Linton Locks reborn

[davebrads]

It looks like things are moving on the proposed new course on the Ouse http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/spo ... -1-7925082.

This is an old slalom course that might be coming back to life. We used to race down the fish ladder and then do a few gates in the pool below. It was quite intimidating on the only occasion I did it when the water was high.

[Dee]

Shhh! Don't shout too loudly or the rafters will take it over

[djberriman]

Hope it finalyl gets there and is usable. Ready to run an event when it is ready!

[jjayes]

Shhh! Don't shout too loudly or the rafters will take it over

Thats not so funny as it has happened at almost every other publicly funded "SLALOM" course in the UK. Its not a problem if it is done in a fair and controlled manner and is stated that it will be the case in the planning and fund raising stage, but not when Slalom is priced out of it. Slaloms high profile has often been used to help promote fund raising and then sidelined once the course has been built, the Olympic tag is used to get the publics and grant giving bodies attention somewhat. Slalom is obviously being used to promote this project, lets see if it can hold on to use of the site at a reasonable cost and not simply handed over to another commercial company to use as they please!

It would be good to know if the slalom committee are taking care of Slaloms future interests in it? Lets not make the same mistakes as in the past, if slalom does not have a guarantee of future use in the form of a written contract, then the Slalom Committee should publicly withdraw support for such projects. The only time they will have such power to promote slalom use is in the planning stages, they should not allow slalom to be used as it has been in the past.

I raced there a few times many years ago and it was always very interesting, lets hope that it works out well for all involved, but let us not pretend it will be good for slalom automatically as history has shown us otherwise if we take our eye of the future use.

Out of interest does anybody know when HPP,s name changed from its original "Slalom Course" name to "White Water Course?"

[JimW]

Out of interest does anybody know when HPP,s name changed from its original "Slalom Course" name to "White Water Course?"

No, but I'm pretty sure it was called white water course the first time I went there, which as I recall was in 1989. I don't remember if we saw rafts then or just heard that they were using it, I think my first run in with a raft was at the bottom of the Tryweryn international site in September 1993. I think Blue Peter rafted HPP before 1989?

Jim

[Canadian Paddler]

In response to JJ

It would be good to know if the slalom committee are taking care of Slaloms future interests in it? Lets not make the same mistakes as in the past, if slalom does not have a guarantee of future use in the form of a written contract, then the Slalom Committee should publicly withdraw support for such projects. The only time they will have such power to promote slalom use is in the planning stages, they should not allow slalom to be used as it has been in the past

The slalom committee has not been involved in anything to do with this application. British Canoeing facilities may have been involved, but the committee has not.

Do not forget that the committee is a set of Volunteers. I type this sitting at my desk in London ready for a days' work. We do not get consulted on anything like this.

Perhaps you should address the question to British Canoeing (those that are paid to look after our interests) who have much more time and political clout.

[Dee]

Need like button

[jjayes]

In response to JJ

It would be good to know if the slalom committee are taking care of Slaloms future interests in it? Lets not make the same mistakes as in the past, if slalom does not have a guarantee of future use in the form of a written contract, then the Slalom Committee should publicly withdraw support for such projects. The only time they will have such power to promote slalom use is in the planning stages, they should not allow slalom to be used as it has been in the past

The slalom committee has not been involved in anything to do with this application. British Canoeing facilities may have been involved, but the committee has not.

Do not forget that the committee is a set of Volunteers. I type this sitting at my desk in London ready for a days' work. We do not get consulted on anything like this.

Perhaps you should address the question to British Canoeing (those that are paid to look after our interests) who have much more time and political clout.

Thanks for the response, I find it amazing and somewhat insulting to the slalom committee that it does not get consulted on matters like this. I fully appreciate you are all volunteers and the work you all do, the sport would be nowhere without you.

I must say that I am not reassured at all that British Canoeing looks after our interests given the history of courses that were set up on the back of slalom and then handed over to private companies. I fully support private enterprise, but not with such massive amounts of public money to pay for the infrastructure as it somehow strikes me as immoral.

