Weymouth Angling Club House to be demolished

[Coddy]

Not sure how many have seen this

 

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/10747269.Angling_club_members_vow_to_fight_authority_on_plan_to_demolish_harbour_building/

 

I have contacted the Angling Trust Wessex Division to see if they can help

 

The council meet on 21st Oct to make a decision so not much time to help them.

 

Dave

[Paul J]

Nice one Dave, hopefully fish legal will get behind this and at the very least make them uncomfortable and have to work hard to achieve this greedy short sighted proposal

 

PJ

[charlieannear]

Incredible.

 

Car parks benefit more people than clubs with youth sections and 400 members, that host other clubs and events?  Let alone the business they attract to the area in the form of other anglers.

 

I don't have the words...

[Coddy]

From Billy Short chairman of Weymouth Angling Club

 

Just received this from the Angling Trust. Very grateful.
Save Weymouth Angling Club from Eviction
Weymouth and Portland Borough Council has been served Weymouth Angling Club with a notice to bring to an end the lease on its harbourside club house so that it can be demolished to make way for a car park. 113 year old Weymouth Angling Club is one of the best in the country with over 400 members and a thriving junior section and has been based on the site for nearly forty years.
The Angling Trust has offered to support the club in its battle with the Council and has issued an appeal to all anglers to contact local Weymouth Councillors before a crucial vote at 10am on Monday 21 October. Details of all Councillors can be found at http://webapps-wpbc.dorsetforyou.com/apps/democracy/councillors.asp .The highest priority councillors are those representing wards in Weymouth, as well as Ray Banham the Liberal Democrat Mayor.
All the members of the club are furious about the proposals and frightened for the future of their club if the Council decides to demolish their club house to make space for more cars. They point out that there are plenty of parking spaces available in the nearby Pavilion car park, and there is a park and ride scheme in operation.
Weymouth Angling Club Chairman Billy Short said: “This club house is of vital importance not only to our members, but also to the economy of Weymouth, because angling visits generate hundreds of thousands of pounds in income for the town. People come from all over the country to fish in and around Weymouth. To lose it for a few more car parking spaces is tragic, after nearly 40 years of us operating from this site. We are determined to fight this all the way.”
Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust said: “these proposals have sickened anglers throughout the country. Weymouth is one of the most important ports for sea angling in the whole of the UK, and just last week hosted the Angling Trust’s National Boat Championships. The Council should be celebrating the fact that it has a thriving community club in the heart of the town providing – sustainable and wholesome activity for young people that teaches them about the sea, gets them in the outdoors and encourages healthy eating. Instead they want to knock down 40 years of angling heritage, destroy a 113 year old angling club and create a few extra car parking spaces.”
List of Councillors
Jane Hall, Weymouth East, Conservative
John Birtwistle, Weymouth East, Liberal Democrat
Dominic Lonsdale, Weymouth West, Conservative
Richard Kosior, Weymouth West, Conservative
Colin Huckle, Weymouth West, Labour
Contact them here: http://webapps-wpbc.dorsetforyou.com/apps/democracy/councillors.asp as soon as possible before the deadline of 10am on Monday morning, and let them know what you think about the proposals.

[Coddy]

Hi everyone

 

I have just recieved a statement from Mark Lloyd Chief Executive of the Angling Trust which I have copied to here:

 

Save Weymouth Angling Club from Eviction

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council has been served Weymouth Angling Club with a notice to bring to an end the lease on its harbourside club house so that it can be demolished to make way for a car park.  113 year old Weymouth Angling Club is one of the best in the country with over 400 members and a thriving junior section and has been based on the site for nearly forty years.

The Angling Trust has offered to support the club in its battle with the Council and has issued an appeal to all anglers to contact local Weymouth Councillors before a crucial vote at 10am on Monday 21 October.  Details of all Councillors can be found at http://webapps-wpbc.dorsetforyou.com/apps/democracy/councillors.asp  .The highest priority councillors are those representing wards in Weymouth, as well as Ray Banham the Liberal Democrat Mayor. 

All the members of the club are furious about the proposals and frightened for the future of their club if the Council decides to demolish their club house to make space for more cars.  They point out that there are plenty of parking spaces available in the nearby Pavilion car park, and there is a park and ride scheme in operation.

Weymouth Angling Club Chairman Billy Short said: “This club house is of vital importance not only to our members, but also to the economy of Weymouth, because angling visits generate hundreds of thousands of pounds in income for the town.  People come from all over the country to fish in and around Weymouth.  To lose it for a few more car parking spaces is tragic, after nearly 40 years of us operating from this site.  We are determined to fight this all the way.”

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust said: “these proposals have sickened anglers throughout the country.  Weymouth is one of the most important ports for sea angling in the whole of the UK, and just last week hosted the Angling Trust’s National Boat Championships.  The Council should be celebrating the fact that it has a thriving community club in the heart of the town providing – sustainable and wholesome activity for young people that teaches them about the sea, gets them in the outdoors and encourages healthy eating.  Instead they want to knock down 40 years of angling heritage, destroy a 113 year old angling club and create a few extra car parking spaces.”

List of Councillors

Jane Hall, Weymouth East, Conservative

John Birtwistle, Weymouth East, Liberal Democrat

Dominic Lonsdale, Weymouth West, Conservative

Richard Kosior, Weymouth West, Conservative

Colin Huckle, Weymouth West, Labour

Contact them here: http://webapps-wpbc.dorsetforyou.com/apps/democracy/councillors.asp as soon as possible before the deadline of 10am on Monday morning, and let them know what you think about the proposals.

