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Anger over car rally through 'quiet' Shropshire hills

Josh Sandifordin the Shropshire Hills
News imageBBC A man with greying wavy hair sits outdoors on a garden chair. He is wearing a dark green polo shirt with a small embroidered crest on the chest. Green lawn, shrubs and mature trees fill the background.BBC
Peter Phillips said the scale of the car rally was what concerned him most

Organisers planning to head for the Shropshire Hills with a car rally are facing anger from residents who fear the "intrusion" coming from dozens of cars speeding on narrow country lanes.

The Hills Ford Stages Rally, run by Cheltenham Motor Club, is due to take place on 19 and 20 September.

Organisers insist the route, which would start in Shrewsbury town centre and follow a circular course, complies with all legal and environmental requirements.

But locals in villages around the Stiperstones National Nature Reserve are worried about its effects on local green spaces and wildlife and have criticised what they described as a lack of consultation.

Event bosses are proposing to close certain roads across the weekend, saying the competition was organised in accordance with Road Traffic Act 1988 and MotorSport UK National Competition Rules.

Some neighbours want the full route to be made public in advance, something organisers say they will not do until closer to the event, to prevent what they called copycat driving.

News imageA single-track tarmac road curves away into the distance through open green farmland. A metal cattle grid spans the road in the foreground, with a wooden post-and-rail fence on the right and a metal field gate on the left. Rolling hills and a few telegraph poles rise against a pale blue sky in the background.
A narrow country lane weaving through the Shropshire Hills where the motor rally is due to be held

Among those opposing the plans is Peter Phillips, a retired former councillor. He feared the rally could harm nature and disrupt the rural community.

Phillips, who lives in The Bog, said his concern was the scale of the event rather than rallying itself.

"I never objected to any rallies in the last 50 years," he said. "It's simply the scale of this one.

"The intrusion and the dislocation is of enormous scale compared with what we've been used to over the last few decades."

News imageGeograph / Brian Deegan A white VW rally car with strips of blue. The Red Bull logo is written on the front. We can see rugged grass land around. Mud is shooting into the air. It's a dramatic image of the car flying over a hill. Geograph / Brian Deegan
Cars like this one are due to feature in the rally in the Shropshire Hills in September (generic image)

David Hardham, a neighbour who has farmed nearby for 43 years, added he believed the area was the wrong place for for an event involving speeding cars "going as fast as they can".

"The roads are just not designed for that sort of thing," he said. "They're narrow, they're bendy [and] they're hilly.

"This part of the county… is based really on peace and quiet and the tourism of nature. It's not based on the noise of a rally."

News imageA man and a woman stand close together, smiling at the camera, with his arm around her shoulders. The woman has long white hair and is wearing a blue t-shirt; the man has greying curly hair and a grey beard and is wearing a blue and white checked shirt. A low farm building and pale sky fill the background.
David and Mary Hardham, who have farmed near the proposed route for 43 years, were among those opposed to the event

The Hills Ford Stages Rally also faced opposition last year over fears it could harm scenic parts of Herefordshire. It was subsequently cancelled after the council failed to grant permissions in time.

Not everyone living in Shropshire is against the revived event however.

Ricky Ashley, 43, a self-described "motor car fanatic" from The Gravels, said he welcomed it and did not think it would damage the landscape.

"We've always had road rallying and stuff around here," he added. "I think it's absolutely fine. It shows community."

News imageA man with short hair and sunglasses pushed up on his head stands at the edge of a country road. He is wearing a black t-shirt with an Ellesse logo across the chest. Green hedgerows and trees line the road behind him under a bright blue sky.
Ricky Ashley, a self-described motor car fanatic from The Gravels, welcomed the event as "it shows community"

As they announced the new location, race organisers described Shropshire Council as "forward thinking" and said it marked a "significant and exciting evolution for the rally".

But the local authority told the BBC it still hadn't decided whether to give the go-ahead.

"Shropshire Council has been approached by a motorsport club with a view to holding an event this September," a spokesperson said.

"Various factors of the proposal are currently being considered by multiple agencies, but at this stage no decision has been made."

Stuart Anderson, Conservative MP for South Shropshire, told the BBC he was in regular contact with local residents regarding the rally.

"I have expressed the concerns of the community to both the organisers of the rally and Shropshire Council [and] asked to be kept informed of any developments," he added.

News imageRolling green hills stretch across the horizon under a pale blue sky. Patchwork fields divided by hedgerows and clusters of trees fill the middle distance, with scattered farm buildings dotted along the slopes. A wooden post-and-rail fence and corrugated metal sheeting line the front of the scene.
A view across the Shropshire Hills, where the planned rally is due to take place in September

A spokesperson for the rally insisted safety was their highest priority, adding they have contacted hundreds of residents, farms and businesses along the route.

"Every resident and business on the rally route has been spoken to or had information delivered to them," organisers said in a statement.

"The rally is held on public roads using road legal vehicles. We do not use any off-road land nor do we damage landscape or the environment.

"Any wear and tear caused by the rally to roads or verges will be made good."

Cheltenham Motor Club claims to be one of the UK's oldest motor clubs, having been founded in 1906.

Organisers added the rally would be an economic boost to the county and had only attracted five complaints by the end of May.

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