookies, the bars, the food counters and the loos. We’d been a few times, never so crowded, but the good-natured atmosphere was the same every time.

The dogs exploded out of the traps in pursuit of a flapping orange toy they’d never catch up with. A roar of encouragement followed them round the track, ending in cheers, laughter and theatrical groans. And after the last race, crowds scrambled up onto the track to dance around it under the lights and photograph each other sitting in the dog traps. It was a “They think it’s all over” moment.

But it doesn’t have to be.

Come on, Waltham Forest councillors. Don’t just talk about an iconic landmark building for Walthamstow. Save the one we’ve got! You can see that the glut of housing developments and loss of facilities is turning our once-thriving town into a dormitory suburb. Please refuse permission for change of use and help to save our Stow.