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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think this isn't a good idea and could land us in court

24 replies

Lowlight282 · 05/05/2021 07:53

DS is 12. He's got into mountain biking with a small group of friends. There's a local area, just a small coppice that they've been biking in. Other older kids use it too and they've built some jumps just by piling up the soil and placed logs etc to make ramps.

DS has got it into his head that he wants to build a drop ramp to install there. He's drawn the diagrams, measured up etc. It would be about 2ft off the group. He's asked his grandad to help.

I hate being a spoil sport but I don't think this is a good idea. If a child, teenager, dog walker etc hurt themselves on it we'd be liable. It's a small village and I can imagine the Facebook furore it would create. I think it's one thing making jumps out of soil but another to build and install a structure in an area used by the public.

Am I right?

OP posts:

CauliflowerSneeze · 05/05/2021 07:58

I wouldn't build anything on someone else's land. If I owned it and someone did that I'd stop the lot of them from using it

GnomeDePlume · 05/05/2021 07:59

I think building something on public land is opening you/him up to problems. Is it public even? Even the moving around of logs and soil could be construed as vandalism if it can be shown to have caused damage.

shouldistop · 05/05/2021 08:01

Who owns the land?

Original poster

Lowlight282 · 05/05/2021 08:03

It's public, council owned land. DS and his friends haven't built anything, it's the older boys who have made the current jumps.

OP posts:

Bumzoo · 05/05/2021 08:03

Just tell him no. Way too much could go wrong.

AuntieStella · 05/05/2021 08:05

Who is the landowner?

You don't want to find him up for trespass, as building that sort of stuff would count as damage.

Is there a proper BMX track near you? He could learn to do those sorts of jumps there

Original poster

Lowlight282 · 05/05/2021 08:05

I've already told him no, just wanted to confirm that I've done the right thing. Thanks everyone.

OP posts:

RampantIvy · 05/05/2021 08:05

Our local Facebook page has ended up with people frothing at the mouth over something like this. You aren't in South Yorkshire are you?

sunshinepunch · 05/05/2021 08:06

Could someone sue you if they were injured?

SushiGo · 05/05/2021 08:07

The Council will just rip it out.

Could you suggest he contacts the Council directly and ask them to build it (safely)?

UCOinanOCG · 05/05/2021 08:08

Get him and his biking mates to start lobbying the council for a proper bike park.

AuntieStella · 05/05/2021 08:10

X-posting (was still typing when you posted your last)

They need council permission for creating BMX dirt tracks, especially the more elaborate obstacles

Sciurus83 · 05/05/2021 08:10

No you/he can't do this. He would need the permission of the landowner and to ensure the land wasn't in any kind of environmental protection or scheme as this scale of damage to a protected area would be very serious. There isn't really any such thing as public land unless it is a common, but then it will be managed by trustees, or it may be council owned but again they would not allow this. That's before any kind of public liability conversation which would be serious for the landowner. If your son is passionate about improving facilities for young people in the area he should form a group and petition the council, look at fundraising and getting permission to do something safe. Good lesson in teaching your son he's not entitled to do what he wants with other people's property and take the mick

Original poster

Lowlight282 · 05/05/2021 08:10

No not South Yorkshire. It's difficult as they're got no where to go locally to ride. People complain about teens hanging out causing trouble, we're constantly told they need exercise but there's very little for them. To be fair, people walking past often stop and watch them and clap or say well done when they've jumped. There's been no complaints-yet! It's a very small coppice with one track running down it which they use and then a separate footpath that the odd dog walker uses, its not a busy area.

OP posts:

BarbaraofSeville · 05/05/2021 08:11

You are right that this is very likely to cause grief, although it does depend on the enthusiasm of the local busy bodies and council too.

We mountain bike and know a couple of guys who have built jumps, ramps etc in woodland that they own (one is a farmer and the wood is on his own farm and the other has actually bought a section of woodland locally) and despite both of them going to significant lengths (good fencing, lockable barriers to stop people going near the drop offs, signage) to warn and prevent others from entering the woods and using the ramps, they're both plagued with trespassers and have endless grief from the council, despite not breaking any planning laws.

Only thing I can suggest for your DS is for him to make his ramp temporary and never leave it there unattended but that will need a willing adult with a suitable vehicle to transport it for him.

But then you're still at risk of grief if one of his mates hurts themselves and their parents somehow decide you're liable. I'd suggest that they only ride off ramps and big jumps wearing a full face helmet and you talk to the parents to make sure they know what they're doing. Plus the group know how to call help if anyone seriously hurts themselves - even going as far as knowing how to call emergency services with the what 3 words location of the best road access to the jumps area.

Marmite27 · 05/05/2021 08:12

If you’re in Yorkshire, take a trip to Middleton Urban Bike Park in Leeds. Sounds like your DS would love it.

Original poster

Lowlight282 · 05/05/2021 08:12

There is a campaign running to open a skate/bike park. He does know about it but I'll suggest he puts some energy into supporting it.

OP posts:

AllTheCakes · 05/05/2021 08:13

We have woods nearby where lots of people walk their dogs, have family walks and is used by lots of people. Some kids have done similar, making small ramps and tear around the paths on their bikes. It makes it unsafe for others IMO.

ScreamingBeans · 05/05/2021 08:16

Get him to contact your local councilor with his drawings and ask for their help and support in getting proper plans drawn up for that area.

You'd be surprised how effective a property managed approach to a council can be.

Original poster

Lowlight282 · 05/05/2021 08:16

His dad is taking him to a proper bike park in a couple of weeks, unfortunately it's a 2 hour drive away but I'm sure it'll be well worth it.

They're all safety conscious. Full helmets, clear track before hand, fully charged phones and they know the location. The jumps they're going off are really very small but they still understand they have to be careful.

OP posts:

ScreamingBeans · 05/05/2021 08:16

Properly managed, sorry.

BarbaraofSeville · 05/05/2021 08:17

Agree with getting them to lobby for funding for an official facility.

There's a lot of money available out there for this sort of thing (Heritage Lottery Fund, Sport England, British Cycling etc). Even the water companies sometimes help and often allow their land to be used.

cyclingindustry.news/leedsurbanbikepark/

www.leedsurbanbikepark.com/trails-map

helpfulperson · 05/05/2021 08:18

Get in touch with the council. We have a fab local course that started like this but the council took on responsibility and constructed it properly.

ThePlantsitter · 05/05/2021 08:50

You're right. It's a shame though, how industrious of him!

Is there a way he could do something portable instead?

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