Dreams of establishing a new motocross track on the Isle of Wight have been crushed by the Isle of Wight Council.
MotoXIOW had hoped to start racing at a track in Brighstone but the club has been served a permanent stop notice by the Isle of Wight Council this month.
Earlier this summer, a temporary stop notice was placed on MotoXIOW’s recently-built track by the council following noise complaints, which led to a number of site visits and assessments.
MotoXIOW said no detailed sound tests were taken at these visits and the evidence provided to them was ‘the subjective opinion of one inspector’ rather than any equipment being used.
The club had hoped to open the track twice a month through the summer and had recently announced a scheme for children in care, offering free access to the sport.
The temporary notice served meant all meetings had to be cancelled and the track could not be used for any motocross event. A petition was then started which amassed more than 2,180 signatures and pleas were made to support the club’s future.
Now, the permanent notice has stopped any further activity and meetings at the 10-acre site, which sits off the Military Road.
The council has demanded the removal of signs, saying meetings would ’cause significant harm to residential amenity and to the local protected landscape’.
It also said the permanent notice had been issued due to concerns motocross activities may have started again after the end of the temporary one.
A spokesperson for the council said:
“The site is within the Area of Natural Beauty and Heritage Coast and is visible from higher neighbouring land (around Mottistone Manor and Brook Hill House) and the nearby rights of way.
“Due to the nature of works undertaken, it is not deemed to benefit from permitted development rights and therefore a breach of planning legislation had occurred.”
The club says it has been operating under permitted development orders which specifically allow the use of farmland to be used for motorsport activities for up to 28 days a year but the council has just ‘clamped down’, ‘leaving no room for discussion’.
The council has also issued a planning enforcement notice, as well as the permanent stop notice, which means the land must be put back to its former state and the site cannot be used for motorsports.
MotoXIOW said it will appeal the council’s decision and hoped to reach a compromise to allow the much-needed facility to keep operating.
Ben Collins, chairman of MotoXIOW, said:
“Maintaining this facility is vital to reducing the illegal riding of bikes on the Island. We are heavily supported and feel there is a significant need for a safe, regulated space for all ages to participate in the sport.
“We abide by all the regulations, ensure that no bikes run above the sound levels advised by the Motocross Federation and leave no litter behind.
“We have made a real effort to ensure that the local wildlife will benefit from the field.
“We are open to suggestions and very willing to make amendments to the site, although our offers have been repeatedly shut down, which we find deeply disappointing.”
The Motocross Federation, the UK’s governing body for the sport, has expressed its surprise and disappointment at the council’s decision, saying it is unheard of for a local council to move ahead so quickly with a decision without attempting to reach a level of compromise, or allowing alterations to be made.
The moaners complain about kids messing about on street corners so when there is something for them to do they shut it down. Wake up and let people enjoy themselves.
They should do what my generation and many others did which was make your own entertainment and we did it within the law. We also didn’t have the computers, mobile phones and games consoles to occupy our time. Our parents would not have allowed us to mess about on street corners
During the war
No just before kids became yobs and went round saying I’m bored and had respect for people and their possessions respect!!! most of them can’t even spell the word
Don’t give us that tosh.
Kids on the ‘corner’ will not be attending such even if it were there.
They have little interest in anything apart from the obvious.
Don’t pretend just because YOU want such, that the youth would be pacified by some noisy louts once a week
Pleaseeee, wake up. A few noisy bikes, ruining a field, is not some cure for disaffected, charity kept wasters. IF anything will just encourage them to steal a bike and rag it around the nearest field before torching it.
SEE it how it is, and don’t use lies to try to persuade the dim to get what YOU want.
Unbelievable! Just when something comes up to occupy the young generation on the island it gets shut down.
Absolutely disgraceful and shameful behaviour from the council and I for one would join a protest outside county hall tell them that….. just say when and I’m there!!!!!
Give the youth something to get in to that will turn them in to champions rather than giving them nothing and them getting up to trouble.
So…. the council won’t let this happen. Hmm, so what about the TT type event planned for next year and the racing along Sandown front? Will they also get banned ? Will be significant noise and ‘harm to residential amenity’ involved with both of those events. I’m not for or against any of these events but would like to see some consistency being applied
‘Probably not enough in the way of “back – handers” for IWCC members.
Lord Mottistone ratyling his masonic chains again and they all run to heel!! This Island is not a rock for people to up sticks and retire to and deny anybody under the age of 30 any sort of fun, for goodness sake what the heck do you want the youngsters to do for entertainment? “play pooh sticks like they did back in the day”!?
NIMBY Huh?
