THE owner of a quad bike track near Wybunbury is to be given 12 months to prove the facility is not nuisance to neighbours.

As the Chronicle went to press yesterday, planning chiefs were expected to hand the track at Lea Hall Trout Farm, off the A51, a temporary planning permit.

Residents in nearby Wybunbury and Doddington claim noise from the track ruins the peaceful rural setting.

But owner Roy Wiggins says he has done all he can to address his neighbours' concerns.

He says the track provides a safe haven for scores of youngsters who flock there at weekends.

He said: 'From my point of view the track has never contravened any planning regulations.

'In fact the Government and Sport England encourage the siting of such facilities on the rural fringe.'

Borough planning officer David Snelson said, in most cases, the authority would not hand a new business a temporary planning permit in case it had to then be closed but, because this was a retrospective application and the business had already been open for almost a year, that argument did not apply.

He said: 'We are keen to do some long-term monitoring of this track to see if it's going to be acceptable. It has generated a lot of controversy.

'If we feel it is OK after 12 months, the owner will be invited to submit another application and we will take it from there.'

Other conditions placed on the site would include restricting its opening hours from 10am-8pm and not allowing any vehicle other than quad bikes to use the track.