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I was a little confused by him saying he doesn’t make any noise, then proceeding to razz around on a motorbike.
Demonstrating a spectacular lack of awareness.
Based purely on his email, that Mark guy doesn't seem like the sharpest spoon in the drawer. I wonder if his thinking was along the lines of "I'm not allowed to extend my bike park - how come Sam Pilgrim can build all that stuff in his? I know, I'll write to the council." Who knows, but it does seem unnecessarily mean to report it.
Why portray an absolute donger online? Yeah I know – “views = money” – but I wouldn’t want to associate with him as a sponsor.
He's sort of edgy though, isn't he? Has strong opinions, behaves in an extreme way. Good for attention/views/sponsors etc. It's always been the way. Sure, he might put off some of the more straight-laced companies, but they probably weren't sponsoring him in the first place.
This guy Mark of Colchester bike park, appears to always write like that see:
http://www.essexhertsmtb.co.uk/mountain-bike-downhill/halstead-woods-colchester-t2275.html
Calling him "illiterate" is a bit harsh. My mum ran a learning difficulties services for many years in the 90s, teaching 15 year olds how to read and write because the system had so far let them down.
If this man is 40-50 as Sam says, its not a big stretch to see how he was failed by the school system. He obviously really struggles to communicate in writing, taking the piss is not constructive.
From the thread above it seems Mark has done a lot to secure public land with permissions to build a little bike park, and probably struggled with planning and neighbours and insurance.
Then Sam Pilgrim takes his pit bike there and gets a million youtube hits, encouraging others to do the same and trash the hard work.
Of course he is gonna be pissed off.
Not a big stretch to imagine him drop Sam in it for flouting legitimate planning laws in a bit of tit for tat.
Anyway I'm glad our planning laws are enforced. If you don't like the law then lobby / vote for a change. I'd wager Sam and his dad knew exactly what they were risking when he started building that lot and making vids for his channel.
If he flogged the land for 20 boxy houses to be thrown up on it I bet the he’d get it through planning in less than six months.
And when they do they generally build the homes backwards in Colchester
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-58926310
To be fair to Mark he has done an awful lot of work building the trails and dealing with the council etc
I don't know the whole back story between him and Sam but what Sam did in the video by outing him was a pretty sh*tty thing to do.
I thought that too, council wouldn’t go to the trouble of enforcement if it was 1 complaint from a local business owner
I don’t know – my experience of enforcement officers in the past is that they go out of their way to justify their jobs when there is a potential case.
In my experience Planning Enforcement Officers go out of their way to avoid to get to that stage; a retrospective planning application is usually what happens unless there is a good reason why PP couldn't be given rather than removing the development.
There’s some sort of irony in saying “He’s not illiterate, he just can’t read and write.” But yeah, we shouldn’t use that to demean him.
There’s clearly more to this than the way its been portrayed
Seems pretty simple to me.
No likey, no bikey.
Sam didn't appeal under grounds (a) which means that retrospective planning permission should be granted. He appealed under grounds (c) which was destined to fail partly because large engineering works involving a digger require planning permission, end-of. Theoretically Sam could still apply for planning permission, trouble is I don't think planning laws are flexible enough to allow for this kind of mixed use in residential areas.
In my experience Planning Enforcement Officers go out of their way to avoid to get to that stage; a retrospective planning application is usually what happens unless there is a good reason why PP couldn’t be given rather than removing the development.
It would be bad practice and a waste of time to serve an enforcement notice against a development which the enforcement officers thought was acceptable in principle. If it's finely balanced a retrospective planning application can be preferable because it's a public process and residents get consulted. Colchester may have thought that a retrospective planning application would have only served to frustrate the whole process and if they are wrong, Sam has the option to appeal under grounds (a) which he chose not to do.
I don't necessarily agree with the motives of the complainant and it may be that the development was not causing anyone any harm, trouble is Sam was in the wrong from a planning law standpoint.
From the thread above it seems Mark has done a lot to secure public land with permissions to build a little bike park, and probably struggled with planning and neighbours and insurance.
Then Sam Pilgrim takes his pit bike there and gets a million youtube hits, encouraging others to do the same and trash the hard work.
He took his pit bike around Colchester Bike Park*?