Won’t affect you mate you live on the mainland
Not all the time Dumbo ☹️
Me old mate bung- it-in can’t make his mind up where he lives and what jobs he has done. Even now I can’t decide whether to refer to him as Capt. Birdseye for being an experienced sailor for 30 yrs. also working in the building industry and also years with an electricity company. I’ll think I’ll stay with Ganga the water carrier. Dumbo? Come on you can do better than that. Don’t tell me that you stay here sometimes as you have made it obvious you hate the island and islanders in the past. Have a good night.
Shame they can’t get the floating bridge running as quickly as they could shutting this down
So mp Bob Sealy can go to a BBQ during lockdown, councillors accepting brown envelopes from developers, making money on the side, councillors voted in to represent the population the councillors only doing what they want, is that a fair summary of what’s happening here! You can’t have it because we’ve been paid off!!
More moaning and stopping peoples fun, keep the noise down in gods waiting room.
What ever our dear council do or don’t doesn’t surprise me anymore Wouldn’t mind putting a few bob on the site suddenly becoming available for building more houses on in the near future.People that complained about the noise ,which was their right , will have to put up with any future housing development. No good complaining to the same council then.
If your In the know Brethren you can stop anything……But if your not in the know….well!
Should turn the pennyfeathers site into a giant moto X track I’m sure it would get more support.
Sounds good to me
Of course this has nothing to do with the track being at the back of Bob Seelys house. The old boy network at work again. If this was anyone else the council would have done nothing
I thought this would happen what a council we have a load of bigots something young people like we have so many elderly people here didn’t enjoy things when they were young for god sake council wake up and get with it
Why the ageist comments? I’m no spring chick but I’m all for facilities like this. Please don’t put all of us in the same bag. Oh, talking of bigots………!
I was born here but really we are an Island full of oldies can’t get away from it they come and retire here and then moan
Not surprised at all. The council havnt got a bloody clue. Bet it was down to Matthew Northard.
if they wanted the land for shooting or hunting it would have been ok. Brighstone are a very small minded inter bred lot.
brighstone is a very nice place for a sunday motor bike ride nice new roads a must go place
This council appear to use the same reasons to stop things as well as the same reason to allow things to go ahead.
Is this a clear indication of …. well, i will let you all decide what i was going to say next.
This is and always has been a very popular sport that would give an interest to all ages either attending to watch or taking part, shame on you IW Council for stopping this club from doing something good for the island.
This would have brought in a good income for local businesses in these tough times so when the locals remove their blinkers and notice that the few shops and pub in the village have now closed look back here and see the reasons why.
I can imagine old Bob the MP is now sitting in his garden hot dog in hand soaking in the silence with a smug grin on his face while all the locals massage his inflated ego.
The wonderful Brook hill house’s owner, should not have to tolerate the noise, the vile oily smell, and the destruction of fields by these thoughtless individuals.
The owner has spent literally millions, buying out all the other once apartment owners of Brook hill to create a wonderful home for himself.
Imagine if it were you, doubt you would wish to see slack jaw yokels watching noisy fools tearing up the countryside ‘for fun’.
Well done council.
Agree entirely. That old home belonged to Priestly. It was used as a Hospital for the better people injured during the Ist WW.
Pay some respect and let the owner live in peace, for that is why it was built there in the first place and the then owner, JB Priestly, hated motor cars, so fitting it is now banned from even worse noise and pollution and leather studded fellows.
I worked there in the 80’s and a lovely home.
You couldn’t be more of an unhinged jack@ss if you tried. I bet you wouldn’t half just love to tongue the IoW councillors cracks.
yigaf has already done that mate!
You just can’t help yourself another stupid comment which I dismiss as you’re only grumpy since you went for a brain scan and got charged a search fee. Enjoy your days as you’ll be back to school soon. Don’t forget your face mask there’s a good little boy. See you later Captain Birdseye.
Hello Bob! Is that you?
Just another happy day on the Isle of Wight, living under the control of numerous unelected Council-Officers and -employees (and a few elected Councillors too), who, like you, work hard too. We’re all equal here. It’s just that they are a little bit more so, ok.
No scooter rally this year still lots here. Maybe we could pursuad them a big ride out in brighstone on Sunday afternoon would be great.
Let the kids all become drug dealers because there’s nothing to do for them and no employment .council here are just nobheads all old grannys. stop the moto track spend millions on a pathetic floating bridge millions on st Mary’s roundabout make all the polluting cars and trucks queue up outside a frigging HOSPITAL genius
I really do not see the point of trying to put anything in the west wight, not going to happen, waste of time and effort. Hope raised and then dashed. The motorcycle jamboree is headed the same way. Waste of time trying, spend money elsewhere. It
s a wilderness, let it remain a wilderness. Just dont reconstruct the Military Road though as the military wont use it and it is not economically viable to do so (rebuild and maintain). There are other routes that are in much more need of attention, Fairlee Road being just one, and routes around Ryde carrying heavy lorry traffic to and from the ferries and mainland. Spend the money on a new Pier in Ryde or East Cowes or,…anywhere but the west wight. They, who live there, dont want it or need it.The council stop anything good on the island if they don’t make money off the back of it I think counciltax interferes with my life as I can’t do the things I want to do do but if I stop paying it the council would soon jump on me for that
You hit the nail on the head there fella, they like to stop every little bit of enjoyment for people yet we get a council tax rise every single year which eats into money that I and everyone else has earned to possibly get a bit of enjoyment out of life and we then hand over the money and for what, sweet f all, bunch of overpaid idiots who let’s be honest a very small minority of them are even islanders.
