sw/07/0906 – marshbank speedway stadium, the old gun site, old ferry road, iwade

PRESENT: Councillor Barnicott (Chairman), Councillor Prescott (Vice-Chairman), Councillors Bobbin, Adrian Crowther, David Garside, Sue Gent, Mike Henderson, Lesley Ingham (substitute for Councillor Monique Bonney), Elvina Lowe, Bryan Mulhern, Kenneth Pugh, Pat Sandle, Ben Stokes and Roger Truelove.

OFFICERS PRESENT: Andrew Jeffers, David Ledger, Alun Millard and Michael Moss.

ALSO IN ATTENDANCE: Mr I Cook, Mr and Mrs Minchin (local residents), Mr B Groves (Parish Councillor for Iwade), Mr M Goddard (Agent) and Mr J Carpenter (Speedway Control Board).

APOLOGIES: Councillors Monique Bonney, Simon Clark, Duncan Dewar-Whalley and Mark Ellen.

declarations of interest

No interests were declared.

part b minutes for information

sw/07/0906 – marshbank speedway stadium, the old gun site, old ferry road, iwade

The Chairman explained the procedure that would be followed and introduced the Officers present.

A member of the public addressed the Committee, stating that he understood that Councillors would be meeting at the nearby residential properties. A Member suggested that the Committee could visit these properties to inspect the impact of noise.

The Development Control Manager explained that the site had raised a number of planning problems for a number of years and he outlined the history of the site. The Speedway had been located at this site since 1971 and contained one 'adult' track.

With regard to the proposal for 14 Speedway League/events each year, the Development Control Manager proposed monitoring the site in the future. The events would take place on a Sunday and would be on the main track only. The Development Control Manager recognised that there were a small number of residential properties some 200-250 metres to the south and southeast of the track. He considered that the use of the site had been long established and low-key. He advised that comments from Natural England and Kent Wildlife Trust were still awaited.

In 2003 when the Speedway activities were increased, the Environmental Protection Team served an abatement notice that aimed to control the use of the site under its own legislation. The abatement notice was challenged in the magistrate's court, where the conditions of the abatement notice were altered but the notice itself was upheld.

In 2005 and 2007 the nature of the site changed again as it joined the 'National Speedway Conference League'. The site was now open to paying customers and allowed practising, sporadic events and more organised events.

One of the amended conditions on the abatement notice restricted the site being used for no more than four hours on any one day; this condition was being challenged in the Magistrates Court and would be heard on 21st and 22nd July 2008.

The Development Control Manager concluded by saying that he considered the proposal would not add significantly to the problems experienced by local residents due to the suggested conditions. He advised that issues relating to noise and parking had been considered.

The Agent explained that supporting information would be distributed to Members at the end of the meeting. The Agent agreed that the site was well established and advised that, although they had applied for 14 events limited to the speedway season, that anyone could use a parcel of land up to 14 times per year without planning permission. He explained that they sought the Speedway League events/meetings in addition to their existing lawful use.

The Agent referred to the Speedway event which was being held on site and he considered the noise was only just audible from the nearby residential properties. He was also of the opinion that the proposed planning conditions in the committee report would prevent the land being used as the application was intended. The Agent expressed concern over being limited to 14 events, that there was a need to practice after modifications to a bike, which to date they had been doing. He also considered that the condition relating to structures being moved off site when an event was not taking place was unreasonable.

He explained that the application was submitted in October 2007, and condition (2) stated that the permission would expire on 28th February 2010. The temporary permission of three years, which once determined would only be one and half years was not acceptable, as the club needed to have some certainty with a permanent decision.

The Agent closed by saying that there were few sites allocated for this type of sport and raised concern that the recommendations would close the site down.

A representative from Iwade Parish Council advised that they do not wish to see an expansion of the site. The noise that emanated from the site affected the nearby residents depending on which way the wind was blowing. When the Speedway track first opened there were approximately 340 houses in Iwade, since then Iwade had been further developed and, although many residents may not know that the track exists, noise does travel.

Local residents raised various concerns including the fact that one was a shift worker and he had to put up with the noise created by the Speedway track during the summer months. Other concerns were the smell, noise and dust that travelled from the site causing a disturbance to residents and their lives. Also it was the first time that adequate marshalling at the site had been seen. Visitors to the site could be a problem with cars going up and down the track; a rota of events was given out to local residents, however the organisers kept changing dates, times and the length of events. A local resident also referred to the comments made by the Planning Inspectorate, stating that the site was intended to be used by the club members only, and although used within the week it was not to be used for commercial racing. Local residents put up with this for six hours a day, three times a week and the races went on longer than what it was stated and he feels that they “do what they want”. Some residents explained that they had been watching events on television to understand more about the sport, and suggested that if they can do 25 races in three hours, then why does this club want longer hours? Concerns were raised that the site would not be monitored and why, when the permission for the junior track expired last October, the track was still there to date.



Swale Borough Council's Environmental Health Officer advised that the noise from the site was not going to be a statutory nuisance all of the time. He observed that at the time of the meeting the wind was blowing away from the residential properties but when the wind was carrying the noise to those properties, residents were seriously disrupted.

Residents may be affected 14 out of 30 weekends, which also does not account for the time when practices were taking place. He advised that if the application was approved conditions relating to noise and length of the event etc were very important.

A representative from the Speedway Control Board, stated that the events that were shown on television were professional racers who were at the top of their league, these people were junior in comparison and could not ride in that same amount of time. He confirmed that all race bikes were fixed with silencers with the date it was manufactured and the level of decibels.

A Member questioned whether the Tanoy system was at a recommended level, and the Chairman requested that Officers look into this for the meeting.

A Member asked what would happen in the summer months and whether practice sessions would be held on top of the 14 planned events. The Agent advised that there would be no more than two days per week practising. The track could be used 24 hours per day under Planning Legislation, but under the Noise Abatement Notice it was restricted to 130 dates per year. The Club was willing to reduce this to 70.

The Council's Environmental Health Officer confirmed that the Abatement Notice restricted events on site to two weekdays per week and two Sundays and one Saturday each month.

Members then toured the site and asked the Development Control Manager, Environmental Health Officer and Kent Highway Officer questions which they answered.