Thursday 7th March 2013

Mallory Park's future in doubt

Crisis meeting between locals and circuit managers cancelled at last moment - legal action likely to follow

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Ongoing controversy over noise levels at Mallory Park circuit came to a head yesterday when a meeting between a liaison committee of locals, Borough councillors and circuit managers that was due to go ahead last night was cancelled at short notice. According to Leicester Mercury's This Is Leicestershire website, this was due to there being no new proposals on the table, but a press release from Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council also cited concerns that the meeting, due to be held in a school hall, would be overrun with protestors and disrupted.

We're guessing this'd fail the noise limits

The meeting was called in an attempt to prevent the disagreement between local residents and the circuit going to the courts. Mallory Park has been reported as saying it would no longer be commercially viable to operate the circuit if the council insists on enforcing strict noise limits and a restriction of 92 operating days set in a 1985 agreement. A reduction for track day operators from 98db to 95db was brought in last August and the council has issued a number of summonses against the circuit for breaching the terms of the 1985 agreement in recent months. Mallory Park is reported as saying it would need to operate for 160 days a year to maintain a viable business.

The council, meanwhile, appears keen to avoid taking legal action but feels the breakdown in relations between locals and circuit managers leaves it no option.

On the face of it many have seen this as a classic case of NIMBYs out to spoil the fun of those enjoying an iconic British motorsport venue but in a press release issued yesterday Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council's Chief Executive Steve Atkinson went to some considerable effort to detail the efforts the council has gone to in attempting to find an amicable solution. And in the This Is Leicestershire story local resident Garry Ball is quoted as saying villagers are divided about whether or not the circuit should be allowed more days or not.

Motocross among the events held at Mallory

In the council press release Steve Atkinson addresses a number of what he calls 'misconceptions flying around', including the perception many of the complainants are newcomers to the adjacent village of Kirkby Mallory - a common theme in many noise disputes with circuits. He also points out that the re-establishment of the locals' liaison committee in September 2011 is just one of the initiatives the council has supported in an effort to keep the issue out of the courts. He also affirms that "the council does not intend any of its actions to result in the closure of Mallory Park", insisting that this would be a commercial decision for the circuit operators. He says the council has "no confirmed knowledge" of rumours that, if closed, the site would be sold to housing developers.

Clearly an emotive topic, anyone moved to comment on the issues raised would be well-served by reading the council's detailed appraisal of the situation before doing so.

Nobody from Mallory Park was available for comment.

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[Sources: Trackdays.co.uk, This Is Leicestershire, The Hinckley Times, and Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council]

[krisdelta]

Interesting set of pressures here - how would it go down if I moved to Slough and complained about Heathrow? Would anyone consider closing it?

An interesting piece of speculation around housing developer buying up the land if the circuit closes too.

I find it facinating that anyone could move close enough to a circuit to be disturbed by the noise, then be affronted because of the noise - bananas.

[scubadude]

I enjoyed the comment that- "A large number of those village residents who have complained/raised concerns have lived in the village for many years. It is not a case of a small number of 'newbies' making a fuss!"

Yet they also note that Mallory park has operated for 50yrs... I'd be surprised if many residents have lived there more than 50yrs!

Its about as sensible as moving to Brighton and complaining about the noise the waves make on the beach. I fully accept if you're not into motorsport the noise would be irritating but then why move within ear-shot of a racing circuit?

Thats said MPML are daft to keep breaking a previous agreement, whether accidental or delibrate, just feeds the trolls.

[scarble]

Do they race at night?

[gofasterrosssco]

scarble said:

Do they race at night?

Dunno, but they should!!

[Pumajay]

It does beg the question of why move there in the first place? It cant all be newcomers to the area i know but for those that are, surely you would do some research into the area your moving to? right?

would be such a shame to lose this circuit, i was hoping to do a track day there at some point this year.... looks like thats out the window!

[Stu R]

If it doesn't sell to developers it'll go the way of Croft I imagine, which would be an awful shame.

