LARA Press Release

Written by AMCA OFFICE Monday, 19 September 2011 00:00

The Threat to the 14/28 Day Rule is Lifted.

In early July 2011 the Government published an Issues Paper which stated that motorsport events (sporting trials, moto-cross, etc.) give rise to ‘significant concerns’, and invited comments and views on changing the ‘14/28 Day Rule’ under which most offroad sport is organised. Under the 14/28 Day Rule an event organiser does not have to apply for planning permission for the ‘change of use’ of the land, on the day of the event, from agricultural to motor sport. To have to so apply would be an enormous burden on clubs, farmers and planning authorities for no real benefit.

This was not the first threat of this type. Back in 2002 there was a Government consultation on restricting or scrapping permitted development rights (the 14/28 Day Rule) for motor spor t. LARA showed that the Government’s consultants were confusing ‘cowboy activity’ and practice tracks with properly organised events, and the proposal was dropped.
On 23 August 2011, John Richardson (Honorary Chairman of LARA) and Alan Kind (LARA’s Motor Sport & Planning Specialist) met with Mr David Wilkes at the Depar tment of Communities and Local Government in London to discuss the issue and LARA’s response this time around. At the same time many dozens of clubs and individuals from the MSA and AMCA, with support from LARA’s non-sporting member organisations, wrote in to the DCLG to express their grave concern at this direct threat to so much motor sport outside the confines of established circuits.

In writing back to LARA on 5 September, Mr Wilkes is candid. He says that nearly half of the replies received to the Issues Paper as a whole came from motor sport people, and
on the evidence before him there is no basis for advising Ministers that changes should be made to the 14/28 day rule in respect of motor sports. This does not mean that the threat has gone away altogether : as always the ultimate decision rests first with the Minister, and then with Parliament, but the dark clouds have been lifted for now. Motor spor t has now faced-down this threat twice in nine years. It will probably come back.