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Today, on the way back home from a ride, i went through a local park where there are berms/jumps etc made by local kids, i was gonna have a play on. I notice a stranger with a pick-axe destroying one of the berms, i confronted him and we had a natter.
Basically he was claiming the woods are protected, bikes aren't allowed on the footpaths (though they're not designated footpaths), the constructions were causing thinning of the trees due to land sliding, damaging wildlife ect. Then quoted particular laws that were being broken. Some inconspicuous decking used as a landing, was "fly-tipping" too. Is threatening contacting the police.
However the park rangers have given the kids permission as long as they steer clear of foot paths.
Where would i find official legal information on the status or legal use of an area of land? I'm not sure what i'm looking for, i just basically want to know the legal standing of the whole thing, so i know whether to tell said nutter to jog on or any argument against him has no leg to stand on.
I'd have thought the park rangers would know what they were doing, you did get this guy's name to report him?
Random man (presumably with no permission/authority) swinging pick axe in a public park, claims to have the legal/moral high ground and be worried about damaging tree roots etc. Then suggests calling the police. Could have made an interesting discussion!
Endcliffe park by any chance?
Did you get his contact details? If so then try and set up a meeting with the local park ranger so he can explain that they're managing any use of the land, keeping an eye on things, and in the meantime it's giving the local kids a place to play, something to do, etc.
From what you've said it doesn't sound like there's an official agreement in place for land use. It's very doubtful the police will be interested but nor do the builders have much right to be doing what they're doing. The best thing to do is to make him realise that his actions don't have any official support and are viewed dimly by the powers that be. At this point, most people will back off.
as poly suggests, the first thing I'd be doing is finding out what authority random man thinks he has. Busy bodies have a habit of presuming roles that they do not have. Whether it's making demands in respect to riding on a footpath and they're neither the owner nor the owner,s agent and so have no authority to demand anything of you, or about wider custodian issues on publicly managed land.
I'll always be courteous and respectful of the conservators around the Malverns whether or not I agree with any laws or land management plans that they police - it's their job as custodians. But a busy body who thinks they have the same authority by virtue of just walking there will get short shrift.
Endcliffe park by any chance?
Well bingham park, but yea.
In that case I'm not sure the "kids" do have permission.
In that case I'm not sure the "kids" do have permission.
Aww no, you can't just say that and not elaborate. What do you/don't you know?
they won't have permission in there surely?!
I'm using common sense.
You're telling me some kids have managed to get permission to dig and build wooden structures in a heavily used public park in the centre of a city.
Strange that they've managed that yet officially sanctioned bodies can't manage it in wharncliffe, greno & lady cannings without umpteen meetings, delays & public consultations.
I'm not saying the pick axe man is right, just that I find it incredibly unlikely that they had any permission in the first place.
I dare say the park rangers have unofficially said they would turn a blind eye?
It's amazing how many people like to spoil your fun. We were always building stuff for skateboarding, for mtbing, for bmxing, etc. We were always mindful to stay out of peoples way, and yet they would go to the most extreme lengths to destroy stuff, sometimes on a daily basis.
The only answer is to keep building.
The answer is to build somewhere that you have permission otherwise you're that one the busy body complains about and eventually gets you a bad name & shut down.
Waste ground is ideal for this, not a public park.
There are degrees of permission, from managing a potential problem by keeping an eye on it (as sounds like is happening here) up to formal lease agreements, permitted use (e.g. trail centres) and owning the land your trails are built on.
I'd say that aside from "legal" mountain biking on Rights of Way, a huge chunk of the riding in the UK falls within the first category, so people should think carefully before condemning it.