No to Bean, casinos and cow bells

May 26 2008 by Neil McKay, The Journal

LOCALS who gave short-shrift to bee-keeping, Mr Bean or a Las Vegas-style casino have come out against the latest plan to regenerate their rural area.

They fear the peace of Weardale, County Durham, would be shattered by the sounds of “air horns and cow bells” of a downhill mountain biking range.

Since a cement works in Eastgate, Weardale, closed with the loss of 147 jobs six years ago, a number of unpopular proposals have been put forward by marketing consultants to create jobs, including the idea that redundant workers turn to bee-keeping to support themselves.

The ideas of a Las Vegas-style casino on the site of Eastgate’s Lafarge cement works, and the suggestion that North East-born actor Rowan Atkinson’s Mr Bean character was used to promote Weardale in the South East Asian tourism markets, were met with equal disbelief.

They were submitted by consultants hired by the Weardale Task Force, set up after the closure of the cement works and comprising representatives from Durham County Council, Wear Valley District Council, One NorthEast and Lafarge Cement UK to assist the recovery of the economy.

Now locals have formed their own Eastgate Action Group to oppose plans for an international downhill mountain biking venue after discovering that a planning application from the Task Force wanted to turn the slopes at Eastgate into a “World Cup” downhill mountain biking centre.

Kathleen Hutchinson, a parish councillor and farmer’s wife, said: “We are not against progress but we have to retain the character of the dale.

“Yet the Taskforce talks about getting internationally famous course designers and bringing the Downhill World Cup to Eastgate. It would be hard to think of a less suitable place.

“Downhill mountain biking is not a peaceful sport. Typically spectators like to cheer competitors on with air horns or cow bells. This is a strange sort of neighbour for a European Special Protection Area for birds. This is about as bad as it could be for a place like Eastgate.”

Mrs Hutchinson said a recent meeting at Eastgate Village Hall to oppose the plans was packed.

“There were almost 70 people there, which is almost the entire population of Eastgate, and everybody was dead against this plan,” she said.

A report from the Task Force to councillors who will discuss the planning application said: “Experts believe Eastgate could become England’s premier mountain biking venue, as well as offering international standard cross-country cycling routes.” No member of the Task Force was available for comment yesterday.