Speedway off tonight after talks break up

Peace talks between parties in the Western Springs Stadium noise row broke up yesterday, with speedway cancelled tonight but more talks on Monday.

Members of the residents association which won an interim Environment Court case forcing speedway racing to comply with an Auckland City Council noise limit fled at the end of the meeting.

Association members have refused to speak to the media, saying they have received hate mail and threatening telephone calls.

Yesterday they won a commitment that a speedway supporters' march planned for this afternoon would be re-routed away from residents' homes.

After yesterday's meeting, speedway promoter Dave Stewart said the future looked bleak. Both sides had been antagonistic at times.

Deputy Mayor Bruce Hucker, instructed by Mayor Dick Hubbard to bring the parties together, said the meeting had been robust.

Mr Stewart said later that tonight's meeting had been called off because the speedway could not risk a prosecution and fine.

Last Saturday night's speedway meeting showed that although racing complied with the 95-decibel noise limit on the track and the 85-decibel boundary level, the speedway could not operate successfully under those conditions, he said.

The "unreasonable" nature of the boundary limit was the crux of the matter.

"I would say it is not looking good for speedway or any motorsport event, really."

Mr Stewart said he believed there was no chance of progress at Monday's meeting. What he heard yesterday was that the law favoured the residents.

"Unfortunately the parties who would like to see speedway out of the stadium will achieve that goal unless something is done about that noise level.

"It was never brought in with proper consultation ... It was a deal that was brokered with some give and take for speedway, and speedway gave away a number of things and that was one of them."

Mr Stewart said residents said they had grizzled about the noise for about 12 years and had a valid question of the council when they asked why nothing had been done.

The meeting gave everyone a picture of the situation but it might have been too little, too late.

Legal action of some kind might be an option but the speedway's position was that it could not challenge the Environment Court's ruling because the appeal would need to be made on a point of law.

The council has offered to fund noise barriers and an independent report on how speedway worldwide meets noise limits.

Dr Hucker said the council was exploring solutions to ensure racing continued at the stadium.

Same noise, same strife

The racing came first at Western Springs, but in Mt Maunganui the speedway track was built among houses.

The Blue Chip Stadium at Bay Park struggles to keep within its speedway noise limits, says stadium developer Bob Clarkson.

He built the new stadium after houses encroached on the old Bay Park speedway at Mt Maunganui.

After "a hell of a battle", the new stadium got its resource consents.

The restriction of 61 decibels at the measuring spot among houses about 300m away from the stadium is generally met.

But Mr Clarkson said that like Western Springs, everything had to be perfect for racing to comply with the limit.

"We find it tough. We send cars home because they don't comply."

Low cloud and westerly winds compounded the problems.

"About twice a year we have a low cloud base and a westerly on the same night and we have the high-powered cars

"Twice a year we might just go over the top. Is that too much to live with?

"I have no trouble with watching noise.

"But what I do have trouble with is that they don't give us a tolerance level."