Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps License Suspended

[Ferrari Spider]

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[Leftie]

It would be a shame to loose this venue, the best I have every visited for a GP. Even drove my camper around it before a copper with a big gun got in my way. I had no brakes left!!!!!

[mgmark]

One of the few classic venues left - fingers crossed that an appeal keeps it going....

MG Mark

[Lee Self]

thats outrageous. why? to save the planet. 

-Lee

[Leftie]

The 'Piosoned Dwarf' must be behind this action by the local authority.

He wants more money, they want concessions like infrastructure. Someone has to pay. I think this has been planned for many years. But 16 years!! that disportionate. Hence my veiw the the dwarf had something to do with it. PROVE ME WRONG.

It can't be the locals, or the Germans as it is their 2nd/3rd track.

The dwarf wants 'Oil Rich' money.

If F1 looses Spa, that is the final nail.

[Paddy_NL]

Very smart move, they only just finished the new paddock complex. Estoril dejavu, but at least F1 got to race twice with the new paddock. Shutting down 'temporarily' will indeed be the final nail

[knetter]

The local council??? I find that very hard to believe, the surrounding area needs this venue for its revenues. Without racing the area will become even poorer then it already is!

Just read it on the dutch news, it is not the local council, but the Wallonian governement so to say. The decision has been made due to complaints from the surrounding inhabitants about the noise coming from the circuit. The investigation done by the circuit about the noise (which was part of the permits agreement) has been most unsatisfactory, so that is why the permit to race until 2026 has been suspended until further notice.


The first thing coming to my mind is, you live round a race track and have been doing so for years and suddenly you start complaining about noise? I would say, move!!!!!

[TobyAnscombe]

Noooo!

I had promised to take a friend of mine there next year for his first F1 experience.....

If this is upheld then it will be a real shame, truly one of the best circuits out there...

[landman]

It's a legal stuff.

Back in 2007 the circuit had to submit an Environmental Impact Assessment in order to gain the necessary licence.

Some local individual/body has successfully challenged that EIA and the Court has declared it null & void.

My guess is that a lawyer has spotted a minor irregularity in the document and had it overturned on that basis.

The question is how they overcome this issue, and when.

The internet chatter suggests that the problem lies with wealthy homeowners living in the area, probably some who have moved in to the area & now complain, much like the same as residents around Heathrow complaining when they damn well knew it was there before they bought a house under the flightpath.

The Belgian lawyers will be rubbing their hands over the fees that this case will generate.

Paul.

[Muzorewa]

Sadly the same situation as they have at Brands, Oulton, Castle Combe etc where people move to the area knowing full well there's been a circuit there for yonks, then start complaining. 

[Bentley boy]

much like the same as residents around Heathrow complaining when they damn well knew it was there before they bought a house under the flightpath

This is a great picture if you don't know the area. the fact that BAA own the house in the picture doesn't matter 
http://www.hacan.org.uk/resources/

What will happen to the Spa 24 hours? I was hoping to get there next year 

[Kristof]

Being Belgian, I'll try to give you guys an update of everything that happened here over the past few days.

The main issue is a complaint of some people living in the neighbourhood of Spa about the circuit and noise-problems.  In April 2007, a new permit was delivered for the exploitation of the track and to perform lots of enhancement works (cost 25 million €).  This permit was valid untill 2026.  The action group (www.sourdine.eu) filed a complaint as they ment that the new infrastructure would cause more noise and problems with the environment (sloppy detail : one of the founders of this group lives in Sankt Vith, approximatly 15-20 km from the track).  So the minister ordered an Environmental Impact Assessment to declare definitive noise restictions after a probation period untill 12/2009.

Now this study is disapproved by the court, as it should be unsufficient, so the court suspended the new permit.  The responsables of Spa-Francorchamps were surprised by this verdict, also because in the past 2 years lots has been done to decrease the problems they had with too much noise.  They had a meeting with the people of Sourdine and it seemed as they didn't have any more problems with keeping the track open for races, testdays and trackdays.    Much ado about nothing apparently ...  I did see some graphics about the noise in the environment, and during a normal trackday, there is a differend of 5 db, but during the F1 weekend the difference was 70 db (normal : 40 db, during F1 up onti 110 db).

Now a new licence has te be confirmed by the minister, but he wasn't sure yet if he should state new restrictions or conditions to it.  That' s a worrying thing, 'cause he's a bitch of the ecological party, and they aren't the best friends of Spa-Francorchamps.

We'll have to wait and see, but the races this weekend are being held, and I've received already several e-mails that the trackdays which are plannend in the coming weeks/months won't be suspended.

[Gordonwr]

I was there for the last G P on the old circuit in 1970( still got the programme for it ),  I was working as a fire marshal at this years G P, and fully expect to be there for next years G P.
I 've lost track of the number of times I get told that this year was the last, as at Monza there's always talk of the circuit not getting a licence again. Why is it always the best ones that come up time again, i could think of a lot of the new ones more deserving!!