Linton Canoe Course To Go Ahead

[Phil Stevo]

I have created a new topic as hopefully the understandable negativity of commercial rafting taking over the Linton Canoe Course has been dispelled in the previous thread.

There was a Linton Management Group meeting last night where it was confirmed that the finance trigger point for the £2.5m bond issue has been passed. This means the Linton Canoe Course will definitely go ahead with work starting on 1st August this year.
The course should be built by April/May 2017 and ready for commissioning early/middle summer. This should mean that the first slaloms can go into the calendar for the 2018 season.

There will be some rapid blocks put in on two of the drops so there will be the option of making alterations to the flow. The inlet flow will also be controllable that should enable a range of divisional events that includes a Div 4 on the flow from the outlet of the screws.

For 6 to 7 months of the year there will be enough water for the canoe course to be opened at no cost. In low water a figure of £38 per hour was given as the cost required to compensate Flowpower (the hydro power company) for loss of generating capacity. However it will still be possible to paddle on the course when it is just in fish pass mode at no cost.

There will be 4 pools on the course created by 3 drops and one constriction plus a final drop into the main river next to the screw outlets.

The money currently available will build the canoe course but will not now stretch to a slalom gate system, so money will have to be found for this element of the cost. However we have been asked to come up with a wish-list of facilities that may be included in the initial build e.g. ducting for telecoms and power for floodlights, timing, judging points etc.

The land owner is going to build a car park and toilet block that he will maintain as well as the access road. For this the landowner has asked for £5 per car. The landowner has said that his land can be used for camping for events. There are also two commercial campsites nearby, one on the canoe course side of the river that is owned by the land owner’s Daughter that has a brewery and winery: http://www.yorkshireheart.co.uk and one on the opposite bank right next to the river: http://www.lintonlockmarina.co.uk

The Linton Management Group is to be a subcommittee of the Yorkshire Region Committee made up of representatives of Yorkshire Canoe Clubs just like the Washburn Committee.

It will be up to the Linton Management Group to decide a charging structure that ensures the landowner gets his £5.00 per car (or equivalent) and Flowpower is compensated. This could be a standard charge each hour the course is opened up or a charge that represents the cost dependant on the river flow at the time. The management group will also decide how the course will be booked and the inlet opened. This will most likely be by a website booking and key-code or key-card system.

Only 10 minutes from the A1 this does now feel like a canoeing gift from the gods!

[Dee]

Like button required!

[jjayes]

FANTASTIC!!!

[Slapdash Sal]

Wow. Amazing. Bring it on! Such happy memories.