Banned from riding on their own 370 acre property

A Northern NSW family as been banned from riding motorcycles on their own 370 acre rural property.

Northern Rivers City Limits – Motorcycles Not Allowed in It.*

A Northern NSW family have received an order from the Kyogle council to cease riding motorcycles on their own land – rural 370 acre property – after complaints from neighbours.

The Thomas’s may now only use a motorcycle on their own private property if it is in conjunction with a farming activity. A council spokesperson has said that they took sound measurements on neighbours property and deemed the noise “offensive” which sparked the ban. The “Protection of the Environment Operations Act” which covers such matters apparently does not state specific targets that must be met, and the Thomas family are seeking to have this clarified.

Whilst it is understandable that some protection is needed against those who may be serial noise pests, it would appear to be a dangerous precedent to issue bans on activities that can be deemed “offensive” without specific limits being enforced.

A read through the comments on the Northern Rivers Echo article on the issue is interesting, the full range of opinion is evident. While we have seen similar stories on smaller more centralised properties, this is the first we have seen on such a large rural property. Makes you wonder how far this type of thing will go.

*apologies to Tina Turner