Latest news with #visitorcentre
BBC News
2 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
National Trust withdraws plan for Morston visitor centre, Norfolk
The National Trust has withdrawn "abhorrent" proposals to create a new visitor centre which it said would increase accessibility to one of its included a welcome area with toilets and changing spaces and areas for staff at Morston Quay on the Norfolk coast near Blakeney. A number of objections including one from Morston Parish Council who called the plans "abhorrent" and "unnecessary" and believed the existing former toilet block should be kept and redeveloped and not converted into storage. "We have taken on board comments from the local community and have decided to withdraw our current planning application," the National Trust said. While a visitor centre already exists on the site, it is not accessible for everyone because it has within the plans that were submitted last July, the building would be single level to ensure it was an accessible space and would have more toilets and changing spaces. The plans also included the relocation of the car parking machine, shade for staff to minimise their time outdoors in the sun and the conversion of the existing toilet block into storage. The parish council said: "Almost everything about this proposal is abhorrent. It is the wrong building, in the wrong place for the wrong purpose. "Morston residents and Quay users have been seeking improved toilet facilities for over 20 years, but this is not the solution to their needs."We have been presented with an enormous and unnecessary new development which will fundamentally change the character of Morston Quay and seems designed to create a full-time visitor and administrative hub for the National Trust as a priority, introducing office space and adding retail space, while also providing new toilets." The parish council added that although the National Trust stated the former toilets could not be repurposed or redeveloped, the application "makes it clear" the existing building could be adapted. It believed if the building could an be reused as storage space, it could be redeveloped, enlarged and improved. The National Trust added: "We are grateful to everyone who engaged with our planning application for improved visitor facilities at Morston Quay." The heritage and conservation body said the application would be revised with the intention of resubmitting it to North Norfolk District Council by the autumn/winter. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Locals win war with National Trust by stopping 'abhorrent' building planned for internationally important nature reserve on Norfolk coast
Plans for a massive visitor centre at a popular beauty spot have been withdrawn by the National Trust after it capitulated in the face of a huge public backlash over the 'abhorrent' building. The charity had been accused of putting money over nature with the scheme at Morston Quay in north Norfolk, claiming it would provide much-needed facilities for visitors, staff and volunteers. But more than 150 formal objections were lodged over the threat it posed to 'one of the few relatively untouched places remaining along the coast'. Only three people approved. Locals argued it was intended to generate more income and act as an administrative hub by 'introducing office space and adding retail space' at the spot, which sits within Blakeney National Nature Reserve and is a vital haven for wildlife including ground-nesting birds and England's largest Grey Seal colony. One objector said: 'Morston Quay and the marshes beyond are a precious natural resource which need protection, not exploitation. 'It is wild and beautiful and should not be regarded as an opportunity for the expansion of administrative facilities or opportunities for raising funds.' Morston Parish Council also waded into the dispute, accusing the Trust of creating 'spurious' arguments in favour of the visitor centre when its aim was simply to commercialise the spot. 'There are no benefits to the residents of Morston from this plan,' it wrote. 'Almost everything about this proposal is abhorrent. It is the wrong building, in the wrong place, for the wrong purpose.' Early last year, the Trust's application for a food truck at the beauty spot was blocked by councillors who questioned why it was needed when there was already a café in the Lookout. The existing visitor centre is a modest grey and white wooden building with steps up to a viewing room topped by a weathervane. Toilet facilities are provided in two portacabins, which would have been removed under the plans for the proposed structure - a huge single-storey building made from natural wood cladding with a glass side that would be 85ft long and 27ft wide. This would house a new 'visitor welcome point' and space for 'staff and volunteer welfare', while the Lookout building would continue to offer food and drinks. But the Trust has now confirmed it has cancelled the move, with a spokesman saying: 'We are grateful to everyone who engaged with our planning application for improved visitor facilities at Morston Quay. 'We have taken on board comments from the local community and have decided to withdraw our current planning application, with the intention of resubmitting a revised application to North Norfolk District Council by the autumn or winter.' No further detail was given about the amended application but local media reported a 'well-placed source said it had abandoned the visitor centre and would now confine its proposals to upgrading toilet facilities at the site'. The trust insisted the development would have created a more pleasant experience for the 100,000 people who visit Morston Quay every year. But the parish council added in its objection: 'We have been presented with an enormous and unnecessary new development which will fundamentally change the character of Morston Quay and seems designed to create a full-time visitor and administrative hub for the National Trust as a priority, introducing office space and adding retail space, while also providing new toilets.' Matthew Rice, a Norfolk painter, designer and writer to contributes to Country Life magazine, warned the introduction of a new centre with 'delineated parking spaces' and 'bonded surfaces' would place a 'barrier' between people and the area's natural beauty. He said: 'There are no tall forests, craggy rocks or mountains to absorb the impact of new buildings or to dilute the suburbanising effect of 'bonded surfaces'. 'The whole appeal of this wild place is its lack of boundaries and its apparent unplanned layout. Imposing a one-size-fits-all National Trust solution can destroy all this at a stroke. 'The desire for neatness, street furniture and lighting in the name of safety is all around us and, if great care is not taken in delivering improvements, it can suddenly make Norfolk look like everywhere else.' Another objector to the visitor centre plan said: 'The vast majority of visitor traffic is generated by the local, family-run businesses on Blakeney Point. These families offer a fantastic welcome and expertise on the local flora, fauna and history. Other objections included: 'It promotes unnecessary overdevelopment of what is one of the few relatively untouched places remaining along the coast. 'But perhaps what is most important is the sheer contempt with which the community has been treated throughout the process. 'The Quay is not just a space from further afield but also for the local residents that live and work there.' The Trust has also faced anger from locals at nearby Brancaster, who accused it of trying to 'monetise' the harbour there with new rules and charges, including £60 fees for mooring dinghies. There has been another backlash a few miles away in Burnham Overy Staithe, near Wells, where the charity has been accused of neglecting an iconic windmill after it emerged plans to restore the building didn't include replacing the sails. West Norfolk Council has told the Trust the sails must be replaced when the work is complete. NT has faced a turbulent few years, amid complaints it adopted a 'woke' agenda by forcing staff to wear gay pride badges and listing nearly 100 properties with links to slavery and colonialism.
