Public meeting over Gorleston pier car parking at the pavillion theatre, Gorleston.
Gorleston Pier car park thrown lifeline during public meeting.
By BEN WOODS
Monday, November 21, 2011
10:25 PM
The dilapidated Gorleston Pier car park has been thrown a lifeline from a Norfolk hotel owner who hopes to reopen the site as a pay-and-display car park.
Potholes, cracks and a severley damaged surface on Gorleston pier.
The car park is currently closed due to major surface damage.
February 2011Ian Scott, of the Pier Hotel, Gorleston, has opened discussions with owners Great Yarmouth Port in a bid to secure a 10-year lease for the car park, which is inaccessible to cars and has fallen into disrepair.
The potential deal was revealed during a public meeting last night (Monday November 21) into the future of the pier car park, the Outer Harbour and the rejected proposal to transform part of Gorleston lower promenade into a car park.
More than 300 people attended the meeting, which was tainted with anger and frustration from some residents who were unconvinced by the answers given by a panel of representatives from Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Norfolk County Council.
But there was unanimous applause when the panel showed they were open to the suggestion of removing car parking in front of some shops in Gorleston to improve pedestrianisation and allow businesses to place tables and chairs outside.
Public meeting over Gorleston pier car parking at the pavillion theatre, Gorleston.A statement read out on behalf of Mr Scott said: “Like many local people, we’re keen to see the pier car park reopened. We’ve entered into discussions about taking on the responsibility for the car park, but we obviously need to be sure that it’s the right thing to do for our business.”
The meeting held at the Pavilion Theatre, Gorleston, was chaired by Great Yarmouth Mercury editor Anne Edwards and featured a panel including Great Yarmouth Borough Council leader Steve Ames, deputy borough council leader Charles Reynolds, Norfolk County Council cabinet member Graham Plant and managing director of the borough council Richard Packham.
Eliza O’Toole, deputy chair of Great Yarmouth Port, said: “As a port company, we are delighted to work with the council at their request and to offer the opportunity of a 10-year car park maintenance and management lease on a peppercorn basis to a third party.”
Meanwhile, Mr Ames added: “Discussions regarding the reopening of the pier as a parking facility are progressing and I hope this news is pleasing to those who have called for a return for parking on the pier.”
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9 comments
As someone who lives in Norwich but enjoys a walk along the promenade, I am very pleased that the proposal to turn it inot a car park has been rejected. It is good just the way it is so why spoil it. Full marks to the Pier Hotel too to renovate the pier car park eyesore. The Scotts deserve everyones thanks.
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andy
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Do we really deserve these councillors, to gift away public assets and access, that then takes well meaning people to dig them out of the mire and return to the public? Well done the Scott's, shame on GYBC.
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The Lone Gunman
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
It’s not just the locals who are pleased – I was born in Gorleston but now live near King’s Lynn. There are one or two (well, quite a few) aspects of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston that don’t impress. At least, there is now an attempt to put one thing right. Maybe access to the South Denes next? After all that White Elephant known as the Outer Harbour will surely fall into disuse sooner rather than later. Jack
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JackH-1938
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Well done Ian. Shame it takes a member of a family like the Scotts, people who have contributed so much to Gorleston and Yarmouth over the years with their businesses, to show up the shortcomings of GYBC. If the likes of Reynolds and Plant had had their brains in gear when the port was sold off , this neglect of a vital asset would not have happened.
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Daisy Roots
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
The issues that really matter, the gifting of the port to a private company, has not even been scratched at. Long standing companies that have paid taxes for years had extensions to their leases refused because of the masonic influences that council is under, this car parkresolve is a mere sob to the public and the 10 year lease of the car park, has now been given to a brethren.
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ingo wagenknecht
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
If the Council had only taken the time to listen to the good people of Gorleston then this issue would have been resolved ages ago. This just goes to show what, "people power," can achieve. Only last week the Council were made to withdraw their ill thought through plan for car parking on the Lower Prom at Gorleston because of the same show of dissent by locals. I sincerely hope Mr Scott succeeds where the Council has singularly failed through their ineptitude and prevarication and the Pier is opened as a car park once more.
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BG
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
"Eliza O’Toole, deputy chair of Great Yarmouth Port, said: “As a port company, we are delighted to work with the council at their request and to offer the......."___No your not. You and your co-horts are running scared from the strength of feeling about this fiasco and what underhand tactics people will find out about.
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"V"
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
A very good result all round. We must give thanks to Anne Edwards for very fair meeting. But council contrived to scupper the meeting by ending the meeting with “the Port Company is in negotiations with the Pier Hotel for the Scott family to resurface the Pier Carpark in exchange for a 10 year lease at a pepper corn rent”. So why allow the Pier surface to crumble for over two years, why did the port company turn down the Scott Families offer in 2009 when it would have been cheaper for them to surface? We await Mr. Packham’s response to why leases not belonging to the port company were used to get a mortgage. What came over very clearly was the misguided allegiance the three councillors had towards the new port company, each ignoring that jobs have not been created and not likely to be in the near future. Mr Packham did try to address the floor in a manner that implied the residents were people and needed to be listened to, but the three councillors talked down to the floor knowing full well Cllr Ames would read a statement about the carpark IPH and the Pier Hotel to end the meeting. We must hope that Anne’s wish for more meetings will materialise now councillors can see that residents cannot be trifled with all of the time.
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John L Cooper
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
I have seen worse roads with cracks and potholes in the borough than on this pier.Well done to the Pier Hotel,I hope that this idea will be a good one.The council have been shown for what they are,incompetent,inept,out of touch and beligerant.As for Eatspoort,dont get me started on them..........
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wes1975
Tuesday, November 22, 2011