I mean, that puts a different spin on it but I'm not sure going to the council is how I would go about sorting it out.
*Does Colchester Bike Park still exist? All I can find is a deleted FB page.
In terms of that venture, 'park' is doing a fair bit of heavy lifting.
‘park’ is doing a fair bit of heavy lifting.
Is it the bit of woodland next to the train tracks sort of inbetween Bergholt/Lexden and Eight Ash green?
Is it the bit of woodland next to the train tracks sort of inbetween Bergholt/Lexden and Eight Ash green?
Yep, down the bottom of Iron Latch Lane
I don't really see that the actions of the complainant would have swayed the council one way or another. Seems a red herring.
He didn't have planning for something that needed planning, especially as change of use.
The complainants letter is just dirty laundry being aired
many of my local disputes have nothing to do with planning law, rather personal grievances, which also seems to be the case for pilgrim.
Possibly the start of them, if they don’t have any basis in planning law they are ignored, if they clearly do, as in this case, they are acted on.
Half the problem with planning departments is that they have been cut back to the absolute minimum. The idea of planning officers making work for themselves on something that is not clear cut (and risks ending up in court) is a joke.
[Just read no planning app :-(]
Where I live the developers do what they like (Bristol).... just remember householders are small fry with no say 🙁 and captive with the council 🙁
We lost 42 Acres woodland, just because the developers interprets the planning in his favour. The council will not fight it (if they are they are not telling us),,,, pockets are not deep enough.
Dry bummed 🙁
Irrespective of 'who did what', the way that Sam has reacted is really low. Using his platform to influence his followers by only providing one side of the story is damn right nasty and will land him in hot water. Its almost incitement to begin a witch hunt against someone who Sam believes influenced the decision, but in all likelihood, had little bearing. Some of the youtube comments are outing Marks address ffs.
Sam ruined his owned MTB dream yard by not doing things properly and going through the right channels - plain and simple.
For someone with an "image" and sponsors laying for that, he's playing a self-destructive game.
I read a load of replies (didn't watch the video, just paused it) and there were a lot of posters also with no restraint. Eventually the government is going to clamp down on online abuse in ways no one likes, but too many caused it.
Half the problem with planning departments is that they have been cut back to the absolute minimum. The idea of planning officers making work for themselves on something that is not clear cut (and risks ending up in court) is a joke.
in my experience of planning, 'small' things like this are precisely what planning depts focus on, as they know they don't stand a chance against the developers with deep pockets.
*Does Colchester Bike Park still exist? All I can find is a deleted FB page.
Can't imagine why the Facebook page has been made in-active. Did anything happen recently that would get people flooding to it to mouth off?
Pilgrim is a bellend, no question, after he tore up Landseer park and the bmx track in Ipswich Magura dropped him, at the start of one of his later vids he had a little sulky moan about loosing them and not knowing why.
Can’t imagine why the Facebook page has been made in-active. Did anything happen recently that would get people flooding to it to mouth off?
Sure, that could be it. On the other hand, if you look at the cached page, the last post is from June 2020 and simply says 'All gone now.'
It's just all a bit strange. I was trying to clarify what someone said earlier where, from the way I read it, Sam was riding his pit bike around Colchester Bike Park and encouraging others to do so on his YT channel.
Does anyone know if that actually happened?
I was trying to clarify what someone said earlier where, from the way I read it, Sam was riding his pit bike around Colchester Bike Park and encouraging others to do so on his YT channel.
He has but I can't say if he encouraged others.
Pilgrim is a bellend, no question, after he tore up Landseer park and the bmx track in Ipswich Magura dropped him, at the start of one of his later vids he had a little sulky moan about loosing them and not knowing why.
Is that the reason?
Pilgrim can be entertaining to watch and his skill on anything with two wheels is undeniable, but I do sometimes wonder whether his eternal search for 'epicness' makes him think he is somehow exempt from the tedious rules of society.
I kinda knew of him but had never watched any of his videos but watched this one. Doesn't seem to come across too badly IMHO initially but:
a) building a 20ft scaffold tower in your garden I doubt goes unnoticed
b) "I don't ride motorbikes in my garden" but I have a pitbike track there? Which he then razzes around on.
