Despite calls to refuse the application from four local city councillors, the two local parish councils (South Wonston and Littleton & Harestock) and local residents Richard Lowery and David Briggs, who had worked with the Action Group in preparing for the meeting, the committee voted 8-4 in favour.
Full details of the application will be published in the next few weeks, but there were only minor changes to the officer's recommended conditions, which include a limit on the noise, monitoring of noise and dust, restriction on the types of bikes and other vehicles that can be used and a restriction on the number of days the site can be used for other specified activity. It is expected that it will be a few weeks before motocross activity will restart on the site.
Cllr Stephen Godfrey, who led the fight against the application, said:"The Action Group has worked very hard to prevent this outcome and there are some positive aspects to what has been achieved that are as a direct result of this work. The specialist legal and acoustic advice that several generous local businesses and the parish councils funded was influential in making the case for more rigorous noise monitoring and this was mentioned several times during yesterday's hearing.
"The conditions relating to non-motocross activity were introduced as a direct result of Action Group pressure, which will reduce the risk of overuse of the site. Dust management has been more effectively conditioned, although we think that more should have been done.
"However, the proof of the effectiveness of these conditions will only become clear once operations on the tracks start again in the next few weeks. We will then all need to be ready for the next round of activity, should we find the impact of the activities on this site to be unacceptable.
"For now, we would like to thank our city and parish councillors, our MP, Steve Brine and the supporters of the Action Group, for the considerable amount that has been done over the last few years."
Steve Brine said: "This is an appalling decision and one a great number of my constituents living across a wide area will now have to live week in week out. It is especially disappointing given the united opposition to this application from elected representatives across the board. I pay great tribute to the work of the Action Group who could not have done more and like them, I will be watching very closely to see every one of the conditions of this permission are adhered to in spirit and in practice."