Harewood Your Help Needed

[steve brown]

You may have heard that there is a consultation process taking place about General Permitted Development Orders (14/28 Day Rule). You can find details on: Link1 and a LARA briefing paper at Link2 (press releases). As Harewood Hillclimb is run under this provision any changes could adversely affect the future of the running of our events. If the proposed amendments mean that we have to apply for planning permission to run our events, this may be, either, totally refused or limit the number we can run. Any changes will also involve additional administration and cost to the Club.

We would ask if you would send an e-mail to your MP, a suggested sample letter is attached. The e-mail address of your MP can be found at Link3 and could you please also send a copy to Link4 and the Land Access and Recreation Association at laragb@mac.com who are co-ordinating a response on behalf of off-road motorsport. The deadline for comments is 1st September 2011.



Many thanks



The Committee of BARC Yorkshire Centre







John



John M English

Hon Secretary

BARC Yorkshire Centre

32 Farfield Avenue

Knaresborough

HG5 8HB



01423 865134



Please copy the letter below to your word processor





Sender’s Address





MP address



2011



Dear Mr…………………,



I am a member of the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) who organise the very successful speed hillclimb events at Stockton Farm, Harewood. We are a largely autonomous branch of a national motor club and all the organisation of the Harewood hillclimbs is done by a small group of volunteers. These events have been run for almost fifty years (our fiftieth anniversary is in September 2012). The annual turnover of the Centre is around £170,000 and these events make a significant contribution to the local economy.



Speed events are a specialist form of motor sport, which are organised by volunteer members of motor clubs. They generate vital income to farmers, landowners and the local economy. At our Club events, competitors and spectators come from all over the country, and contribute to the local economy with the use of hotel, guest house, bed and breakfast accommodation, café’s, restaurants etc, etc. in the local area.

As speed events are a specialist form of motor sport, the economy benefits from a number of specialist manufacturers of racing cars, as well as local small businesses which prepare, maintain and repair others cars used for competition.



These events have always been run under a General Permitted Development Order and have taken place without causing significant disturbance to our neighbours.



Early in 2011 the Government announced a review of the ‘Use Classes Order’. This order is a Statutory Instrument made under the provisions of Town and Country Planning legislation, and the review was stated to address the difficulties in changing the use of premises from (for example) business use to residential use. That has no bearing on land use for motor sport.



When the Issues Paper was announced to the press and then published for consultation (late June 2011) it became clear that the Government is looking beyond just the Use Classes Order, and is also inviting comments on the General Permitted Development Order, which is the Statutory Instrument regulating temporary changes of use of land. The General Permitted Development Order (GPDO), is the basis of the ’14/28 Day Rule’, under which the great majority of car and motorcycle events in the countryside are operated.



Under the 14/28 Day Rule an event organiser does not have to apply for planning permission for the ‘change of use’ of the land, on the day of the event, from agricultural to motor sport.

To have to so apply would be an enormous burden on clubs, farmers and planning authorities for no real benefit.



This is what the Issues Paper says:

“Are the current permitted development rights relating to the temporary use still appropriate?

If not, how do you think they should be amended?

Permitted development also grants a general planning permission for the temporary use of land for up to 28 days in any calendar year, subject to a number of restrictions and conditions e.g. these provisions do not apply to the temporary use of buildings or to the use of land for advertisements. For some other uses, such as motor sports and markets, the permitted development rights are limited to not more than 14 days in total in the calendar year.



These provisions can provide an important flexibility which enables many small-scale

commercial and community activities, in both urban and rural areas, to go ahead without the cost and delay of obtaining planning permission. This benefits the local economy and, particularly in the case of activities on farm land, often constitutes an important source of revenue at the margins.



However, we are aware that some temporary uses, for example, car boot sales and

motor sports, even where they are operated for only for a relatively few days in the

year, can give rise to significant concerns in some areas.



This situation was examined in depth in 2002 when there was a government consultation on restricting or scrapping Permitted Development Rights (14/28 Day Rule) for motorsport, this review found that the provisions remained appropriate and that no changes were required at that time.



Permitted Development Rights are essential to the continued running of a sport that now has over 100 years of tradition in the countryside, with over 5,000 events a year in England and Wales, which run to strict safety and environmental rules, and which cause few if any problems. Simply, there is no evidence-based reason to change the current system



As you will appreciate, the possibility of the modification or abolition of the GPDO system is of grave concern to us. Any requirement to obtain planning permission for every event would put an intolerable burden on our small but successful organisation.



I hope that you that you will feel able to support us in preventing this possible change in the planning legislation which can only increase the planning burden on small organisations and, of course the planning departments of local authorities.



Yours sincerely,

[Bill999]

Done and sent

[shiftspark]

Me too done and sent to all 3