It is with great regret that Mallory Park Motorsport Limited has today announced that the company has been put into Administration. Mallory Park has
been operating as a motorcycle and car race circuit for many years and has much history attaching to the circuit. In 1985 a highly restrictive Noise
Notice was attached to Mallory Park Motorsport Limited (‘MPML’) embracing all circuit activities but, significantly, a number of the provisions within
the Notice were very much open to interpretation.
MPML has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council over the years and a level of understanding had been
established to work within the 1985 Notice. Regrettably, however, this arrangement was placed under scrutiny by local residents some of whom were new
to the village, who made representations to HBBC to apply the rigid interpretation of the 1985 Notice.
MPML and the local authority worked extremely hard with the residents to find a compromise solution but, unfortunately, the council decided to
prosecute MPML on five charges of the Notice during 2012 which involved operating on a Saturday over and above the four days agreed in the Notice. The
court hearing took place in August 2013 and ruled that MPML was guilty of this breach on the five occasions, but MPML was given the right to take the
establishment rights of the 1985
Notice to a higher court.
The immediate implication of the Court decision was to oblige MPML to observe the provision of the 1985 Notice, which allows only for 40 days racing
on Sundays per annum (but with a dispensation to allow four Saturdays per annum) and testing on Wednesdays. MPML was accordingly obliged to cancel
all track day operations, resulting in a significant loss of income (a situation also felt by local businesses and local employers) and use of the
track for local community activities – young driver training etc. Overall, the imposition of such restrictions has inevitably led to MPML having a
financially unstable business plan.
Following the Court case, MPML immediately implemented the highly restrictive conditions of the 1985 Notice, thus effectively reducing the circuit
activity to two days per week. Significant losses were being incurred which no business can sustain. It was clear that a more dynamic approach needed
to be taken to overcome the significant hurdles and two weeks ago MPML developed an innovative three stage Recovery Plan to take Mallory forwards
which would hopefully meets the wishes of the residents and form the basis of a viable business.
Very constructive dialogue was held with the Leader of HBBC and senior officials and we were receiving very encouraging reactions from them to the
Plan. A fundamental component of the Plan was the agreement of the Land Owner to reduce the annual lease rental, which had risen by over 40% over the
last eight years and had reached untenable levels. Very regrettably, despite intense work by the MPML board, the Land Owner – Titan Properties Ltd –
refused to make a substantive offer to allow the Recovery Plan to proceed.
British Automobile Racing Club were keen to support MPML (and did so up to the final race meeting yesterday by paying for certain essential supplies
allowing the meeting to place) and indeed would have supported MPML to ensure all its trade creditors were paid. To that end, it needed the support of
the Landlord with a sustainable rent but, regrettably, this was not possible to achieve.
Accordingly, having no firm visibility into 2014 and beyond, MPML directors had no option but to place the company into Administration.
The administrator, Ian Robert of Kingston Smith & Partners LLP, commented: “I will be working with all the stakeholders to ensure that Mallory
Park will see racing again. I hope the administration process can assist in finding a solution which will be beneficial to all parties concerned.”
He continued: “To that end, I will be negotiating with the landlord and the council, with the support of the BARC, to ensure that racing can be
enjoyed at Mallory Park for years to come. Although it is early days, I am hopeful that, once a solution to the lease is found, all of the company’s
creditors should receive a substantial dividend, which I understand is very much the driving force behind the continued support of the BARC.”
That's very sad - let's hope a way forward can be negotiated.
Yes very sad, sounds like people move into houses next to a race track not thinking that there might be races there! Quelle surprise!! I remember seeing Hailwood, Agostini, Reed and Ivy there, no houses near then.
How many jobs has that cost then?. Not good. Hope the incomers are happy, when the local shops etc have to close, due to the lack of revenue, that
this activity undoubtedly generated in the local community.
thin of the wedge ?,how long before any form of fun is banned ?
omega - The incomers will be delighted.
