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Velolife (via Facebook)Council hits back in Velolife cycle cafe row – cyclists CAN use cafe insists statement… they just can’t “meet” there or congregate outside
A council insists that it is not stopping cyclists from using a cycling café in Berkshire – despite having obtained an injunction that in effect does exactly that.
On Saturday, we reported how the owner of the Velolife cycling café in Warren Row, Berkshire, had received an enforcement notice preventing cyclists from meeting there.
> Council says cyclists can’t meet at Berkshire cycling café
Several cycling clubs based nearby the café, which lies three and a half miles south west of the Berkshire town of Henley-on-Thames, also received injunction notices telling them they could not visit the café at any point during an organised ride.
The issuance of the enforcement notices follows a planning dispute dating back to 2017, the year after Lee Goodwin took over the premises that formerly operated as a pub called The Snooty Fox which had been closed for 18 months and struggling for a couple of years before that.
In response to our story, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, which obtained the injunction, insisted that cyclists could still use the café, but “cyclists’ meets” were not allowed.
A spokeswoman for the council told road.cc: “The planning inspector has made it clear that groups of cyclists meeting outside Velolife café cause a nuisance to nearby residents.
“The appeal decision has concluded that the lawful use of the site is as a café with cycle repair. In this decision the planning inspector upheld and varied the enforcement notice and deemed that cyclist meets should not take place at the café but that cyclists are still welcome to use the café facilities but must not congregate outside.”
That appears to introduce an ambiguity to the interpretation of an earlier planning decision, as to whether or not cyclists are allowed to meet there; does a group of three or four friends, for example, who arrange to meet there or stop on a ride, constitute a “cyclists meet”?
In 2017, following a complaint from a nearby resident, Goodwin had received an enforcement notice requiring him to cease using the premises as a café, meeting place, cycle repair facility and for retail use.
He appealed that decision, and was permitted to carry on using them as a café with a bike workshop, but not for retail.
The inspector who made the appeal decision also changed the words “meeting place” to “cyclists’ meet,”.reasoning that the term“meeting place” was wide in its meaning and could encompass a range of purposes, “whereas the allegation is intended to target the use of the land as a place where cyclists meet prior to departing on organised rides and events.”
She added that if planning permission were given for use as a “cyclist’s meet,” events could be held more frequently, “and this element could intensify.”
The planning inspector also restricted Velolife’s opening hours, so it could only trade between 9am and 7pm.
On Saturday, Goodwin told road.cc: “We were happy with the decision because we could still have cyclists come through and use us as a cycling stop. All we were not to do was organise club rides that started at Velolife – which we don’t do.
“However, the council decided to take the notion that a ‘cyclists’ meet’ encompassed any gathering of cyclists before, during or after a ride of any sort.”
The enforcement notice received by Goodwin last week stated: “It is the Council opinion that [cyclist meets] involves, and will include the gathering of cyclists for organised rides, whether they start, finish, or are constructed to use the land and building during such events. If, at any stage during a cyclist’s meet, the activity is engaged on the land or in the building will constitute a breach of the requirements to cease the use.”
Goodwin said he was worried that the council’s narrow interpretation of the term could result in Velolife going out of business.
He explained: “Even if the council and I are having a slight difference of opinion on what the inspectorate actually had in mind, with the council’s opinion they can prosecute me and force me to stop cyclists coming on site and basically destroy my business, where myself I have no access to that.
“I have to apparently sit and take it. When we do finally land up in court – and the earliest will be in November – I won’t have a business to defend if they stop cyclists coming on site.”
We have asked the council to clarify its position, on a number of points:
If a cyclist rides to the cafe with friends, or a cycling group or club, and use the facilities, the council appear to define that as breaking the injunction. So what is the definition of 'organised' here? And how exactly are cyclists "welcome"?
We've also pointed out that the injunction goes on to state that cycle club members cannot meet at the cafe "arriving by any means, car, van or cycle, at any time of day or night". So two friends that happen to be members of the same cycling club that independently drove to the cafe and met each other would be breaking the injunction. What specific issue is this restriction designed to address?
We have also approached national cyclists’ charity Cycling UK for a comment on the issue.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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76 comments
If being Anti-Cyclist was a hate crime, this would be unenforceable. Imagine if it was "No black people could meet here", or "No Jews allowed to meet here", Or "No Gay people allowed to meet here". Anyone on here able to start one of those parliamentary debate voting things?
Among the many things Boris likes to have between his legs is a bike - so you never know.
Bojo was once upon a time MP for nearby Henley and I believe the MP for Maidenhead has a lot more time on her hands these days...
Oh no! Dominic Cummings has arrived to beat the crap out of me!!
is this story worth wafting past the Private Eye Rotten Boroughs column? “Don’t get your bib shorts in a bundle (Mr Roy)”
Perhaps CUK could buy the house on sale and it could become a home for veteran cyclists? “Dear Cycling Magazine, do you have any advice for cycle camping in three feet of snow across the Welsh mountains in January...
