Plans for canoe course prompt huge response with clashing views

The Avon Navigation Trust has submitted a planning application to Wychavon District Council to create a “community-based canoe course” by Wyre Weir.

There has been more than 200 responses to the plans, with dozens of these coming from concerned property owners at Rivermead Holiday Home Park, which lies adjacent to the proposed area.

One holiday homeowner, Wayne Edwards, said: “The proposed application will not only destroy the land where we are able to watch daily nature events but also the added noise and disruption will ruin the general ambience and therefore the reason, we purchased on Rivermead.

Another, Donna Plimmer, said: “I simply do not wish to look over a white water canoe facility and feel that it would negatively impact my families enjoyment of our property and worse still that it would de-value our property.”

Residents of Rivermead Holiday Home Park have shared their displeasure with the plan (Image: John Fullagar)

Professor Edwin Hearn added: “I write to complain in the strongest possible terms to this application.

“The construction of the development will cause immediate destruction of our privacy and wellbeing both from a visual and noise point of view. Residence will be impossible for many months.”

Others, such as Robert Hennessy, were unhappy with the timing of the application, which was submitted on January 31 with a consultation deadline of March 1.

“None of the owners will have visited their property by this time and will not have been made aware of this until after the closing date.”

There have also been responses from bodies such as British Canoeing as well as residents of Gloucester, Newport, Coventry and Nottingham.

Ben Seal, head of access and environment at British Canoeing, said: “We would like to express our full support for the proposed white water facility at Wyre Piddle.

“The proposed course at Wyre Piddle would provide an excellent facility for paddlers to develop their skills on white water at an introductory level.”

Mr Seal added that Olympic medallists such as Etienne Stott and Joe Clarke started their careers at similar sites.

“With the Paris and LA Olympics on the horizon, it would be fantastic to say that a future Olympic hopeful might get their first taste of white water at Wyre Piddle,” he said.

When posed with the concerns of Rivermead resident, Avon Navigation Trust chairman Jack Hegarty said: “The proposed Community White Water Course project, which will be entirely grant funded, is an exciting opportunity that was first put forward to Avon Navigation Trust (ANT) for appraisal by riverside neighbourhood organisations and groups more than a decade ago.

“The current planning application and associated wide-reaching consultation process follows the charity’s own research to ensure it would be right for the Avon, its users, the wider community, the environment and in accordance with its mission to administer, maintain and improve the River Avon navigation.

“We look forward to seeing the results of the planning process, and learning whether we should embark on the next stage of the journey.”