 

There is also a petition where you can sign into

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-weymouth-angling-society/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=system&utm_campaign=Send%2Bto%2BFriend

 

I am sure if this was happening to our club we would want as much support as we could muster so lets help our fellow anglers, do send your thoughts to those councillors listed above and sign the petition.

 

Dave

[great white]

I have signed

 

Is now the time to see if the AnglingTrust has the will to really get behind Recreational Sea Anglers and build a case to support Billy and his Members, and all of the assosiated businesses and interests around the Weymouth Sea A ngling scene.

 

Let us all hope that they do

 

I am sure our committee will discuss this and perhaps send the Club a letter of support from PBSBAC.

 

Meanwhile I will send my own letters

Charlie

[fisherman1055]

I have signed

Is now the time to see if the AnglingTrust has the will to really get behind Recreational Sea Anglers and build a case to support Billy and his Members, and all of the assosiated businesses and interests around the Weymouth Sea A ngling scene.

Let us all hope that they do

I am sure our committee will discuss this and perhaps send the Club a letter of support from PBSBAC.

Meanwhile I will send my own letters

Charlie

 

hi Guys

the committe will be meeting shortly and will be ending a letter of support (Stuie please start draft)

 

please also send personal letters of support

 

Tony

[Coddy]

Just as a note Mark Lloyd has offered to attend the council meeting on Monday if it would help.

 

Now that is what I call giving some commitment!

 

Dave

[Coddy]

Just an update in that I have had a positive response from two councillors already

 

Dave

[Maverick Martin]

I have sent an email to all 5 of the councillors listed.  What a shame if this facility is lost, WAC deserve our support

[gaffa]

I have signed the petition .

 

I have no doubt that the car park scheme is yet another short termism proposal from the bean counter mentality that is ruining many aspects of this country.

 

I eally hope WAC manage to resolve the matter in their favour

[Paul J]

I've upset one of the Councillors, i even got a phone call so i must have pushed the right buttons

 

At least i got a response

 

PJ

[NigelH]

We discussed this at a Southern IFCA meeting on Friday and agreed we would write to the Council offering our support to the club and facility. However, we didn't know they were meeting tomorrow morning so not sure we will get the message through in time. 

I have also emailed the mayor to let him know that the new Fisheries Minister will announce the results of Sea Angling 2012 on 27th November. Part of Sea Angling 2012 looked specifically at the value of sea angling in Weymouth, but I cannot tell him the results because it's all embargoed until the Ministerial launch. However, I did urge him to delay any decision until he sees what Sea Angling 2012 has to say (I wouldn't want him or his fellow councillors to look foolish). I've also let those in Govt leading Sea Angling 2012 know as a bit of "joined up govt" is needed here!! (For those that don't know, I sit on the Steering Group of Sea Angling 2012 and will be doing a speech at the launch).

 

Hope this isn't too late

 

Nigel

[Brian]

Why do they need more car park spaces? Surely the whole object of the Park snd Ride is to avoid increasing the traffic in the town.

 

 

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk 2

[Brian]

I'm becoming more and more convinced that all local councils are competing in a secret competition, to see which one can come up with the daftest idea and waste the most money.

 

 

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk 2

[Stuie]

 Sent to relevant councillors and the Mayor

 

To Councillors Jane Hall, John Birtwistle, Dominic Lonsdale, Richard Kosior and Colin Huckle of Weymouth & Portland Borough Council

 

20 October 2013

 

re – Weymouth Angling Club

 

I am writing to you on behalf of the committee and membership of Poole Bay Small Boat Angling Club showing our support for Billy Short,

Chairman of Weymouth Angling Club, and his members, and asking that you reconsider your proposal not to renew the lease on his

club's premises.

 

Weymouth is the largest port in the country providing vessels that are constantly used by recreational sea anglers from across the country

and abroad. It attracts large numbers of anglers, fishing festivals & competitions bringing in large amounts of money to the local

economy.

 

Weymouth Angling Club - with its membership of more than 400 anglers as well as having a thriving junior membership - is a cornerstone

of the port and part of the very fabric of the town.

 

There is no doubt that sea anglers across the country will be dismayed that the Borough Council propose to evict this historic and thriving

club for the sake of a few more parking spaces and additional revenue.

 

This decision appears to be a very short sighted and blinkered view of what this club means to the innumerable anglers and friends who

continue to use the facilities it offers.

 

Please, please reconsider this decision.

 

Sincerely

 

Stuart Cooper

Club Secretary

Poole Bay Small Boat Angling Club.

Edited October 20, 2013 by Maverick
tidied up spacing to make reading easier

[Rob]

Councils: short sighted and don't see the bigger picture beyond their own self importance!

 

Yes I'm generalising and I realise there are those who have the good of the people and community in their sights. Though do they lack the skills to help, maybe!

[Brian]

The trouble is the only people who have time to be councillors are the very ones who haven't got the necessary skills.

[pegleg]

Here Here.

[Maverick Martin]

 Just had an email from one of the councillors as follows:

 

Dear Martin

 

I too am against this proposal. I will do all I can to ensure that the Weymouth and Portland residents wishes are put forward.

I have responded to 30 or e-mails prior to this. The committee met today and the proposal was voted against, however it has been passed to the Management Committee.

 

So through to the next round then

 

Martin

[Coddy]

Next round is on 5th Nov

 

I understand that Mark Lloyd from Angling Trust did turn up and voiced his concerns

 

Good news so far

[Paul J]

Some good news - well done for all the support, anglers can make a difference if they unite

 

http://www.anglingtrust.net/news.asp?itemid=1888&itemTitle=Cautious+Celebrations+as+Weymouth+Angling+Centre+Spared+from+Demolition%85+For+Now%85&section=29&sectionTitle=Angling+Trust+News

[Maverick Martin]

Finger crossed for the 5th November meeting but it does look promising