Noise fears stop Clarkson (From Witney Gazette)

Noise fears stop Clarkson

2:15pm Thursday 16th February 2006 in Witney By Maddy Biddulph

THE brakes have again been put on plans for a car track in Enstone to film motoring show Top Gear because residents fear the noise would drive them round the bend.

The decision, made by West Oxfordshire district councillors in Witney last week,tues was greeted with cheers and clapping from a 70-strong audience.

Advanced Driving Academy (ADA) wanted to convert Enstone Airfield into a driving circuit to film Top Gear road tests and train drivers to use high-speed cars. The programme is hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, who lives nearby, in Chipping Norton.

A recommendation to grant temporary planning permission for 30 months reached a dead end, because councillors felt the track would be too noisy for residents.

It is the third planning application to be rejected despite an independent noise assessment, commissioned by the council, which supported the trial period.

Councillors Verena Hunt and Tony Walker were in favour of granting temporary consent, but the majority of the planning committee were against the idea.

I'm not sure it does very much other than make them cross

Mike Breakell

Arthur Goffe, district councillor for the Bartons, said: "There is an awful lot of people who will be inconvenienced through this noise."

Mike Breakell, district councillor for Charlbury and Finstock, said: "When it comes down to it, we have got to ask what does it do for the local community. And I'm not sure it does very much other than make them cross."

Neil Owen said agreeing to a 30-month trial period might give ADA a better chance of getting something which no-one wanted in the first place.

After the meeting, Anne Backhouse, of nearby Ledwell, said she was delighted with the result.

She said: "From an environmental point of view, we shouldn't be throwing out extra exhaust fumes. We should be cutting down on them, rather than increasing them."