[Phil Stevo]

The planned course at Linton will have permanent slalom gates and floodlights but it will be a canoe course for the benefit of all canoeist not just slalom.

This is because the £200k grant towards the building of the canoe course has come from Sport England via British Canoeing Facilities Department.

There will be a Operating Committee set up to oversee the running of the canoe course that will be made up of representatives from local canoe clubs with a link into the Washburn Committee. So the best way to think about how the course will be managed is to look at how the Washburn is run for the Yorkshire region but without the tight and costly release constraints.

The two nearest clubs are York Canoe Club and Lower Wharfe Canoe Club. York doesn't have a slalom section but Lower Wharfe does have a committed Slalom Section. I have been nominated to represent Lower Wharfe on the Linton Operating Committee so I am happy to keep the slalom community updated via this thread. The first meeting is booked in for 26th June.

The Linton course will not be running 24/7 because when the canoe course is open it will be taking water away from the hydro electric screws and the course also doubles as a fish pass.

50% of the time there will be enough water to fill the canoe course and feed the screws without loss of generating capacity. The other 50% of the time the hydro scheme will have to be compensated for lack of generating capacity that has been estimated at £10 per hour. There will of course be times when the river is too high and too low to run the course.

The engineering company the will be putting the new hydro system in is Mann Power who were responsible for the hydro system at Howsham Mill that can be held up as a scheme that has benefitted canoeing in general and particularly for slalom interests.

All the permissions are in place for the hydro electric system and canoe course but the operating company needs now to raise £2.5 million through a 10 year bond issue that will pay 7.5% interest p.a. The 7.5% interest will be paid from the first year of the investment and capital will be repaid in equal amounts from years 3 - 10.

So if anyone is interested in investing in this green and canoe friendly project the bond issue has just been launched at this link:
http://www.lintonhydro.co.uk

I hope this has explained a bit more about how this canoe course will bit set up even if the detail of the management of the course still has to be agreed.

Phil

[Phil Stevo]

A couple of other points about the management of the Linton Canoe Course to put minds at ease:

- The lease for the canoe course will be held by the Yorkshire Regional Committee, just like the Washburn

- The current terms of the lease prevent a commercial operation at the course

[davebrads]

I sounds great Phil. I understand Jim's cynicism (as I am sure you do too), we have been let down too often in the past, but I am sure that this will be different.

[Canadian Paddler]

Definitely need a like button. Thanks Phil. With you on the job I believe it is in safe hands.

[jjayes]

Phil,

thank you for the information, all very informative and looks like you are on a very good footing for the future.

The investment opportunity sounds like a good one too especially for people with a environmental conscience. Its good to claw back bit of carbon emissions for those paying to pump courses. Maybe any surplus in any canoeing organisation related accounts should be put into such a environmentally friendly investment. It may be good to post details here for those with a interest.

Good luck with it all,

Jim.

[Phil Stevo]

Yes Jim, one of the great things about the Linton project is the lack of pumps, as this is what makes it so green and inexpensive to run.

For those interested in the Linton Hydro investment opportunity the full Bond Offer Document and be downloaded here:

http://www.lintonhydro.co.uk/find-out-more.php

We went to the launch of the bond issue last Wednesday and £238k of the £2.5m has already been raised as this post goes out. So it is looking a very popular investment. Of course the £2.5 has to be raised for the whole scheme to go ahead.

There will be a couple more presentations from the facilitating bank, engineers and operating company coming up so I will post the details on here when I find out where and when.

As this is a major engineering project this investment is not without its risks but we have been reassured enough to put a few bob into it ourselves. Also it is nice to feel a part of something that is so positive for our sport.

One of the most reassuring things is the new operating company are taking on the existing screw that is already up and running and creating income. The second screw, canoe course/fish pass can be built without any downtime on the existing screw.

Here's to it all going to plan and having a couple more Div 1 events in the calendar at Linton!!!

Phil