Support a pumptrack in Woking (+ anyone in Fleet?)

Great idea - have signed the petition.
Best of luck.

Cheers ... <bump>

Got a reply from the Council Leader for Hart Council (Fleet) who opened the facility and he's passed me onto the right person.... hopefully find out what it costs before ... I suspect the access road/parking and tarmac pump track were the expensive parts...

I may be wrong here but I was under the impression that the one in Fleet was paid for by the developers of the new housing estate it is allied to, whether that be directly or in some way as part of the land purchase/planning permission process. It fulfils the councils obligation to provide facilities whilst not costing them directly out of their budgets. It's the reason that all these tracks are popping up alongside new developments, the new one in Horsham is the same scenario I believe.

It doesn't take much just to build one. We did this one on Southampton Bike Park in a weekend with about a dozen people digging. All hand built and no machines. The only video I can find is from 2013 but the track is still there will three different loops. No surfacing required, just the site source mud and clay and it has survived just fine.

I may be wrong here but I was under the impression that the one in Fleet was paid for by the developers of the new housing estate it is allied to

Developers down this way pay into a fund called Section 105 which is then used to build and maintain community pieces like playparks, skateparks etc

OP does you council run a similar scheme and could funding come from that?

Developers down this way pay into a fund called Section 105 which is then used to build and maintain community pieces like playparks, skateparks etc

That makes sense, I knew there was some way in which they covered the costs.

I may be wrong here but I was under the impression that the one in Fleet was paid for by the developers of the new housing estate it is allied to

I'll find out hopefully but so far as I can tell it was paid by Hart council.

If they did do this under a s106 then it would be illegal unless the site is the same as the development. As WCA points out it's actually (land aside) pretty cheap... and WBC own some perfect land they purchased to move a gym to build tower blocks they need to do something with before the criminal investigation into the whole project so it would be very convenient. [And they already put the land onto the local plan for sporting use]

Developers down this way pay into a fund called Section 105 which is then used to build and maintain community pieces like playparks, skateparks etc

OP does you council run a similar scheme and could funding come from that?

They don't have much choice but run it... but they are able to grant excepmtions and the lions share goes to the CC via the CIL.

They can bypass this though and also get 100% CT for the first 2 yrs if they build certain housing.

In either case funds are available through the CC but for political reasons they won't use this.

Obviously I don't really care where the money comes from....

That makes sense, I knew there was some way in which they covered the costs.

Using that is not preferable because it's paid on sq m of floor space in zones.
The highest CIL is gained by building tower blocks outside the tall buildings designated area. (125 vs 75 per sq m) and this also lets the BC keep the money rather than the CC getting it and using it for stuff like schools so its a pretty poor trade off for residents.
(Especially as we have a huge surplus of bedsits and 1 bed flats and huge shortage of family housing)

Incidentally the jumps and pump track at Fleet are the real thing... not just a box ticking exercise. Loads of adults, kids and even people my age learning to jump.

I saw several people start from literally nothing and get as far as clearing some decent tables ... including people approaching or retired.

Wow so it is funded by s106.
I'm not going to question the legality of that...

Perhaps unsurprising to us but they initially got funding as a "teen anti-social behaviour" initiative that their PM now says "This all sounds a bit old fashioned now and we now have "meaningful" data on the value of the health and wellbeing benefit to the community"....

@stevextc you local to Woking?

Slight thread resurrection! Never saw your original post, but back in 2019 i starting on a project to get a track built in Woking - it opened last April 2022 in Goldsworth Park.

Took quite a bit of effort to get it done, but so far seems to be well received.

Pics and vids from the track insta here:

Goldsworth Park Bike Track (@gwpbiketrack) • Instagram photos and videos

Yes down in kingsfield…

Si Tricket was the main man … I did some “consulting” / reviews on the track .. mainly jump geo and making it so people can’t cycle the wrong way

<<Si Tricket>> yep 🙂

I think I have worked out who you are now! Fellow Bird owner

Since opening we have built in a couple of extra rollers and plans to include some skinnies/beams.

We will be having a maintenance day or two coming up in September - will drop you line.

Is this track in the same place as the old one (between the hockey club and the lake)?

Feint memories of hanging out there after school in the late 80s/early 90s. Still can’t jump 😉

Fleet is excellent fun yes... free too... absolute bargain 🙂

Will be back there in a few weeks.

Is this track in the same place as the old one (between the hockey club and the lake)?

Feint memories of hanging out there after school in the late 80s/early 90s. Still can’t jump

Yep to negate the the need for new planning permission, it was devised as revamp/restoration/upgrade - the new pump track, mtb, CX and grass tracks all following pre existing lines in the grass/old track lines.