This is the future, but it's also the present. All the circuits (with a few exceptions) are suffering to a greater or lesser extent.
Sensitive circuits (e.g. Combe, Goodwood, etc.) have strict noise levels imposed upon them, that then have to be enforced on the competitors (who I
wish wouldn't complain at the circuit, it's the NIMBY's and Gummit that should bear their wrath). I was black flagged at a Brands
trackday a few weeks ago for excessive noise, when you can hear the A20 traffic on the circuit from all angles. The Nimbys have it.
We should all be good quiet citizens, working, paying taxes, buying houses, fuelling greed and watching X-Factor on our phones.... that is all our
lords require.
Electric vehicles would really help, but will probably come too late for a lot of circuits.
They aren't squeaky clean in this, they've been operating outside of the rules for 30 years and a court pulled them up on it.
as the crow flies I live just under 3 miles from the circuit. When the wind is just so and the A47 is quiet I can hear track action from my garage as
I work on my own cars.
I will miss the sound
quote:
Originally posted by Dingz
Yes very sad, sounds like people move into houses next to a race track not thinking that there might be races there! Quelle surprise!! I remember seeing Hailwood, Agostini, Reed and Ivy there, no houses near then.
whoever was at fault in the past is now irrelevant. It's a brown site - I wonder how they'll cope with the alternative of their village
being turned into a commuter town - should get a thousand dwellings on there - that'll be much quieter? 
I've lived on or near active military runways my whole life and now live on a new development (on the site of an old airfield funnily enough) and
know which I prefer!
The wishes of a minority ruin it for the majority once again
IIRC In the past some "Clever" people have bought cheap houses near a circuit, started complaining till they got it shut down and watched
their house prices rocket.
Those ones really don't care about the local shops as they'll either be selling up pdq before the site gets developed or are commuters who
do their shopping at the most convenient supermarket on their way home.
[Edited on 30/9/13 by iank]
[Edited on 30/9/13 by iank]
Reading the press release again, it smack of the land owner being happy for the track business to fail. probably leaves them free to put the land to far more lucrative use. If it's inhabited around and about, then housing will be high on the list and probably an unintended (and unwanted) consequence for the locals who've objected.
Its official, Having fun is now banned
Next stop will be Carb's are outlawed and everything with 4 wheels has to have a cat fitted 
I liked Mallory and had great fun hooning around in an Elise when they first came out, but even then the folks at the track said the neighbors were on
their case
If you move to a house near a circuit it should be pretty obvious it ain't gonna be as quiet as a David Cameron supporters club meeting 
The land is no doubt worth considerably more as a building plot than a race circuit, or the rents raised from a race circuit.
As above, everything at the moment is pointing to a housing boom just around the corner.
Just down the road they had a simillar issue at Filton Airport, lied about profits to get permission to turn it into houses, and as soon as the last
planes left they put huge wholes in the runway so it would need work to be reused as a runway. The Plan backfired though and now the company has to
pay out to repair the runway as it was making profits.
I would guess that in reality it's this rather than noise complaints.
I really don't understand how they can have these noise complaints about motor racing in the day when the police are free to fly a helicopter
over my house almost every night about 1am, and the council can arrange a weekend of night work just down the road from me on a round about that
I'm sure will be far more disturbing.
quote:
Originally posted by Pat_T
as the crow flies I live just under 3 miles from the circuit. When the wind is just so and the A47 is quiet I can hear track action from my garage as I work on my own cars.
I will miss the sound
Read this and get the other side of the story as well
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=1259354&mid=45965&i=220&nmt=RE%3A+Mallory+Park%27s+future+in+doubt&mid
=45965
Im not into pointing fingers and blaming as I dont know the whole story. I am just gutted that I won't have the chance to go there and sample a
great historic track.
Makes me want to do as many track days in different places as possible. Support the circuits and experience something that i genuinely expect my
children will never have the opportunity to do.
