From regeneration and planning website

Campaigners seek judical review of Derby bike track approval
By Michael Donnelly Monday, 17 February 2014

A Derbyshire wildlife campaign group has launched a judicial review bid against a council’s approval for a cycle track which would be built on part of a nature reserve.
Tagged by:Development management,Derbyshire,England – Midlands,Biodiversity,Landscape & protected areas,EnvironmentLast week Derby City Council granted full planning permission for the cycle track and mountain bike skills area on part of the Sanctuary local nature reserve at Pride Park.

According to a planning report, which recommended approval, the scheme would take up around 3.5 hectares of the 12.25-hectare nature reserve.

The applicant proposed to make up for the loss of land through the use of a compensation site the south-east of the city.

The planning report said: “The application seeks to provide mitigation within the [nature reserve], during construction and monitoring after construction and seeks to provide compensation land.

“On balance when considering all benefits and opportunities available to the applicant at the time of making the application I feel that they have considered all that is reasonably practical and therefore see no reason as to why the application cannot be support.

“Obviously, the impact of the proposal on the LNR is the biggest concern with this application and any impact is regrettable. The applicant has accepted that impact is inevitable and has been unable to accommodate the proposal on an alternative site however they have been able to secure a compensatory site which is some three times the size of the loss from the development of this site with known nature conservation benefits”.

But in a statement the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust said it was seeking a judicial review of the planning approval.

Conservation manager Tim Birch said: “We have been advised that we have grounds to seek such a review on two counts – the absence of a winter bird survey of the nature reserve, meaning that there is incomplete information about its wildlife, and the offer of a compensatory site at Alvaston Scrub, which is inappropriate and inadequate.

“This is such an important issue both locally and nationally that we felt we had to explore all options to protect The Sanctuary. Destruction of the wildlife habitat on this Local Nature Reserve sets a dangerous precedent that makes other local nature reserves in Derbyshire and around the country vulnerable to development.

“If Derby City Council is prepared to build on this nature reserve, which will be the next they line up for development? Our wildlife continues to decline and it is vital that we do all we can to protect our local nature reserves”.

Derby City Council said it acknowledged the legal proceedings but would make no further comment.

I take it they have footpaths and public access in this nature reserve?

would a mountain bike trail cause more disturbance than people walking their dogs there, or are they just being precious?

Firstly its not a nature reserve. Its an ugly small insignificant bit of scrub land on the outskirts of a huge commercial development. Its not in a nice picturesque area of the Derbyshire hills or some inner city wildlife oasis. Its a joke that this has been able to have been designated as such. What a waste of tax payers money.

Iirc It’s not a trail but a velodrome

Iirc It’s not a trail but a velodrome

No it isn’t – it’s an outdoor racing track to go alongside the velodrome. The velodrome is up already and approaching completion.

This is the area they are arguing about (bearing in mind the velodrome takes up most of the car park in the picture). It really is a tiny bit of land…

Google maps…

Is it just the bit on the left hand side of the river? the bit on the other side looks like it would be great fun for bikes…

i couldn’t believe it was a nature reserve when i found out what area it was.

the other side of the river has more natural “nature reserve” looking foliage.

The bit over the river is IIRC a rubble tip? And fairly flat. The bit by the velodrome is also a tip, but more undulating.

Not so much a case of “I remember when all this was trees”, more “I remember when all this was a waste dump, railway sidings, flooded regulalry and generaly condemed as unfit for habitation”. Which is why is a concrete sea of car dealerships now.

I used to Trundle past there on my way to Alvaston BMX course Years ago (Pan down the river S/E a bit)… the land North of the River with the wiggly lines Used to get MXers playing on it IIRC, not sure if they still do, I’m sure I heard someone killed themselves there and the enthusiasm dried up a bit… This is going back about a Decade and a Half…

What are they proposing to build a Tarmac Oval? probably only needs a 150 x 150m plot doesn’t it? less than half the area there…

I’m sure if the Rams wanted more car parking on that spot, it would get pushed through with less fuss…

Not even an oval track – a bit around the edge!…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-26265095

Found a couple more pics…

Hmmm, This Image:

Looks like a more detailed plan and they seem to have dropped the bit across the middle (shown in the images above), doesn’t go near the pond at the south end and avoids encroaching on the dense bits of foliage…

Investing in a closed TT circuit in a part of the country where TTing is pretty popular is a good thing IMO, and they’ve clearly done their best to minimise any potential impact to the Scrubland round the back of an industrial estate “Sanctuary”.

Is this the wildlife reserve built on a hazardous waste landfill?!

Madness

One of my riding buddies has just retired and was planning to do some volunteering for DWT. Maybe he’ll talk some sense into them.

Presumably if the wildlife was happy to take over this corner of derelict wasteland it will relocate fairly readily.

I had heard that British Cycling were not involved in the funding of the velodrome but had put up a very large amount for the outdoor track. Sounds unlikely but if true no wonder the council are keen to keep that part of the project going.

It is looking great, can’t wait to and see some racing and scare myself with a taster session

Just in case anyone is interested in the other sides perspective…<clicky>

“The other sides” story is, frankly, bullshit
I know the history of the site having been involved with earthworks for the first roads laid into Pride Park, it’s a toxic dump full of all sorts of contaminants, I saw a lot of it get dumped there. (We transported what we thought was a WW2 bomb all the way round Derby one day before discovering it when we dropped it on the dump)
It could not be developed and someone spotted a ringed plover there so it got declared a nature reserve
There is no public access unless you are a member of DWT and have a key (others get a to look through a rickey hole in the fence)
The fence is no longer secure so you get people hunting rabbits with dogs there (the cycle track will introduce more security and better viewing facilities)
The track has gone through 3 or 4 revisions after consultations with DWT and others and compensatory land down the river has been offered
The objectors have come up with all sorts of fantasy against the scheme, from cycling being an expensive fad (that should be banned said some, one comment in the local rag even suggested drivers be awarded prizes for running cyclists off the road) to dangers from airborne asbestos as well as the birds and frogs being disturbed
The reserve I’d next to Derby County FC, every other Saturday 32,000 people are making a racket 200 yards away, not to mention the surrounding industry and the park and ride and railway next to it. Sure if the birds cope now they will be fine with a strip of Tarmac round the outside (taking up less than 20% of the area)
As far as I am aware the council can within their rights remove the nature designation DWT in taking this to the high court are only delaying the land clearance meaning rather than being done now, in winter, it will be done during bird breeding season
They don’t care about the nature there as much as the ‘principle’ they say the planning decision sets because of the designation of the land
Near my house on the outskirts of Derby there are plans to build over 800 houses on greenfield farmland, destroying hedges, ponds, a woodland area etc and just as much variable habitat as found on this reserve. They didnt pipe up about that, or the lizards on the site of the gasification plant planned down the road from the velodrome, or the woods and scrub that will be destroyed by the T12 link road and industrial park planned near Rolls Royce
There attentions would be much better focused on some of these issues that are equally threatening local wildlife and working with the council on the compromises that have been proposed to ensure the track is built as sympathetically as possible

Bristol City football club had the same problem when trying to build a new stadium.

A former landfill site was designated village green status and prevented them from building.

Some of these nature reserves and village greens are a joke.