Tree felling plan means closure of bike trail
Jerry Tatton/ @jwdt.photographyThe operator of a forest mountain bike trail, which will have to close in two years when mass tree felling takes place, has described its imminent loss as "a disaster for downhill riding".
The lease on Danny Hart's Descend Bike Park in Hamsterley Forest, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, will expire in August 2028.
Forestry England said "essential" works will then take place to remove all or most trees to "manage the long-term health and resilience of the forest".
The trail's director Paul Hart said: "It's not just the bike park, it is a community and a way of life." Forestry England said the company was told about the plans when it signed a five-year lease in 2023.
Hart, the father of two-time World Champion mountain biker Danny Hart, has run the site with his Redcar-based family for 10 years and it was a bike park for 15 years before that.
It is a collection of managed, signposted downhill trails for mountain bikers.
Forestry England said it told the operator of its plans three years ago, with works "delayed to take place outside this [lease] period to help minimise business impact".
But Hart said: "It would be a disaster for downhill riding in the North East and further afield.
"We have invested so much money in the place.
"The kids aren't sat on a phone, they're not sat on a computer, we're taking a facility away from them.
"I just can't get my head around it."
Jerry Tatton/ @jwdt.photographyForestry England said it expected the 2028 works to last for six months and it would not be "safe or practical" to keep the bike park trails open during them.
It said Hamsterley was a "working forest", providing sustainable, home-grown timber alongside opportunities for recreation and wildlife.
"Commercial leases across the nation's forests are evaluated to ensure they continue to meet our objectives and deliver the best experience," a statement from the organisation read.
"As leases expire, any future opportunities are considered through Forestry England's normal procurement processes."
Nick McCarthy, from Shotley Bridge, who has been going to the park with his daughter for seven years, said: "It's become such a regular part of what we do as a father and daughter.
"It will just create a huge gap in our lives."
He said downhill bike trials were "so few and far between".
"We're often talking about how children don't get out and participate in outdoors activities and we're going to be it taking away.
"I just think that's wrong."
Bishop Auckland MP Sam Rushworth, who has written to the Forestry Commission about the "real loss" of the bike trail, said: "Facilities like this are incredibly important to give people something positive to focus on and creates opportunities for them to develop skills, confidence and friendships."
