Top Gear heads for public inquiry (From Witney Gazette)

Top Gear heads for public inquiry

2:53pm Monday 27th February 2006 in Witney By Maddy Biddulph

A GOVERNMENT planning inspector will decide whether to allow motoring show Top Gear to be filmed at a racing track in Enstone.

Advanced Driving Academy (ADA) lodged an appeal after West Oxfordshire district councillors put the brakes on its proposals to convert Enstone Airfield into a driving circuit.

It wanted to use the land to film the BBC2 programme's road tests and train drivers to use high-speed cars.

The Witney Gazette reported last week that a recommendation to grant temporary planning permission for 30 months was rejected because councillors felt the track would be too noisy.

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

At present, Top Gear is filmed on Dunsfold Aerodrome.

But programme-makers need to relocate within the next three years, as there are plans for housing at the site.

Chris Masters, Top Gear spokesman, said there was no threat to the programme. He said: "Obviously, that was one option they were looking at if planning had gone through, partly because the producers like to shake things up with the programme and are looking at it as a facelift.

"Regardless of moving or not, Top Gear will be back on screens in May.

"And we are working on filming that now."

The public inquiry will be held at the council offices, Wood Green, Witney, on October 17, at 10am.