Getting Exercised about Cycling

Although it's dated January 11th, I believe that the planning application for the proposed velodrome went live yesterday. 

It'll now be a case of lighting the blue touch paper. 

How so? This sort of development will be polarising. On the one hand, some believe it does nothing specifically for Rhuthun/Ruthin, that it won't be used by locals. On the other hand, it could act as a draw for people to come to the area and even stay overnight. If one is being built, it's better to have the velodrome here than elsewhere.

The biggest hurdle still appears to be funding. If the project is now at the planning stage, has cost now been overcome? If there remains a funding gap, it's difficult at present to say how much that is. In spite of a planning application by county council-owned Denbighshire Leisure Ltd, the county council was not willing to bridge the gap. Will that then be the responsibility of the town council? If it benefits the town in the longer term, fair enough. But it also remains a regional scheme. It's a North Wales velodrome, not a specifically Rhuthun one. 

As with all planning applications, there's a lot to read. There's even a hefty bat survey: there are a lot of words to conclude that the impact of the velodrome on bats will be 'negligible'. 

If the applicant can manage 32 pages on whether this is a good thing or otherwise for bats then why no pre-planning consultation? The applicants answers 'yes' to the question, 'Have you consulted your neighbours or the local community about the proposal?' We cannot speak for the velodrome neighbours but we're not aware of any community consultation. Unless you know differently. There's nothing obvious among the papers. Perhaps this will come later. But the community will need its say. Light the blue touch paper and stand well back.