Elvington noise level ruling due next week (From York Press)

Elvington noise level ruling due next week

8:10am Saturday 20th October 2012 in News By Dan Bean, dan.bean@thepress.co.uk

A RULING on whether two firms near York breached an order to keep down the noise is to be made next week.

Complaints about noise nuisance from local residents led City of York Council to bring the case against Elvington Events Ltd and Elvington Park Ltd, and the secretary of the companies, John Christopher Hudson and they have been on trial this week.

The firms and Hudson deny two charges each. It is alleged they failed to ensure that noise generated by a public address system and motor vehicle and motor sport activities was kept below a specified level in August and October last year.

Hudson, 62, of Main Street, Sutton-on-Derwent, told the court on Thursday that noise testing had taken place at a number of events at Elvington Airfield and at race meetings since the council passed the noise abatement order last year.

The court also heard from a representative of the Auto 66 Club, a rallying organisation which uses the airfield.

Hudson told the court: “Part of being classified as ‘statutory noise’ is the frequency of events and Auto 66 events have been reduced significantly, down from 12 per year to four per year, so the frequency has gone down tremendously.”

Stuart Nolan, from the Auto 66 Club, told the court his organisation had not only reduced the number of events, but carried out noise testing before bikes were allowed on the track and at some points of the track while bikes were in motion, to ensure the order was not being breached.

He said noise measurements were rarely taken at corners where acceleration would take place, as the bikers would alter their driving style to continue riding. He said measurements at corners “would be of no benefit as they would not accelerate as hard and you can’t chase them round the circuit”.

District Judge John Foster said a ruling on whether the airfield had breached the noise abatement notice would be given at Barnsley on Thursday.

John Hunter, for City of York Council, said residents had claimed the noise problem “was as bad as ever”.

City of York Council has received numerous noise complaints from local residents about motorsports and related activities at the Elvington Airfield since the owners bought the site in 2000.