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Bennerley Viaduct visitor centre should open by autumn
A £1.1m visitor centre being built at a historic viaduct on the Derbyshire-Nottinghamshire border should be open this Autumn, volunteers behind the scheme have Viaduct on the River Erewash has a new visitor centre under construction as well as an accessible ramp and nature complete the visitor centre will include exhibition and educational spaces, a cafe, outdoor seating and bicycle an exact date for opening is "impossible" to set, Friends of Bennerley Viaduct chair Nick Tooley told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the group is "hoping" it will be open to visitors in October. He said: "Bear with us, this project has lasted longer than it should have, there have been some technical issues we are hopefully getting around now. "We think we're on the final run and we do desperately hope we will have it open, with the help of the council, this October."He added the group had assembled a lot of archive material about the centre is at the eastern end of the 60ft (20m) tall viaduct, a Grade II* listed bridge which stretches nearly a quarter of a mile (430m) over the River Erewash between Ilkeston and Awsworth. It is known as the Iron said: "We've been speaking to people who remember going over the viaduct when it was open in the '60s, on holiday, on the trains."It actually means an awful lot to a lot of people." 'A lasting tribute' The Victorian viaduct reopened to the public as a walkway and cycle path in 2022 after being closed for 54 Borough Council leader Milan Radulovic said he hoped the visitor centre would help attract tourists to the said: "The wealth we enjoy and the standard of living were built on the backs of working-class people, and this area has a proud heritage of mining, steel work, and industrial work."This will be a lasting tribute and memorial to the sacrifices that they made for the freedoms and benefits we enjoy today."
RNZ News
7 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Golden Bay Visitor Centre closes its doors
For decades, the Golden Bay Visitor Centre has helped tourists explore the area, make bookings, and share tips on top local spots. But next month the centre, which is also home to Kiwibank services, will close its doors as it struggles to make ends meet. Cheryl Elsey is the Chair of the Golden Bay Promotions Association, which has run the centre for 41 years. She told Jesse what the closure will mean for the area. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
The Guardian
18-05-2025
- The Guardian
The kindness of strangers: we worried we'd have to sleep in our car when a lovely couple welcomed us in
I was visiting the US as a 23-year-old with my mother and her sister. On a whim, the three of us decided to road trip across the border to Vancouver to catch the tail end of the city's 1986 World Expo. We assumed we'd be able to find accommodation when we got there – and we were wrong. With no mobile phones or Google to guide us, we traipsed from one hotel to the next, before the inefficiency of such a tactic dawned on us and we headed for Vancouver's visitor centre. I remember the centre being busy, packed with other panicked accommodation hunters, and close to shutting up shop for the day. But there was a lovely woman who made it her mission to help us, tirelessly telephoning every accommodation provider she could think of – motel, hotel, bed and breakfast, caravan park – all without success. Just as we were wondering if we were going to have to sleep in the car, she told us the office had a list of Vancouver residents the centre could contact for emergency accommodation. I don't know how many people she called, but this wonderful woman finally triumphed and told us she'd found us a place to stay at someone's home. She gave us the directions and sent us on our way. When we arrived it was getting dark, but we could see it was a lovely house on a lush, tree-lined avenue. We all felt a collective sense of relief, coupled with a degree of apprehension about who our hosts might be. Our anxiety dissipated the moment they welcomed us at the door, ushering us in and asking if we were hungry. They told us they'd prepared dinner. I can't remember their names, only that they were a young couple who welcomed us in without knowing anything about us. They must have sized us up over dinner and, after the meal, dropped a bombshell. They said, well, unfortunately they were going away on holiday the next day. My initial instinct was panic – I thought, oh no, we're going to have to find somewhere else to stay in the morning. But then they told us we could stay on without them for the remainder of our time in Vancouver. They told us to have a great holiday, treat the house as our own and just leave the keys on the hallway table on the way out. They didn't want any money from us to stay there – they were just kind people doing their civic duty. If I was in their shoes, I'm not sure I would entrust the care of my home to three people I'd only just met. But I'm glad they did and I have never forgotten the couple. They went out of their way to help us when they didn't have to. That generosity of spirit is what, I think, makes us human. From making your day to changing your life, we want to hear about chance encounters that have stuck with you. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. If you're having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here