Isn't think type of thing typical now, yootoobers calling each other out instead of doing things face to face etc. Wasn't there some car guys (the ones who usually dress in black trackies, carry a purse and "review" other peoples performance cars by hammering the living daylights out of them) who had a bit of an online feud and then met at a car meet and then had a mass brawl?
Regardless of all the above, for the Mark guy to complain about it all and then say he was interested in sponsorship for his business from the person he fkd over is off. Thats just snide... if I was Sam I'd be publishing what happened all over social media so my 400 followers on Instagram could see 😀
It is slightly interesting reading the comments on the various social media outlets...I don't follow him, but this seems to have spilled over to other social media bits that I use. This seems to be the only place that has clocked he didn't have planning permission and this was largely his own doing as a result of no permission - the spat with the other guy seems almost like fallout from the situation.
The rest are all defending him and really laying it on thick that this was all done due to the other person, none of them seem to have clocked a lack of planning permission.
I think its because theres some actual adults contribute to this forum.
This seems to be the only place that has clocked he didn’t have planning permission and this was largely his own doing as a result of no permission
Yeah.
You don't have to stray from STW far, or for a long period of time to realise that the proportion of grown-ups is significantly higher than other sites.
I guess the question is, would the council have taken any notice if no one had complained?
I know in Norway the councils take aerial photos each year and then check them to see if any new structures have appeared but does that happen in the UK as well?
If not, and assuming he was being truthful when he said his neighbours never complained, then this could all have happened because this Mark chap was a clipe.
I know in Norway the councils take aerial photos each year and then check them to see if any new structures have appeared but does that happen in the UK as well?
😂
I guess the question is, would the council have taken any notice if no one had complained?
Probably not.
I know in Norway the councils take aerial photos each year and then check them to see if any new structures have appeared but does that happen in the UK as well?
Not necessarily aerial photos specifically for that reason, but I know if a case that was caught using Google maps.... Even it his jumps did show up, I doubt the council would have done anything without a specific complaint in Sam's case.
I know in Norway the councils take aerial photos each year and then check them to see if any new structures have appeared but does that happen in the UK as well?
why go to that effort when in the UK in a rural or suburban environment you are never more than a quartre mile from some bored busybody who will do this for you for free, and then report it to the relevent body?
I guess the question is, would the council have taken any notice if no one had complained?
It's pretty unlikely. Councils don't usually have the resources to proactively look for unlawful development and Planning Officers may turn a blind eye themselves if there isn't substantial harm being caused.
Plenty of unlawful development does slip through the cracks and relying on public complaints is an imperfect system. It takes 4/10 years for unlawful development to become immune and that happens much more regularly than you may think. It's not usually as flagrant as this though.
Spot on Hooli
for the Mark guy to complain about it all and then say he was interested in sponsorship for his business from the person he fkd over is off.
Really?
Not directly related to the recent goings on in Colchester but one of the more well known cases of someone taking on the planning system and losing ... a lot! This guy thought he knew what he was doing and set out to flout the laws as opposed to just being entirely ignorant and/or naive to them but it didn't end well for him.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-34585555
I know in Norway the councils take aerial photos each year and then check them to see if any new structures have appeared but does that happen in the UK as well?
Going back a few years now, but I know for certain that this is how my local council used to track real caravan numbers versus claimed caravan numbers at coastal caravan parks. They'd get a heap of aerial photographs and spend a day counting them.
Saw that on YT. Tried watching it but it only took 15 seconds to descend into "what is this country coming to if you can't buy a plot of land and do what you like with it". I didn't stay much longer to see of they were able to balance the argument.
What is the world coming to when you can’t just do whatever you like regardless of planning rules??
Mr Pilgrim has learned that he's no more special than the next person. In his case an expensive lesson and rather later in life than is normal.
Thanks for the reminder on why I gave up on the HKT podcast years ago. Apart from when there was someone genuinely intelligent/articulate on (eg. Cy from Cotic), then the stupid was far too high to be listenable.
I didn’t stay much longer to see of they were able to balance the argument.
They didn't.
Thanks for the reminder on why I gave up on the HKT podcast years ago.
Yeah, I've only seen this one and can't say they delved too deeply into the issues to say the least 😂