I am sure that Mallory have slightly bent the rules over their operating days.
I am equally sure that there are local elements who just loath Mallory.
But should it all end in tears I doubt that all the residents of Kirkby mallory will be delighted.
Nearly 1000 new homes are possible on the site.
Given the Governments plan to increase social Housing that developers have to include in total houses built per developement, this could lead the
lucky locals to have 200-300 social houses built in their 'rural'village.
This will leave them with an infrastructure that can not cope with the increased population, traffic and noise.
While I am sure that Albanians, Rumanians etc are lovely, the 'village' idiots of Kirkby Mallory may not think so.
Social Housing also brings with it its own 'dynamic'.
In Short, their 'village' will no longer be a village. Good luck with all that then.
quote:
Originally posted by JacksAvon
I am sure that Mallory have slightly bent the rules over their operating days.
I don't want to see mallory go either.........but it's operators have been complete idiots and only have themselves to blame for the
position they are in now.
Mallory have been licensed 92 noisy days per year since 1985......however their most recent buisiness model for them to be a profitable company is
based on over 160 noisy days per year!! They have stated that without at least 160 noisy days per year it would not be viable to continue........but
the 92 day limit is nothing new to them so why on earth have they based a buisiness model on breaking a previously agreed limit???
At a minimum, they should have applied for more noisy days back in the late 90's / early 00's when the rule wasn't being rigidly
imposed by the authorities. I understand that back then maybe they didn't want to draw attention to the fact they was going over the limit....but
that decision has now come back to bite them!!
Even if additional days was not approved back then, they could have changed their buisiness stratagy early on and avoided the heavy fines that
they've now incured because of breaking the rule in 2011 (it's this fine that has now killed them plus the fact that they won't be
allowed 160 noisy days per year so it's just easier to pack it all up)
Also from what I've read. it was japfest and drifting etc...that was the final nail in the coffin....the tail backs through the village, fast
driving, wheel spinning on public roads late at nite....
So all in all, Mallory have shown bad buisiness and completely ignored all the warnings they had before any offical action was taken........it's
hardly suprising what is happening.
I sincerely hope Mallory sees racing in the future as I love standing in the infield at the john cooper esses and watching cars fly past me less than
30ft away but with all the housing developments happening I think we've seen the last of Mallory racing.
If you're going to blame anyone, blame the track operator...(rant over)
indeed
They (BARC) also may substantial changes to the circuit surroundings (tree felling, large viewing banks etc) without planning permission which
increased the noise levels.
Miss-management of the worse type.
I will leave this now to the pompous tub thumpers
Given the clear significance of the site, I am surprised it doesn't come under consideration as a Listed Building.
That would certainly slow the developers down.
Campaign for it to become a site of significant national interest or National Heritage site?
The site is still owned by the same company it has been for 30 odd years. The company, Titan Properties, is owned by Chris Meek who is an ex-GT racer
apparently.
There has been no suggestion, as far as I'm aware, of the sale of the site to a property developer.
quote:
I will leave this now to the pompous tub thumpers
Personally I think that if you buy a house near a
1. Train line - You should expect trains
2. Airport - You should expect aeroplanes
3. School - You should expect children
4. Race Track - You should expect racing cars
Its easy. If they had built the track recently and people properties had devalued because of it I would agree with the local residents. If the noise
had increased over the last year then I would also agree. I guess the Racetrack has been operating long before most local residents moved into the
area.
I bet the local shops and garages aren't complaining. I bet the local residents who work at the circuit aren't complaining.
