Plans for a new bike track in Nuthall have been thrown out over antisocial behaviour concerns.
Nuthall Parish Council members are facing backlash after they rejected the initial idea for a pump track to be built on part of a field next to Nuthall Temple Community Centre in Nottingham Road.
In a parish meeting on July 16, seven of the village’s councillors voted against the idea, which was an agreement in principle to use the land subject to funding for it being secured and improved CCTV, with three voting in support and one absent member emailing in to share their support.
The idea for the new facility originally came from local mums Lucy Niven, Helen Carnall, Jo Staley and Amy Smith, who approached Broxtowe Borough and Nuthall Parish councillor Peter Bales, after wanting somewhere for their children to ride their bike without causing damage.
Cllr Bales had spent more than six months working with the mums to find a suitable location and create designs over the potential track.
Funding for the idea would come from grant funding, from organisations such as the East Midlands Combined County Authority, Sport England and UK Cycling. The Parish Council – who own the land – would not have been expected to part-fund the project.
Speaking about the outcome of the meeting, Cllr Bales said the members who opposed plans cited reasons such as vandalism and antisocial behaviour.
He said: “They said ‘it’s not safe’. It’s about providing a facility to give young people, people of all ages, a venue they can come and enjoy outside.
“All four of us [supporting] are either current or very recent voluntary youth workers, so we know what’s needed… we know what facilities are needed and what youths want and like.
“The views that were being expressed were very poor and out of touch, tarring everyone with the same brush.”
Since the closure of Kimberley Leisure Centre and the swimming pool in March 2024, parents have expressed concerns there are no facilities in the local area for older children.
Watnall Mum Jo Staley and her son George, 12, both attended the parish council meeting and were “really disappointed” with the views of some of the councillors.
Ms Staley said: “They’re sadly out of touch with the trends of biking, so I’m really disappointed.
“There’s plenty of evidence that these tracks work and there’s no misuse involved, I think that’s what the councillors were scared of.”
Helen Carnell, also from Watnall and whose son Xander, 11, enjoys going out on his bike, said: “It’s sad that [councillors] don’t understand the dynamics of the younger generation nowadays.
“They get criticised a lot for being on devices and in front of screens, so when they are genuinely wanting to be out in the community, getting fit, it saddens me because they’re all being tarred with the same brush.
“I think they feel it will become a troublesome area and it will become an area for people they don’t want to attract, it saddens me.”
According to the parents, children have previously used other woodland areas, such as Watnall Green, to practice their biking, but there were concerns man-made jumps and ramps would cause damage to the environment.
Such a facility is designed to allow children to ride their bikes, scooters and roller skates on two specially-designed tracks – one inside the other – when one is made for older children to ride on a challenging track and then a simpler track featuring that is accessible for wheelchair users and younger children who are leaning to ride their balance bike or scooter.
According to Cllr Bales, the field next to the community centre is used once a year by a local primary school for its sports day.
He said the plans put forward would not interfere with how it was currently being used, adding: “The concerns raised [are] that bike tracks and skate parks can attract anti-social behaviour which is why when I’ve spoken to the community safety officers at Broxtowe to get their guidance.
“Somewhere that’s lit, cameras, secure, that’s what we want and there’s a gate on here that can be opened and close at park time.
“There’s CCTV on the building and flood lights and when I spoke to the Parish Councillors, I said with the money to build this we’d increase the CCTV and make sure that it was lit, it was secure so that it wouldn’t attract potential anti-social behaviour.”
The parents plan to continue the fight to get a pump track built in the local area with the help of Councillor Bales and other supportive councillors, with their next step being a petition calling for parish councillors to reconsider their objections.
By Lauren Monaghan, Local Democracy Reporter