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What Do We Want At Acle Bridge?


JennyMorgan

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1 hour ago, JennyMorgan said:

And there was me thinking it was the first of may yesterday , apparently its back to the first of April , who's going to pay for this monstrosity ? And more importantly will the visitor number's justify the expenditure .

Improve the moorings and bring back the shop that's all that's required .

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"Landmark Building" So often this translates to eyesore, am I the only one who's heart sank reading this?

The whole things sounds like a vanity project for the BA, surely boaters, fishers and general tourists simply want a small general shop and maybe a WC. If there is money to spend fix the closed moorings, make some new ones in popular places and come to an understanding with local land owners to enable clearance and use of 'wild moorings'

I'm not suggesting that all of the above is easy or cheap but if there is this sort of money in the budget it should be used toward the betterment and maintenance of The Broads not a shiny new cafe and visitor centre full of information anyone interested can find on the internet.

Just a personal opinion of course

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5 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

I thought there was already a visitors' centre. at Ranworth?

There used to be, It was empty for ages, pretty sure it is now NWT. Why they need two there not sure. The BAhave only Hoveton, Whittlinham and Toad Hall Cottage. It is very easy to think of The Broads only in terms of Boating. As a visitor attraction without Boating it is pretty dire. Unless you go on a boat trip there is very little you can see, Barton, only from the Boardwalk, Hickling and Horsey, very little, you have to get on the water so maybe a visitor centre is good in that location.

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So it obviously wasn't a success then, although it was opened by the Queen? So will this new idea be any better? Hardly much historical "demand" for it, is there?

But of course, in National Park thinking, you have to "engage the public" with these things.

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It was closed as part of the savings about six years ago when the NP grants were slashed. It was all part of moving Ra, redundances etc.

I still think moving Ra to it's gravel pit was stupid, the trip round Barton really gave visitors a proper Broads experience of an area otherwise inaccessable to them. You can walk round Whitlingham so why pay to go on a boat? I would love to actually compare passenger numbers in the two locations.

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Definitely the shop back with maybe some showers and toilets, with the excellent Bridge Inn and a beautiful place to moor overnight it would be the icing on the cake

Spent plenty of hard earned pocket money in that little shop on plastic toys I neither wanted or played with but just to spend some pennies in that little place was one of the highlights of our holiday

Grace

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10 minutes ago, Gracie said:

Spent plenty of hard earned pocket money in that little shop on plastic toys I neither wanted or played with but just to spend some pennies in that little place was one of the highlights of our holiday

Me too! I loved that shop as a kid back in the day. 

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56 minutes ago, ChrisB said:

It was closed as part of the savings about six years ago when the NP grants were slashed. It was all part of moving Ra, redundances etc.

I still think moving Ra to it's gravel pit was stupid, the trip round Barton really gave visitors a proper Broads experience of an area otherwise inaccessable to them. You can walk round Whitlingham so why pay to go on a boat? I would love to actually compare passenger numbers in the two locations.

I have to agree with that. I have walked round Whitlingham CP many times and never seen Ra particularly active. Barton Broad, being less accessible to the general public, was far more suitable. 

1 hour ago, Vaughan said:

But of course, in National Park thinking, you have to "engage the public" with these things.

I think this is probably nearer the truth although I’m not sure Acle is the right place. Ranworth is much more ‘scenic’ but of course that ship has sailed (sorry!). Small shops by the rivers have found it very difficult to survive so, sadly, I can’t see one returning to Acle. If there has to be a visitor centre, I suppose making the idea into a competition will save architects fees. I do wonder what the ‘facilities for boaters’ might involve, answers on a postcard please..................

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surely the visitor centre part could be accomodated with a nice rack of leaflets (the same as you encounter in the foyer of most hotels nowadays, then the rest could be dedicated to newspapers, ice creams and tat.

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Please let us not condemn this out of hand. I agree that "Landmark" CAN mean "Eye-sore" but not necessarily so, and lets also be reasonable in that that side of the bridge has nothing there of any great beauty, including the bridge itself.

