The recent legal action against the Croft circuit and the Court of Appeal's latest judgment has important implications for other UK race circuits.
The High Court in the Croft case found that, despite the circuit having valid planning permissions, the locality was essentially rural in nature. The circuit had, since 1963, developed gradually and noise levels had similarly increased. The defence of "reasonable use" was not open to Croft because the noise was intense, repetitive, continuous and
intrusive. The Court of Appeal endorsed the High Court's finding that the number of days of excessive noise was unreasonable, taking into account the rural nature of the area. Courts may follow this approach in future cases concerning circuits in rural areas.
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Organisers of any UK event, covering any type of motorsport which takes place on a regular basis in one location, should be aware of the Court's decision, and make contact with Georgina Crowhurst, solicitor at Clyde & Co LLP by calling +44 (0)20 7623 1244 or emailing georgina.crowhurst@clydeco.com.
