Trial bikers are set to mount a legal challenge against Bath & North East Somerset Council to save the “wonderful facility” that has been a home to the niche motorsport for almost 50 years.
A group of trial bikers at Fry’s Bottom Wood | Photo © Steve Willcox
People have been going to Fry’s Bottom Wood for trial riding – a motorsport which sees special motorbikes navigating around woodland courses, relying on balance, skill with their gears, and control of the bike – since the 1970s.
But in June 2022, the council sent an enforcement notice to the wood’s owner Steve Willcox stating he would need planning permission for bikers to continue using the site.
A change of use planning application was submitted to the local authority, but the council refused to grant it.
Now Mr Willcox plans to crowdfund the money to appeal the decision.
He said: “We should get a lot of support because if this loses at appeal every venue in the country will be under threat.”
A petition calling on Bath & North East Somerset Council to grant the planning permission has been signed by 1,395 people.
Mr Willcox – a former member of the council who sat on its planning committee – said he knew the rules and it should not have needed planning permission as it had been used for trial bikes for over 10 years.
But he only began keeping records of bookings in 2013 and so had been unable to prove this to the council.
Since the enforcement notice, trial bikers have only been allowed to use the for 14 days a year.
The change of use application would have allowed bikers in the wood five days a week and provided car parking facilities.
More than three hundred people submitted comments to the council urging it to grant the application, with many questioning why the council had issued the enforcement notice in the first place.
Martin Everett wrote: “I think there is a misunderstanding between the use of noisy scramblers and quiet trials bikes.
“Trials bikes are low speed and only used on tick over whilst negotiating obstacles — which is the whole idea and fun of off road trialling. Steve runs the place like a well oiled machine and will have no unruly groups on site.”
Daniel Myers added: “Fry’s Bottom Woods means so much to the trials community and sport. This is the only place to ride and practice in the area and without it we will have nowhere to practise.
“It would be a great shame not to have a safe place for my son to learn when he’s old enough.”
But there were also objections submitted by 40 people and by Clutton and Chelwood Parish Councils.
Local councillor Sam Ross (Clutton and Farmborough, Green) said she had “concerns” and called for the plans to go before the planning committee if planning officers thought it should be approved.
Clutton Parish Council stated: “Under the current arrangement the trials are allowed to operate for a maximum of 14 days per year, which is an occasional annoyance to local residents.
“If the proposed scheme is to go ahead the local residents fear that the noise will be constant through the week and at weekends harming the amenity of the local area and their homes.”
Chelwood Parish Council added: “Concern was expressed about the continuing damage to the woodland and natural habitat caused by the current level of usage of the site by trail bikes and the loss of animals and birds throughout the area which this had caused which would be greatly exacerbated by the proposed increase in numbers of motorbikes using the site.”
But Mr Willcox said that wildlife such as buzzards, herons, and muntjac deer were common around the site.
He said: “The wildlife that’s in the area here have been brought up with the bikes so they are not afraid of this. I wouldn’t allow the bikes if I thought it was going to be destructive.”
He added that he had not had enough time to submit all the required information before the application was decided.
A noise assessment carried out for the planning application required the noise levels of bikes in the wood to be recorded for two days – only for Mr Willcox to be told that this had used up two of his 14 days to open the site.
Since the 14-day limit has been in place, the site has generally been open for bikers one day a month. There are currently enough days left for the site to open once a month until November.
Mr Willcox has faced a similar planning battle previously when, while working as a flying instructor, he set up Clutton Hill Airstrip.
He later faced noise complaints from neighbours but won after three public inquiries.
John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter
