Other groups might have to pay to use L’Ancresse

RUNNERS, shooters and the annual horse race meeting could end up having to pay to use L’Ancresse Common, its council chairman has said.

George Domaille made the announcement following negotiations of a new lease to allow the golf clubs to continue using the area.

He said that if the golfers had to pay more, it was only fair that all users of the common should pay.

‘That would mean the horseracing, the shooters, and the athletics,’ he said.

‘It would probably be a nominal fee.’ (from GEP)

In NZ when I organise races on council land I have to pay $3 per competitor. That is even when we use public paths that are free to members of the public to use for recreation.

Look at it as a donation to maintain the common.

they make enough money from this event so why not .

a common is no place for a horse to race on!

schoolyjo wrote:a common is no place for a horse to race on!

Whats that got to do with being charged to do it?

quite a lot! thats a bit of an extra dumb question! there shouldnt be the need to charge for horse racing on the common, because it shouldnt happen in the first place!

You could also argue that a public beach is no place for motor racing or public roads no place for hill climbing but where else could they be done ?

the racing on the beach does not raise money ..there is not betting on who is going to win . it is funded by the club.it does not cost the tax payer money to keep these areas for racing.
we do need these kind of activities here . it gives folks something to do and many look forwards to it .
i dont like horse racing .but i do like the fact that the horses are allowed to have a run on the common.what a great place for them to run on.
but as for racing ,that is not for me to decide .

Bottom line is, the States are penny-pinching again and are no longer going to subsidise the Commons Council to the tune of around £30,000 I think it was. So where else is this going to come from? Les habitants? Say there are 1,000 golfers( a conservative estimate?) - £30 on their membership fee is neither here nor there, I would suggest.

schoolyjo wrote:quite a lot! thats a bit of an extra dumb question! there shouldnt be the need to charge for horse racing on the common, because it shouldnt happen in the first place!

Not dumb at all, stick to the topic not what you personally think. Whether they should or shouldn't race on the common is a separate issue to whether they should pay when they do race on the common and like it or not right or wrong they race on the common. So should they pay to do so.

kat wrote:the racing on the beach does not raise money ..there is not betting on who is going to win . it is funded by the club.it does not cost the tax payer money to keep these areas for racing.
we do need these kind of activities here . it gives folks something to do and many look forwards to it .
but as for racing ,that is not for me to decide .

We need to take the racing as a specific sport out of the arguement and look at activities in general. Two basic categories is the activity organised or not organised. The common is open for all so a charge can not be levied for thiose who wish to go for a walk or cycle. However if the walk or cycle is organised then should a fee apply. If yes then there should be a further category. Is the activity fund raising or not. For instance if the athletic club hold the Boxing Day run on the common and charge for entry should a portion of the entry go to the Commons Council to upkeep the common. If a portion should go to the Council is this base on a per person entry or as a blanket fee, for instance 2GBP per entry or 200GBP to hold the event on the common.

The beach is a bit different because there is no upkeep, the tide does that for the organisers. But there should be a deposit to the States for those unforseen mishaps that need to be cleaned up if the beach is left in an unsightly state.

This is not straightforward and any charging will have to be looked at very closely to maintain a fair system to all.

If the States don’t want to donate any more surely the States Police should be charged for the use of the rifle range at fort le marchant.

After all they regularly close off the whole headland perhaps £30k pa. Would cover it.