A FARMER who uses his privately-owned land as a bike track may not have to seek planning permission. For the past four years, Warren Scott of Owles Farm, on the A10 between Buntingford and Westmill, has been using his three-acre piece of land for moto-cro

A FARMER who uses his privately-owned land as a bike track may not have to seek planning permission. For the past four years, Warren Scott of Owles Farm, on the A10 between Buntingford and Westmill, has been using his three-acre piece of land for moto-cross biking. However, a similar case was taken to the High Court by Hampshire County Council this month and the judge refused to grant an injunction and instead permitted development rights and motorcycling activities on farmland for no more than 28 days-a-year. The judge said the land had been used on a seasonal basis for motorcycling uses since 2003 and pointed out that the county council had only decided to take action in October 2005, which he argued did not provide evidence of "a compelling sense of urgency". An East Herts District Council spokesman said: "The High Court case, which has similar circumstances, may affect what we can and can't do. Our legal team is investigating. As of last week we still hadn't received an application from Mr Scott and officers are investigating whether to pursue action.