Cafeside MTB is a small bike park located on Haldon Hill near Exeter. It has been closed for a good while whilst formal planning conversations with Teignbridge District Council have been ongoing. The bike park which is over ten years old is run by a handful of dedicated volunteers. Unfortunately, the disappointing news has been announced that Teignbridge District Council has rejected their application to certify the site's use for mountain biking trails for over 10 years.
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Despite submitting substantial evidence submitted and working closely with the original planning officer, the Teignbridge District Council concluded that there was insufficient proof of the site's continuous use as a mountain bike trail centre for the required period! This decision came as a disappointing shock to the team (and to many in the UK MTB community).
The group is seeking planning advice from experts in the field and receiving support from the UK MTB Trail Alliance as they prepare their appeal.
Despite this setback, the team at Cafeside MTB is still committed to moving forward with the Cafeside project and working collaboratively with the council. We wish them luck and hope Teignbridge District Council reconsider and supports the project. Projects like these are invaluable for the benefit of local communities.
From iBikeRides perspective it sounds like this community has been established for many years and has tried over the last few years to work in the right way with the authorities and be overtly collaborative in a positive way. It doesn't send a good message to the wider MTB community to have this application then rejected at the last hurdle in what seems like a surprise and turn of opinion. It will leave others questioning why bother. Hopefully, the appeal will be reconsidered and application approved
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