Karting track's bid for more race days blocked

Campaigners fighting plans to expand race days at a karting track have celebrated after councillors rejected the bid following a heated three‑and‑a‑half‑hour meeting.

Dunkeswell Raceway, in Honiton, had asked East Devon District Council's Planning Committee for permission to increase its racing from 33 to 42 days a year and to run twice as many karts during leisure sessions.

The owners also offered a new noise management plan and a formal complaints system, and said they had worked with the council for more than two years to get the details right.

But nearby residents said the constant engine noise already shaped their daily lives. Following the decision, the raceway has not commented.

On Tuesday, Karen Hill told the committee the proposed changes filled her "with fear", said the Local Democracy Reporting Services (LDRS).

She said: "On race days, the noise is relentless, with engines revving, tyres screeching, and the constant grinding assault on the senses.

"It's like a swarm of furious hornets trapped in a valley."

She added neighbours were left "in tears pleading for the noise to stop".

Others questioned the raceway's record, the impact on wildlife, and whether the area's protected landscape was being taken seriously.

Peter Clark criticised the recommended approval from officers, calling the evidence "incomplete and flawed".

He argued that increasing race days would hit residents hardest in spring and summer "when the tranquility is most desired by residents and tourists".

Supporters of the raceway praised its community feel and said the South West was "lucky" to have such a respected track.

They highlighted its role in inspiring young people and teaching skills such as engineering.

However, the committee voted by 10 to zero to reject the application, with two abstentions.

After the result, neither raceway director Sergii Gavryliuk nor agent Lestyn John offered comment.

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