Hopefully good news after accident

Posted By: Keith Swift
Date Posted: 03/04/2007

The Rochdale Online news item about the unfortunate accident to a young man mountain biking in Newhey Quarry on Saturday only highlights the ongoing efforts of myself and your Liberal Democrat Councillors Irene Davidson and Denis Whittle to find a suitable site for Mountain Bikers and Off Road Motorcyclists.

My colleagues and I have for years had to respond to the complaints of local residents living near Newhey Quarry, as I do, of the noise nuisance of Off Road Motor bikers, by saying that they are trespassing on private land.  It is not a matter we can do anything about as a Council other than inform the Police, as most of the bikes seem to be ridden illegally along Huddersfield Road, and inform the Quarry owner.

The Quarry owner has given up repairing the fencing which he has spent hundreds of pounds on and is continually pulled down to gain access.  The Police have made more of an effort in the past months and confiscated some Motor bikes, but cannot stand guard at the Quarry to prevent people entering.

I can hear the noise from the motor bikes from my home some 200 yards from the Quarry and do empathise with those people living nearer and being more annoyed by this nuisance.

Mountain bikers are less of a nuisance but are still on private land without consent. 

Cllr Jean Ashworth of Smallbridge and Firgrove and I spent a Saturday going looking for a site that would be suitable for these growing sports.  Finding a site that was not within earshot of housing, not designated for ground nesting birds, not a Heritage site or some other designation, proved too much.

However, Cllr Irene Davidson may have come up with a solution for the Mountain Bikers at least and is in discussions as I write this diary, so the search goes on and I hope to be able to report some good news coming out of the accident to this young man.