I am in my 84th year and my husband is 85, and we’re finding our annual ascent on our Mercians of the Tourmalet quite difficult these days, please could you...”
I still don't understand how an injunction can be made against groups of people meeting on a private business premises, undertaking a lawful activity and not behaving in a demonstrably antisocial way.
It sets a very worrying precedent if councils can ban cyclists from meeting as a group as they pose a 'nuisance'.
What next... the club run?
Nah, I'm sure this guy pays appropriate levels of taxation.
So in other words, go to the place for some bike stuff, have a coffee or some cake. But don't speak to anyone other than the staff. Keep your head down over your phone/tablet/laptop, use Facebook messenger or Instagram or email to communicate with the person sitting next to you. Then leave.
That makes sense.
Sounds like Starbucks.
Does Elaine Paige live nearby?
Yeah, bring her along as well!
ask her to sing. That'll teach them what 'disturbing' means.
I think the council would have valid grounds for taking out an injunction; cruel and unusual punishment.
Small (posh) town England, makes you proud doesn't it?
Get the local Harley owners club to
meetassemble there, show the sad nimbys the grass is always greener...To whom do I complain to have the noisy lot who turn up every Sunday morning at our picturesque local church? Ringing bells, singing loudly... hooligans the lot of them. I understand they also serve bread and wine during their meet, which was definitely not in the original planning application.
I wonder if the owner of Ivy Cottage which from the posts is in the pub car park retains any legal right of access through said car park. If not I'd be tempted to lock up at least outside business hours or maybe introduce parking fees for non-customers.
What with all the ‘cyclists’ driving there in cars, Do-nutting car enthusiasts, club cyclists not in club kit, club cyclists in club kit stopping 20 yards short, several potential housebuyers, disaffected Henley triathletes, ramblers, RickRude and his phalanx of gay cyclists, the Fire brigade, Ktache and Schlep not talking to each other, Barbara Streisand, two lots of Hell’s Angels, a John Lewis van delivering the long spoons, the BSA owners club and one harassed council officer…it’s going to be a busy weekend in Warren Row.
Can you imagine any other social group being treat this way? Imagine if they stopped religious groups meeting before prayer or whatever.
Presumably there’s nothing to stop worshippers turning up at St Paul’s (100 metres down from Velo Life, toward the complainant) on their bikes?!!
I wonder if their congregation could do with a boost? We could always go for coffee afterwards...
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Popped in for lunch. Do what you can to support the cafe. Things were calm and the food as good as ever.
Word is that the council itself is not supportive of the EO/their decision and this back-tracking is the start of the process to deflate the situation. The owner seems confident that things will get sorted (in terms of cyclists access, but not organising rides) before November. Let's hope for some clarity in the next few days.
Henley-on-Thames is in Oxfordshire btw.
It's just outside Henley. The residents of there ran an Iron distance Triathlon event out town a few years back.
Compare with the warm welcome that other towns give their events. Any kind of mass participation event like that is inspiring to see and a real joy to watch and support.
I assume that the residents behind it were dead in their hearts.
9am opening isn't too early is it ? Surely neighbours can't complain about clicking pedals at 9am on a Sunday ?
It's just outside Henley. The residents of there ran an Iron distance Triathlon event out town a few years back.
Compare with the warm welcome that other towns give their events. Any kind of mass participation event like that is inspiring to see and a real joy to watch and support.
I assume that the residents behind it were dead in their hearts.
9am opening isn't too early is it ? Surely neighbours can't complain about clicking pedals at 9am on a Sunday ?
Velolife should rename itself to the "Solitary Cyclist Cafe"...
I suggest that someone does a little bit of digging here. I hears a rumour that the former owner of the pub also owns the house where the complaint originates from. I'm not sure if that's true - it could of course, be a scurrilous rumour - but it's entirely feasible that there is a plan here to get the business closed down so that the entire plot of land could be sold at a tidy profit for redevelopment...
No rumour - it's stated in the documents linked to in the original story.
I think the house is also currently on the market.
So it is... https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-70876588.html I guess they'll be legally obliged to state they’ve had a dispute with their neighbour on the conveyancing docs...
OMG! just noticed the property details describe it as a “quiet location”. Someone is a telling a fib somewhere!!
I'm not sure that is the same house. I've not been able to find any ad online, I'm just fairly sure there was a for sale board outside when I visited recently.
We decided it wasn't for us as the cycle ride to Velolife would have been a bit short!
EDIT: Just checked on streetview and that does look like the house
Good spot.
Inspection of street view and the photos in the listing leave me convinced it is the property in question.
I think it would be ok to congregate if everyone was on knotted pine bicycles.
So, are we arranging a meet there followed by a crowd fund to test the case in court?.. Surely unenforceable on the evidence so far.
So, are we arranging a meet there followed by a crowd fund to test the case in court?.. Surely unenforceable on the evidence so far.
Everyone should just turn up and meet without bikes and shout and makes lots of noise. See what happens.....
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