Butts Quarry is one of the UK’s favourite MX and enduro tracks, and sees both novice, intermediate, and professional riders frequent its facility to practice and hone their off-road riding skills. However, as more and more people moved to the area and set up their residences next to the race track, it seems that they forgot about one thing: race tracks are noisy.
Now, the Butts Quarry motocross track is facing numerous complaints from its irate neighbors about the noise coming from the facility whenever it’s in operation. Unsurprisingly, authorities tend to favor the NIMBY neighbors, and the Butts Quarry motocross track management is now facing a series of court hearings surrounding the issue. Things are indeed looking rather grim for the beloved track, as should the court rule in the favor of the complainants, Butts Quarry could face permanent closure.
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The judicial review is slated to take place sometime in March, 2022, and the facility’s owners are hoping that this will result in the overturning of the noise abatement order issued by the North East Derbyshire District Council. The track's proprietors are devoting all of their resources to fighting the closure, with Jennifer Dring, the track's co-owner, putting the cost at around £45,000 (around $52,000 USD).
There is, however, a glimmer of hope, as not everyone who lives in the vicinity of the track is in favor of its closing. There’s an ongoing petition that fights for the continued operation of the Butt Quearry motocross track, and nearly 15,000 people have already signed it. Additionally, to help diffuse the situation, the track is only open once every two weeks, with only five hours of running permitted and static noise testing performed on all participating motorcycles. Hopefully, all of these actions will be sufficient to keep the cherished racetrack open.
At present, the petition is still open, and if you happen to live in the area and are in favor of keeping the track in operation, then by all means, fill in your signature. The petition is linked in the sources below.
Sources: VisorDown, MotoHead Mag, Change.Org