I’ve got a bit of an itch to build a pump track and maybe some proper Dirt jumps on some land closer to home.

I’ve looked about and there’s fair amount of quite open, flat land not too far from me which I believe to be on or very close to a flood plain, there’s a substantial area currently given over to MX trails (Not sure how officially that is operated)…

the fact that the land is potentially subject to flooding doesn’t concern me, if a track/jumps get flooded they can be rebuilt and it sort of helps build the case as the land is not really used for any other forms of building, long term use.

As the land is closer to home and pretty open / lacking tree cover I’d rather not just start digging and then see if I get grief from the owner, I actually want to seek permission first, perhaps even agree a bit of scope as to what I can/can’t build. I’m Hoping the MX trails nearby set a helpful precedent…

So first things first, How do I go about identifying the landowner and approaching them for permission? should I write up a bit of a proposal, identify a specific plot/area of land and describe exactly what I intend to do?

Would it be worth involving my local council cycling officer? (They have gotten a bit involved with BMX tracks in the area in recent years)…

Will I need to consider some sort of insurance even for something as tame as a pump track? Perhaps through BC?

Anyone got any experience of going the more “formal route” for permission to build something like this?

And if all of that gets sorted… anyone fancy helping me dig?

Land Registry would probably have info about the legal owner of the land.

As Xiphon says, the Land Registry will know who owns it. Anyone can do a search and it’s four quid.

My only experience of such things has been on land the local council own, and it was also land on a flood plain. This meant the Environment Agency had to be consulted, although I think it was more token than anything else. You shouldn’t need planning permission if you’re just keeping everything made of dirt.

Insurance can be taken care of by forming a club (BC affiliated) and signing an agreement with the landowner to lease the land for a few pounds a year.

Consulting your local cycling officer is a good shout but I’d also see if there are any youth engagement projects that can help you. It’s a bit of a stretch to convince them that you and your mates need somewhere to dirt jump, but if you can argue that it’ll benefit ver kidz too, you should get a bit of traction.

Land reg has been useful, might do a bit more scouting this w/end…

Cheers for the suggestion.