Village threatens High Court action over development of a Banburyshire motocross track they call the 'Silverstone of motocross'

Riders at the start of a motocross race. Hornton villagers say the Wroxton race track has been altered from its smaller, local nature and is now noisy and intrusive

Race meetings, drawing clubs and competition from all over the country, are held at the track on farmland between Wroxton, Balscote and Hornton.

Hornton villagers say their weekends are blighted by noise which is heard from all surrounding villages. They say vehicles bringing competitors to camp for the weekend cause traffic mayhem and road damage.

In August landowner Sandra Kerwood of Manor Farm, Balscote applied for a certificate of lawful use allowing 24 days of fixtures a year but withdrew it after Hornton Parish Council disputed claims made in the application.

The Banbury Motocross Club track near Wroxton as it was in 2009

It is understood Cherwell has invited the track owner and promoter to apply for retrospective planning permission but Hornton wants the council to go further. The parish council is calling for the law to be enforced and the track to be restored to what it used to be - 'a local facility for local enthusiasts'.

And if the council refuses, the parish council will seek a judicial review in the High Court.

Cllr John Offord, chairman of Hornton Parish Council said villagers do not want to close the track but they want it returned to its original use.

"The track has been so transformed over the last few years that there's been a change of use. It’s now bigger, faster and the noise is unbearable for people nearby in several villages. What was once a small track for local enthusiasts has, through alarming commercial expansion, become the motocross equivalent of Silverstone.

"It's increasingly hired out to big clubs, major events and top riders on much noisier bikes."

The track owner and operator maintain the track has remained largely the same throughout the last decade. But Hornton Parish Council chair John Offord said his team's research disproves these claims.

Now the parish council has now brought together assorted experts including a barrister and a technical expert in a bid to prove that the track - which now attracts race riders of all ages from all over the country - has been extended into an unreasonably large circuit.

Some of those who have complained say the track used to be used for riders on two-stroke machines but now races can have 35-40 riders on four-stroke machines.

The track pictured this year with the areas Hornton says have been extended

Mrs Kerwood said she was not fully up to date on the matter and was unable to comment.

Hornton's investigations include a detailed report by an aerial imagery interpretor, Christine Cox, who calculates the track has been increased by around 536 metres since 2009 with the area of race track increased by around a third. Her report includes aerial photos taken over the years as the track has been enlarged, one appearing to show an earth moving machine on the soil.

A Cherwell District Council spokesman said: "“This is a long-running case which officers are looking at closely. We continue to work proactively with all parties to resolve the matter. It would be inappropriate to comment further while the council is contemplating the possibility of facing action over its ongoing enforcement investigation”.

Villagers in Wroxton have shared frustration with speeding traffic associated with race days on their Facebook page. The administrator of the page said: "It will only be a matter of time before there is a fatality." Residents of The Leys, off the main road, said they were 'fed up' with the weekend noise.