Like I said before this is a massive shame for a lot of people
There some miserable in-bread old tossers on this island. I was hoping Covid 19 would thin them out… bring on the second wave
I know, lets just turn the Island into one giant old peoples home ! cos that’s the way it is heading. Every great idea that will bring in much needed money – is poo-pood by our diabolical council.
Absolute kill joys anything that’s deemed enjoyable or fun they put a stop to but if they were to build 100 houses oh it would be approved but not a motoX track that’s used for twice a month not like everyday . honestly it must of been one hell of a big brown envelope given this one.i think the selfish moaners and stuck up fuddy duddys of Brighstone and surrounding area really need to get a life and realise there is more to life than the sad existence they live doing croche, zumba and pruning roses. But typical council double standards take away anything fun or enjoyable for the kids or young adults but soon moan when kids are hanging on street corners. the new moto for the council should be ‘run by boring old dinosaurs for the stuck up old dinosaurs’ it’s about time this lot was voted out.
I really really do hope the IOWTT goes ahead
IWC strike again, surely a track that opens twice a month wouldn’t cause that much hassle? Why is it everytime a decent idea that benefits alot of people and opens up opportunity to kids that are in care gets stuck down? I’m not personally a fan or follower of motocross but for something that happens just 24 times a year im sure it isnt going to cause that much of an issue? Theres always people that love to put a downer on other peoples enjoyment.
What a shame.
And check where “seldom seen Seeley lives…. When he is here of course”!
Some one should shut the council down over paid twats
They stop this happening in Arreton and put a waste digester there instead, they a noise for a short while but they go a nasty smell for ever instead.
I like to think that the Waste Digestor is a suitable reminder for the Arreton residents who complained about an annual MotoX being held there. A TRUE expression of many folks opinions.. Where there was Fun, there is now a load of Pre-digested Methane from all of the Islands Rubbish.. A fitting epitaph.
The island, by it’s nature, is a perfect place to hold events of all kinds. The islands economy depends on this. The council should be encouraging and helping events and sites like this to bring prosperity. The island could be rolling in cash if these events were managed by local government for the benefit of the people. And in off season the residents get to enjoy the fruits of these events.
But instead the island is being help hostage by people who wish to make it like a small Surrey housing estate in the 1970s.
People have tried to make the island a hub of innovative world class business. They shut it down.
People have tried to make the island an entertainment and cultural hub. They shut it down. (except of the one run by their mate)
People are trying to make the island a sporting venue second to non. They are shutting that down too.
The result will always be, as with so many other south coast districts, a slow slide into poverty and destitution.
This sadly was bound to happen with Bob living right next to the track. But come on IOW Council atleast help find somewhere else and give these guys a chance, and not just shut it down!
Noise complaints really… so why did they not shut down Smallbrook race track.. that ‘noise’ is very loud. I live near five miles away and have to close my windows to listen to TV when they are there ! I do not mind the noise because I know it is something GOOD for the Island. I would not doubt that the only MOANERS are from mainland whilst staying at one of their many part time homes here !!
Going to turn this Island into slum land, council do not want anyone to enjoy themselves, unless Council get all the Proceeds..Used to be regular Motorcycle rally weekends on this Island, Atherfield, and Brook, to name a couple, but council stopped them… unknown why, ohh maybe it was because they wanted to put a couple of suited Door men on the gate, and charge near £700.00 Unknown about what brains council have, 500 to 1000 bikers, mainly different clubs from mainland, in a field, enjoying themselves far away from anyone.. had their own security…
I ride a motorcycle, and I am not allowed to park it on any pavements, or on seafront of Ryde by the wall.. yet scooters can park anywhere, why is that ??? Could be classed as Predjudism.. ??
Noise what rubbish , was only for few hours a day for 28day. Noise – fireworks at Blackgang, lions at zoo,church bells, traffic around coppins bridge, ambulance’s down dual carriageway,road works at At Mary’s, Coast Guard helecopter, birds singing. Smells of stuck up rich person’s to me. I pay huge in amount in council tax and expect this to be spent for good of all , not just a few. Maybe should stop Festival, circus and Tour Dr France. I fully support Moto X . Maybe they should start another petition so more can sign.