It was repeated several times that the project should include facilities for boaters. This may well include a shop, toilets, showers and maybe a coin operated laundrette. Who knows.

Obviously we would like the outside to be attractive, but as is often said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and very much a personal choice. It is perhaps the best place on the broads for "out of the box" thinking.

I for one think the BA are getting it right on this one and the budget isn't that unreasonable for a low maintenance, flood resistant, facility for boaters as well as other visitors to the area.

A shop that includes the information centre, could be financially viable, though I do see it being closed off season.

No, on the whole I think this a positive for the BA. Well done.

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Is there some confusion between the visitor centre and BA information centre at ranworth? The information centre on the staithe was closed by BA I think. As far as I am aware, the visitor centre further round is still open? Not sure who runs it. 

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well come on then, are we going to step up to the mark and submit an entry

http://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1196646/Acle-bridge-design-competition-FINAL.PDF

we have just less than a month to go before final submission times.

the area available is not large, really just the shop and associated storage sheds, so its not going to be a huge building, my suggestion would be to remain in keeping and exhibit some of the craft of the broads that we keep a traditional thatched roof (the reasons for which and material sources could be explained in the visitor centre) a gift shop/ cafe with associated boating supplies (bread milk, newspapers ice creams etc) could be incorporated. tables and chairs for the cafe could be situated outside on the quayside

the display space for the visitor centre is going to be compact at best, if the yarmouth council area can be incorporated for a new improved toilet / shower block that would give more space.

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having read the rules now, do we have a registered architect to submit our entry?

for the flood prevention method, - well how about the system they have in holland where a concrete tank foundation sits over a concrete tank basement, and the tank allows the building to rise on flood water a bit like a floating pontoon - or indeed remove the soil and create a basin where the structure can float, accessed by ramps from the land, a floating structure is not at risk from flooding.

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Call me negative, but let's start with the trunk road going over the blind hump of Acle bridge, where the speed limit is 60MPH. I know it says 30, but that is purely advisory. And where are all these people they are going to attract from Yarmouth, (which they say is their target area) or all these schoolchildren in buses, going to park?

Don't forget that a planned expansion of facilities for camping on the other side of the river, has already been turned down, for these reasons. Perhaps this is partly why the toilet block is no longer open? 

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A landmark building would be a disaster, they are supposed to be preserving the broads not making statements. Another wooden shed, if slightly larger and in better condition would do and be a lot cheaper than some landmark costing a fortune..

 

I believe the speed limit is NOT advisory, there was a change in  the law a while back so things like roads works limits became law not advisory. They would do you for care and attension anyway or reckless driving under the old laws. If they bothered to watch the bridge..

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35 minutes ago, johnb said:

Is there some confusion between the visitor centre and BA information centre at ranworth? The information centre on the staithe was closed by BA I think. As far as I am aware, the visitor centre further round is still open? Not sure who runs it. 

The visitor centre you are thinking of is run by the NWT who also now occupy the ex information office and run the ferry, purely a wildlife operation rather than one of general interest to the public.

Fred

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30 minutes ago, johnb said:

Is there some confusion between the visitor centre and BA information centre at ranworth? The information centre on the staithe was closed by BA I think. As far as I am aware, the visitor centre further round is still open? Not sure who runs it. 

This where I must apologise for being 30 years out of date!

What I do know is that the information centre on the Maltsters quay was created and run by Blakes, when they owned the lease for the whole of Malthouse Broad. The BA took it over later, but they didn't start it.

The big centre on the causeway between the two broads was opened to a blaze of publicity in the 70s and I was there on the day. So has it been a success? Has it opened up access to a wider public, etc.?

My feeling is, that rather than try and tell schoolchildren about the management of changing water levels, it would be better to spend the money on dredging the lower Bure, and thus better manage the levels themselves.

That would be for the benefit of the whole wetland area and not just for the navigation.

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