Croft Circuit
The famous Croft circuit near Darlington has been hosting races since 1928, but now it’s future is in doubt after a recent court case awarded three neighbours £150,000 each in compensation for noise issues.
(BARC) The British Automobile Racing Club that own the circuit are also facing legal costs of £700,000 plus a further £300,000 of their own legal fees.
The circuit owners have appealed against the decision but if it is not overturned it could face closure as it is feared that if the decision is upheld further cases are likely to follow.
Interestingly enough, the people who had complained had not done so about organised events, which occur on only fifty-days of the year, but about test days and open track days.
The people involved have also have also tried to get an injunction against the circuit to limit the circuits activities to forty-days of the year.
It does make me wonder when these people actually moved to the area and why, knowing that there is a race circuit in the vicinity. Let’s hope the decision is overturned for the sake of Croft and the hundreds of true fans around the world that have enjoyed and wish to continue enjoying the racing at one of the best circuits in the UK.
7 comments so far
1 mark stephenson // Jan 27, 2009 at 6:43 pm
These people are nothing more than greedy scum they dont support the local population and no doubt they’ll bugger off back to where they come from, I mean honestly der i know what ill do i dont lke noise so ill move near a race track the tosser’s get a life…..Lets hope we get a sensible judge who’ll overturn the idiot of a judges first decision.. they dont live on the real planet either……
2 Anthony hall // Jan 28, 2009 at 9:00 pm
would you move next to an airport then sue the airport for landing planes there and making a noise. This is my local track and is responsiable for getting racing off the roads and in to a safe and controlled environment. Bloody tree huggers turning this country in to a nanny state ! I hear a rumour that one of the people complaining the most is a local MP or councilor !!!!!!!
3 start-o-matic // Jan 29, 2009 at 11:54 am
This is a great victory for the residents I also live a sporting venue and my life is made a misery by selfish supporters who do not care anything about local residents, supporters all have the same childish reply when challenged their stock reply is “it was there before you” this is true but in 1890 when it started people walked to these events and did not desend on a populated area in 10000 cars and all want to park as near as possible to the event, well done to the residents,
4 Anthony hall // Jan 30, 2009 at 8:21 pm
reply to start-o-matic.croft circuit is not in a poulated built up area it is in the middle of a vast area of farm land and the nearest village of croft on tees is several miles from the track. By all accounts the few people that have complaind have only objected to the noise through the week days and not at weekends! why?When i travel to this track the 3 or 4 nearest bungalos stand on there own, miles from any where and are still a mile or more from the edge of the track. THEY HAVE NOT COMPLAINED ABOUT YOUR SO CALLED CHILDISH SUPPORTERS .Of which i am nodoubt one.Motorsport brings a lot of welcome money in to this area, There are only 2 large events every year , the rest of the time it is 20-30 people doing track days in cars and on bikes etc.Check out the fixture list on croft circuit and check out google earth! What no populated built up area. Wait for it yes hear is your reply Like i said if you dont like it MOVE !!!
5 Graeme Reed // Jan 30, 2009 at 10:23 pm
I would just like to say that as is stated above Croft has been holding Motorsport events since 1928 and was also an airfield before that. I have been going to Croft since i was a kid and they have always had bother from the miserable locals and i can say that the circut has always tried its best with noise control. They do have strict noise levels which i believe are lower than all of the other tracks we have in Britain. This claim is unbelievable and will prob put people out of a job and bring down the local economy, but then maybe the neighbours can donate some of their new found furtune back into the comunitee of better still just move away to somewhere a little more “quiet”. I think its time us motorists and motorsport fans stood up to these small few bully’s!
6 Rod // Jan 31, 2009 at 5:51 pm
This is an absolute disgrace. One or two greedy, self-centred, not-in-my-back-yard, blinkered scum seem quite happy to risk the income of probably hundreds and the enjoyment of many thousands. They should be ashamed. Why not sue the estate agent who sold them the property? If one of the complainers is as suggested above some sort of councillor or MP then the locals should use every opportunity to vote them out, because it’s local people’s jobs at stake thanks to some in-coming, greedy, narrow-minded, selfish, selfish, SELFISH fools. What a disgrace. I bet none of the B&Bs, hotels, pubs etc mind the trackdays etc. This is not justice, and it’s what is absolutely wrong with this country.
7 Stuart // Feb 2, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Just to let everyone know, one of the people who sued Croft used to work there and was married to one of the owners. She didn’t complain then, but now they are divorced she has a problem.