COUNCIL chiefs have won a crucial round of their fight to control noisy motor vehicle sports on an airfield near York.

A planning inspector has thrown out an appeal by Elvington Park Ltd against a planning enforcement notice issued by City of York Council, and also spoken out about the “intolerable level of disturbance” suffered by local residents.

The notice claimed there had been such a substantial intensification in motor vehicle activity on Elvington Airfield that it constituted a change of use which would require planning permission.

Local residents lined up against each other when a public inquiry was held into the appeal last month.

Some backed the appeal, but others claimed noise in recent years had been unacceptable.

The owners said it generated less noise now than when they bought the airfield nine years ago.

The inspector said in his report that he had been impressed by a long string of witnesses from the locality, who told “consistent stories of suffering long days of incessant midweek testing by Formula 1 racing cars, or Le Mans endurance sports cars, and weekend after weekend of noisy motor sports”.

He said he was satisfied planning permission should not be granted for this “intolerable level of disturbance”.

And he believed a return to an agreement under which most weekends in the summer were free of noisy motor sports and the high volume and persistent timbre of Formula 1 was removed altogether was the least that residents deserved.

Elvington Parish Council chairman Ian Bailey said today he was relieved the inspector had now clarified issues around motor vehicle activities.

A City of York Council spokeswoman said it would like to thank residents and parish council representatives who took part in the process and helped ensure that the enforcement notice was upheld.

She said: “The notice does not prevent the use of the airfield for motor-sports activities, but looks to control the harmful effects. It was never the intention of council to stop the use of the airfield as a valuable resource for business and/or recreation altogether.

“At the inquiry it was conceded by Elvington Park Limited that a significant level of activity could still take place within the requirements of the notice.

“The council will now be looking to Elvington Park to comply with the terms of the notice and will monitor the frequency of events and level of noise as necessary,” she said.