[Edited on 1/10/13 by Irony]
The 'other side' from a resident of Mallory
Hi all I posted this in March this year to put the residents side forward - we have all taken a kicking from many of you out there so can you all
please take the time to read and digest - it is NOT all as MPML like you all to believe. There were many many breaches of the notice last year and
previous years, the fact is, that HBBC decided to take five as a sample that happened to be Saturday use. What has transpired since is that BARC/MPML
were found guilty of these breaches and it is clear that BARC understood what the real version of the notice meant. They seem to emphasise that they
have only 92 days per year of usage when in fact they have 5 days per week. The landlord it transpires charge them an extortionate amount of rent but
this was also made clear when BARC signed the lease in 2005, BARC also paid £200,000 dividends to their shareholders last year..
As a log term resident of Kirkby Mallory I am fed up to the back teeth of all the incorrect remarks on various social networking sites most of which
have been put there by probably the very ones that come to the track race the balls of their bikes and then go home to their nice quiet homes, and are
not fully aware of the facts,only what is fed to them from one side of the story. I have been a suporter of Mallory Park for many years and have lived
quite comfortably with it when the Overends ran it. I have listened to both sides and more recently been updated with the facts about the 85 notice
and what it allows, I have read most of the derogatory and probably liable remarks on the facebook page brought to my attention by my grandson.
Therefore the reason for posting this on Pistonheads is because you all seem to be more level headed than others. Because of these idiotic comments,
my support for the track has diminished and quite frankly I now feel that they deserve everything they get, the management of the track have only
themselves to blame for contnually breaking what is a legal notice which in its self a criminal offence. There are a few facts that I have found out
that need to be voiced whether you like it or not , to give a balanced view on this whole mess.
• In 1985 a noise abatement notice was put on the track, this is because obviously there was a noise nuisance. This allows 2 noisy days a week and
three quiet days, 5 working days, then it gives us residents two no use days –it has been like this for many years beofre BARC took over in 2005.
• They signed the lease for the track and if their lawyers had done the work properly they would know this was the case. If this was not viable for
them they should not of taken the lease on. They may of had every intention of breaching the rules who knows, and it has now come back to bite them
–again incompetence on the part of the management in by book.
• They HAVE blatantly breached this notice on countless occasions over the past couple of years - the awsome fest was the final straw for many
residents it seems.
• If this was a pub, factory, or any other business continually breaking the law it would of been shut down regardless if it was making a profit or
not.
• BARC it seems have two other circuits that run very effectively on less than the 85 noitce allows Mallory Park. The difference being they are not
allowed as many track days there so they bring them all to Mallory Park – is it any wonder that residents get pissed off.
• Ironically with all the attantion lately and the full facts of the 85 notice revealed, the very operators that have set up / endorsed the mallory
park supporters facebook page are the very ones that had a horrendous track day yesterday in the village on what is a No Use Saturday exept below 55db
– so arogant are the management that they have alowed this to go on and stick two fingers up to the law and residents.
• It has been documented that John Ward states that the track days are money spinners, this might be true and maybe their downfall, it was said that
we had 80+ track days last year. This seems to be easy money for them. Perhpas now they have to work and go and look for less noisy activity to
contiue to stay vialble Croft, Thruxton and Goodwood seem to have it sorted, good business sence prevails obviously.
For this, my support over the last week or so is NO longer, it might even be that they want to close the track but are blaming the council and
residents which will take the heat off them !! who knows with all the false information been fed out they are certainly not trustworthy business men –
maybe a change in management would be the answer. You have to ask yourself whether all the derogatory remarks being put out on the internet by the
staff of the track is proffessional, this does not bode well for BARC . To make derogatory and indeed mabe incrimidating remarks about certain
residents is certainly NOT protraying a professional enterprise.
And, need we ask where is the general manager is in all this, sitting in his office making all the bullets for everyone to fire no doubt, If I
remember correctly there was not even an appology after the awsome fest. Now they are acting like a spoilt child that has had his/her hands caught in
the cookie jar. The meeting last Wednesday was cancelled because Mallory Park did not distribute their new proposals in time and also because of all
the resentment whipped up by certain individuals on facebook with threats made to residents it was obviously sensible for all that it did not take
place.
