A TRIAL could be heard over noise levels at a Chester village off-road facility.

Tile Farm Off Road in Wicker Lane, Guilden Sutton is seeking to appeal an abatement notice served by Cheshire West and Chester Council last July.

The notice was served following complaints of noise causing nuisance at the 250-acre site, where off-road motorbikes and quad bikes take part in a range of off-road activities including motocross tuition, with a dedicated off-road track on site.

Tile Farm Off Road has appealed on the grounds the notice is not justified and the evidence supplied does not constitute determination of statutory nuisance.

It is claimed the notice was served prematurely, and there had been a "consistent use of site with measures in place" since 2005.

At Chester Magistrates Court on Wednesday, both Cheshire West and Chester Council and the appellants sought an adjournment for more evidence to be gathered, with a potential view to settling the matter before it went to trial.

Wayne Goldstein, for Tile Farm, said a noise management plan had been served by them, and the council said its mind was "not closed" to that, and the matter could be resolved.

Both representatives agreed to wait until the motorcycling season resumed at the farm, as it would not make sense to gauge noise levels during the off-season.

A further case management hearing will be held on June 8 at Chester Magistrates Court to see if matters still needed to be taken further. If they were, a provisional trial date would be set for September.

Tile Farm Off Road has, separately, applied for a 'Certificate of Lawfulness' at its facility, as the owners are fighting to allow the farm to be used for biking activities amid noise complaints from nearby residents.

The applicants have supplied evidence to the council which they say show the site has been used for at least 10 years in off-road activities.

But neighbouring residents have submitted objections on the plan, citing noise levels and the increased motocross gatherings.

The council is yet to decide on the application.