Hardly the best circuit in the UK, but decent. Enjoyed the few trackdays I've done there - won't forget the first time I went round Gerrards, ballsed it right up

[needham]

I really hope it doesn't close . I have many fond memories of trips to Mallory a good few years ago.
Watching, and listening to, F5000 cars accelerate out of Shaw's Hairpin was fantastic.

[ali4390]

It's funny because the houses right next to the circuit tend to be occupied by big motorsport fans (the ones that I know).

Would be a shame for the circuit to go out of business, one of my favourite tracks to ride (although used to be better without Edwina's).

[j_s14a]

The people complaining should consider the implications of their actions! If the circuit closes, their local economy will be hit, hard.

We've had the same problems at Elvington, the local pub makes a lot of money from the track days, yet a small vocal minority are trying to ban these events.

[OllieC]

theres always some miserable old fks trying to ban something, I suspect they have nothing better to do

[dapearson]

If it closes, i propose that everyone who rides a bike or drives a car through that village does so as loud as possible.

[jason61c]

Out off all the tracks in the uk it'd be the one i'd close as its now so boring.

[MCTR]

I remember the days of Formula 3 "screamers" in the 60s and 70s and Nicky Lauda, James Hunt and Ronnie Peterson in a Formula 2 race in 1972 at Mallory. No doubt there's been some house building in the area since but it's the old story; if you don't want to be disturbed don't go and live near a motor racing circuit and then indulge in NIMBYISM after moving in.

[ukaskew]

Whilst I feel strongly that a circuit that has existed for so long should have some sort of protection (particularly as it was an airfield in a previous life, it's very unlikely anyone lived there when it was just fields), I think I can see where the local residents are having issues and I don't think the circuits are particularly helping their own cause at the moment.

The current financial climate is having a big impact, circuits need to operate on an almost year-round basis to stay viable, but that is annoying some locals. The limited number of race days allowed are nowhere near enough to stay in business, so they are stretching activity to the limit.

My local circuit is Castle Combe, who obviously have well documented noise issues. I don't know the exact numbers, but some sort of circuit activity seems to take place pretty much every other day as they look to expand their offerings to stay afloat.

I often wonder if some of the non-competitive events they run are really worth it, Japfest is a huge event but it causes massive problems in the local villages and towns and always generates significant press locally. If anything was likely to press the locals into action it's going to be an event like that, not a race day. I note they are also holding the French Car Show this year, that, Japfest and Rallyday alone will generate more anger than a full year of racing.

Edited by ukaskew on Thursday 7th March 11:56

[DanielSan]

Apparently some locals were even claiming they have to wear ear defenders on 'noisy' days. Yet again it's just a bunch of miserable twunts who are scared the value of their houses might drop due to being near a race track. I hope their value does drop so they fk off now before they lose loads of money and every house is bought by a petrolhead who then campaigns for the track to be open constantly.

Pointless rant over.

[scarble]

Pumajay said:

It does beg the question of why move there in the first place? It cant all be newcomers to the area i know but for those that are, surely you would do some research into the area your moving to? right?

If they do close it we'll have to all go there and blare down residential streets in our de-catted TVRs in protest.

[heightswitch]

Would it not be cheaper for the councils to just compulsory purchase the half dozen or so houses belonging to the Nimbys then sell them on to car enthusiasts with a covenant !!

Food for thought.

The world is being run by idiots it seems.

N.

[heightswitch]

The other point of view is around noise. it isn't actually that hard to silence a car well. it would loose a bit of power but so would the rest of the grid??

Olive branch and not hard to enforce!!

N.

[Frimley111R]

As I understand it the law does take a general view on whatever makes noise above certain levels but there must be exceptions. The noise of cars today is, I am sure, far less than 20yrs+ ago. Unfortunately the way the law works is that only one person needs to provide a case and that's it.

On the other side of the fence though, are circuits running more and more days?

[RichTBiscuit]

This always makes me angry, so I shall sum it up in one often quoted phrase;

DON'T MOVE NEXT TO A RACE TRACK AND NOT EXPECT IT TO BE NOISY