I’m sorry if this statement has offenden anyone but do your own research it is all on the internet for every one to read.
May common-sense prevail in all this and if more effort was put in to comming to an agreement than putting all this stupidity on the internet we might
have an amicable solution
Some of the above comments might now be our of date but att this stage, MPML have gone into administration not BARC, Mallory Park no doubt will
continue but under different management - so before further abuse towards residents shall we wait and see what happens in the next week or so - as
they say every cloud has a silver lining and I am sure this will be the case.
quote:
Originally posted by Irony
Personally I think that if you buy a house near a
1. Train line - You should expect trains
2. Airport - You should expect aeroplanes
3. School - You should expect children
4. Race Track - You should expect racing cars
Its easy. If they had built the track recently and people properties had devalued because of it I would agree with the local residents. If the noise had increased over the last year then I would also agree. I guess the Racetrack has been operating long before most local residents moved into the area.
I bet the local shops and garages aren't complaining. I bet the local residents who work at the circuit aren't complaining.
[Edited on 1/10/13 by Irony]
quote:
Originally posted by Irony
Personally I think that if you buy a house near a
1. Train line - You should expect trains
2. Airport - You should expect aeroplanes
3. School - You should expect children
4. Race Track - You should expect racing cars
Its easy. If they had built the track recently and people properties had devalued because of it I would agree with the local residents. If the noise had increased over the last year then I would also agree. I guess the Racetrack has been operating long before most local residents moved into the area.
quote:
Originally posted by scimjim
whoever was at fault in the past is now irrelevant. It's a brown site - I wonder how they'll cope with the alternative of their village being turned into a commuter town - should get a thousand dwellings on there - that'll be much quieter?
I've lived on or near active military runways my whole life and now live on a new development (on the site of an old airfield funnily enough) and know which I prefer!
The wishes of a minority ruin it for the majority once again
Sounds to me then that the local residents are in the right.
You see what happens when you have both sides of the discussion.....
As one door closes, another one
opens......
Even if the door is in a completely different room.
Phil
i am sure someone told me that all the naysayers will fail their noise test next time at mallory park.
Nothing wrong with a good conspiracy theory
The owners of Mallory Park say the circuit's operator is "solely to blame" for the difficulties the Leicestershire race venue finds
itself in.
Mallory Park Motorsport Limited, the company that runs the circuit on behalf of leaseholder the BARC, was put into administration at the beginning of
last week, after negotiations over an increase in the number of days it could operate for, plus a reduction in rent from the landowner, broke down.
Landowner Titan Properties, the company owned by former racer Chris Meek that saved the circuit from closure 30 years ago, says it offered a "50
per cent" reduction, but that this was rejected by MPML.
Titan managing director Brian Robinson said: "This amount was less than the rent paid in 2005 and indeed 2003.
"MPML demanded a much lower figure and subsequently the company was placed in administration with a view to protecting it, at the expense of the
racing activities at Mallory, by threatening closure and not offering the company and its lease for sale.
"The previous owners of MPML - the Overend family (who ran the circuit until 2005) – had an excellent relationship with Kirkby Mallory village
since 1985, with no problems, but circumstances have changed, due entirely to actions by the new owners of the company.
"Over the last three years the turnover has virtually halved, due to loss of major events, a disastrous relationship with the village, and
failure to negotiate an improved racing use schedule. MPML is solely to blame for all this.
"Tragically it appears that Mallory Park is being sacrificed by the leaseholder for reasons other than racing."
Buildbase BMW boss Stuart Hicken takes over Mallory lease.
http://www.bikesportnews.com/news-detail.cfm?newsid=11015
That's cool news. Interested to see how it develops. Really hoping to be able to do track days there next year as just live down the road.
As above the track is owner is still going and intend to have meetings on im not 100% upto date with it all but sunday i had a meeting and was signed up for the 1000 bikes so thats still on