Statement by Natural England about Steetley Downhill
We do not set out to spoil people's fun and we try to balance the needs of the environment and wildlife against the use and enjoyment of the countryside by the public. However digging up a SSSI to construct trails and jumps, creating pits and large areas of compacted soil and holding competitions that leave large amounts of litter is absolutely unacceptable and against the law. I am sure that no rider seeks to destroy the countryside that you all enjoy and Natural England are not out to spoil anyone's enjoyment of downhill riding but this site now needs to be restored and the habitat protected.
Read on for more info...What is a Site of Special Scientific Interest?
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) represent the very best of the rich variety of wildlife and geology that makes England’s nature special and distinct from any other country in the world. There are over 4,100 SSSIs in England covering over one million hectares, which is about 7% of England’s land area.
What is the law protecting SSSIs?
SSSIs are protected by law under Section 28 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended by Schedule 9 to the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and Section 55 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006) in order to conserve and protect these unique areas for the benefit of present and future generations and are a vital part of our natural heritage.
Why are they important?
Nearcliffe Woods, also known as Steetley Woods, are within Sprotbrough Gorge SSSI.
The woodland areas within Sprotbrough Gorge SSSI, which includes Nearcliffe Woods, are important for their calcareous ash-wych elm woodland (southern variant). Collectively the woodland areas on the slopes of the Gorge are among the top three best examples of this type of woodland in the country. Sprotbrough Gorge was declared a SSSI in 1988 to protect the wide diversity of trees, shrubs and wildflowers typical in this type of woodland.
What harm can bikes and vehicles have on this SSSI?
Natural England recognises that there are responsible bikers who are using lawful routes and not damaging SSSIs nor causing concern or disruption to anyone. However, recent construction of bike routes and jumps in this SSSI is causing serious damage to the woodland trees, to the woodland shrub layer, the ground flora and the soil structure. Bird species are possibly being disturbed and large amounts of litter are accumulating.
![photo]()
Is bike & vehicular use allowed on a SSSI?
Generally recreational & vehicular use on a SSSI will be classed as an operation likely to damage. This means that creating bike routes and jumps and using vehicles on a SSSI can only legally be undertaken with Natural England’s permission unless people are using a lawful route.
What is a lawful route?
A lawful route, such as a byway open to all traffic, is one which has been classified by a local authority for use by the public for activities such as walking, horse riding and motor vehicle use. Check with the local authority as to the status of the route.
What happens about activities on a SSSI without permission or on a lawful route?
Unlawful biking, recreational or vehicle activity on this SSSI is a criminal offence which can result in a fine in the Magistrates Court of a fine up to £20,000 or to an unlimited fine in the Crown Court.
It is also a criminal offence under section 34 of the Road Traffic Act 1984 (as amended) if a motor vehicle is upon any land other than a road including a footpath, bridleway or restricted byway. This offence will be dealt with by the police by issuing a fixed penalty notice or a prosecution in the Magistrates Court up to £1000.
Equipment & vehicles may also be seized.
Please could the organisers of this event contact me to discuss this ASAP.
Bobp556-neinv@yahoo.co.uk
Read on for more info...What is a Site of Special Scientific Interest?
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) represent the very best of the rich variety of wildlife and geology that makes England’s nature special and distinct from any other country in the world. There are over 4,100 SSSIs in England covering over one million hectares, which is about 7% of England’s land area.
What is the law protecting SSSIs?
SSSIs are protected by law under Section 28 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended by Schedule 9 to the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and Section 55 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006) in order to conserve and protect these unique areas for the benefit of present and future generations and are a vital part of our natural heritage.
Why are they important?
Nearcliffe Woods, also known as Steetley Woods, are within Sprotbrough Gorge SSSI.
The woodland areas within Sprotbrough Gorge SSSI, which includes Nearcliffe Woods, are important for their calcareous ash-wych elm woodland (southern variant). Collectively the woodland areas on the slopes of the Gorge are among the top three best examples of this type of woodland in the country. Sprotbrough Gorge was declared a SSSI in 1988 to protect the wide diversity of trees, shrubs and wildflowers typical in this type of woodland.
What harm can bikes and vehicles have on this SSSI?
Natural England recognises that there are responsible bikers who are using lawful routes and not damaging SSSIs nor causing concern or disruption to anyone. However, recent construction of bike routes and jumps in this SSSI is causing serious damage to the woodland trees, to the woodland shrub layer, the ground flora and the soil structure. Bird species are possibly being disturbed and large amounts of litter are accumulating.
Is bike & vehicular use allowed on a SSSI?
Generally recreational & vehicular use on a SSSI will be classed as an operation likely to damage. This means that creating bike routes and jumps and using vehicles on a SSSI can only legally be undertaken with Natural England’s permission unless people are using a lawful route.
What is a lawful route?
A lawful route, such as a byway open to all traffic, is one which has been classified by a local authority for use by the public for activities such as walking, horse riding and motor vehicle use. Check with the local authority as to the status of the route.
What happens about activities on a SSSI without permission or on a lawful route?
Unlawful biking, recreational or vehicle activity on this SSSI is a criminal offence which can result in a fine in the Magistrates Court of a fine up to £20,000 or to an unlimited fine in the Crown Court.
It is also a criminal offence under section 34 of the Road Traffic Act 1984 (as amended) if a motor vehicle is upon any land other than a road including a footpath, bridleway or restricted byway. This offence will be dealt with by the police by issuing a fixed penalty notice or a prosecution in the Magistrates Court up to £1000.
Equipment & vehicles may also be seized.
Please could the organisers of this event contact me to discuss this ASAP.
Bobp556-neinv@yahoo.co.uk
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Granted people need to take care of what they have done and make sure it has little impact as possible. But it will always be a long uphill battle.
But welcome to the future. Were the .gov ownes your ass and you have to ask permission to wipe it. Public lands that the public can't use, even if they go through the proper channels. Gotta love it. Guess we just don;t have the backing to lobby/bribe the right officials to get what we want. $10k for a vote adds up quick.
I have worked closely with the Forestry commission and Natural England on many occasions and they certainly are not out to ruin anyone's fun. Quite the opposite, in areas where there is no SSSI most regional bodys will encourage it. I know two people who have spoken to natural England and been advised as to how to get seizable grants to help them build trails.
Despite what some people may think there are sites where creating drops, gaps and jumps will have a seriously detrimental effect, and unless you know why that place is an SSSI you cant be certain. It may not matter what you do to the trees, the ground can be just as easily effected.
Changing an ecosystem in anyway can be harmful, the compacting of soil is one sure fire way to damage an eco system that requires high levels of soil aeration.
So why do ecosystems need to be protected? The simple fact is that everything being connected we don't know what knock on effects any succession will have. Look at the situation globally with bees at the moment... I'm not saying that one track in the wrong place will kill off the world, but thousands of activity's in the wrong places globally will have a serious effect so the line needs to be drawn somewhere unfortionatly for us NE has drawn the line here..
We are all outdoor sports men/women, whether we freeride, DH or XC, if we need to sacrifice the occasional trail here and there for the sake of our environment surely that isn't such a bad thing? I personally think that the more we can do as a community to appear as caring thoughtful individuals the better.
As a final point, people drooping litter, trampling around and generally having a huge impact on a fairly fragile system. If anyone ever goes to a competition please use the bins... The organisers usually provide plenty!