A POPULAR racetrack near Worcester is today celebrating a surprise reprieve after council chiefs agreed to lift a controversial 'closure' notice.

Grimley Oval Raceway has been allowed to resume events on a "temporary basis" after a High Court hearing due for this Monday was shelved at late notice.

A key witness who was due to attend the hearing is no longer available, meaning it has been postponed.

Malvern Hills District Council now says the track can restart its events under an "interim agreement", until a new hearing is set.

As the Worcester News first revealed last December, the track's future is in grave danger after residents' complaints over noise led to it being slapped with a court injunction.

The council says decibel levels are "excessive", with a High Court wrangle leading to the track being locked up and abandoned.

With the race season almost halfway through not a single event has been staged there, but the reprieve means one is now being organised for the Bank Holiday Monday of May 29.

The track now hopes it can reach a permanent deal on noise levels to ensure the entire court process is scrapped, allowing racing to resume properly.

Malvern Gazette:

Chris Parry, a track racer and marshall, said: "It's huge news for us, it's great that we can get racing back on.

"It's not a long-term solution, but hopefully we can reach an agreement to allow that to happen.

"This allows us to resume racing on a 'limited schedule' so we're only promoting one event at a time.

"We should be halfway through the season by now so it's been really disappointing, but this is good news."

Phil Merrick, head of economy and communities on the council, said: "Unfortunately due to the unavailability of a witness we are unable to proceed with the court hearing.

"We’ve applied for a new date and are waiting to hear back from the court.

"In the meantime, I’m pleased to confirm that we have agreed with the owners of the raceway that racing can take place on a temporary basis.

"This interim agreement will last until the hearing takes place when the arguments of both sides can be independently assessed and an impartial judgement reached."

In return for the deal, the track owners have agreed extra mitigation measures including not allowing any vehicles that generate noise levels above 96 decibels.

The raceway has been going for more than 50 years and attracts people from all over Britain to watch its renowned stock and banger car racing.

More than 1,500 people have signed a petition calling upon the council to drop its case.