Ryde Town Council is already planning improvements for when it takes on the town’s harbour.
Following 2 years of discussions, it was agreed last month, Ryde Town Council would be treated as special purchaser of Ryde Harbour. This means when details have been finalised and the Isle of Wight Council is ready to sell the harbour, which was built in 1990, the town council will be first in line.
It approached the Isle of Wight Council, offering to take over the harbour freehold to stop it falling into private ownership and submitted a business case with its proposals.
The town council is yet to officially take over the harbour but is now planning ways to improve the offering.
A planning application has been submitted by the town council to temporarily site a shipping container next to the harbourmaster’s office to house a deckchair hire concession. Planning documents say it would also offer paddleboards and kayaks for hire on a stretch of beach along Ryde seafront, from the harbour to Appley Tower.
Images of the proposals show the business would be called Ryde Leisure and other documents say the hire business would operate between April and October each year.
The documents, submitted by the town council, say:
“The Isle of Wight Council has been offering the deckchair franchise [on] Ryde beach for some time without success. The town council felt it was an important amenity for Ryde so decided to take [on] the franchise themselves.”
The steel storage container would be clad in vertical cedar boarding to help blend in with the surrounding area and be there for no more than 5 years before a more permanent solution can be agreed, once the harbour is transferred to Ryde Town Council.
A mutual agreement has been reached between the Isle of Wight Council and Ryde Town Council for a licence to place the unit in this location, the only acceptable site.
To view the application, 21/00772/FUL, you can visit the council’s planning register. Comments will be accepted until 24th May.
Is this going to be run by Dave Stewart by any chance….. funny coincidence yet again by this council. Public money going into private pockets. Looks like a new stash of brown envelopes has been found.
This comment baffles me. The proposal is for IW Council (public) to sell the harbour to Ryde TC (public), and then for RTC to run the services in place of IWC. Where are the private pockets?
Ryde Town Council is doing what IWC failed to do over many years. Surely to be commended and supported?
I think some people just like to post anti Council messages whatever the news is, don’t waste your time looking for logical reasons
Far more likely to be run by his ‘business advisor’ WW, another highly paid team mate on the IWCC who already runs the cafe at the pier end, and the cafe by the canoe lake, and his ex runs Peter Pans.
Hence all the investment and building permission given in Ryde. First and foremost for all the grants and loans too.
Yet not all staff on books, and we have to trust these people with our c tax and other public money. Unbelievable.
Deckchairs and Paddleboards! Wow! hardly exciting. I suppose this is notice to the Inshore rescue to brace themselves – they will be needed to rescue the idiots that get caught out by the tides and currents.
And this on the day when 2 Paddle Boarders were rescued nearby. Lets hope they have a rescue boat on call and not rely on RNLI or similar.
“The steel storage container would be clad in vertical cedar boarding to help blend in with the surrounding area”
Yes, it will blend in beautifully with the lovely Harbour Masters hut next door!!
“Following 2 years of discussions”
Why so long?
Who in there right mind would hire a deck chair or paddle board in or next to that secpit , it stinks down there, and Ryde in general,lol, x