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Velolife 2 (picture credit Andy Gray)Chris Boardman hails “victory for common sense” as council withdraws Velolife cycling café injunction application
British Cycling policy advisor Chris Boardman has hailed a “victory for common sense” after the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) withdrew its application for an injunction against the owner of Berkshire cycling café, Velolife.
The council’s application for an injunction, based on an alleged breach of an enforcement notice relating to planning permission in allowing it to be used as a meeting place for cyclists, had been due to be heard in court next Tuesday 19 November.
RBWM had originally issued an enforcement notice against café owner Lee Goodwin in October 2017 and in July this year applied for an injunction which ultimately could have led to him being imprisoned if cyclists met at the venue in the hamlet of Warren Row, near Henley on Thames.
British Cycling, together with Cycling UK and law firm Leigh Day, had met with representatives of the council to try and resolve the dispute, and Boardman visited Velolife last month, saying afterwards: “I didn't see a nuisance, just a fantastic local business serving the community in a wholly desirable way.”
Today, he said: “The withdrawal of this injunction is a long-overdue victory for common sense, and more importantly ends over two years of senseless legal action and unnecessary disruption and anguish for Mr Goodwin, his family and his staff.
“Britain’s cycling cafés make a positive contribution to the local economy, they encourage and support people to cycle more regularly and are often a core part of the communities which they serve.
“They should never be subject to the types of punitive and vindictive measures we have seen here, nor should their customers, and I sincerely hope that this case will act as a strong deterrent to others who wish to pursue a similar path in the future.”
Writing on Twitter, Boardman said: “I’m quite comfortable saying this was an insane waste of public money. How it went as far as it did should be grounds for an enquiry.”
Spent several hours reading all the evidence and papers surrounding this and I’m quite comfortable saying this was an insane waste of public money.
How it went as far as it did should be grounds for an enquiry... https://t.co/5GVcD3kkHa
— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) November 14, 2019
The original enforcement notice followed a complaint from a neighbour about the premises, which had formerly been occupied by a pub, and sought to prevent the site being used as a café, a bicycle workshop, retail outlet and a meeting place.
Mr Goodwin appealed, and in October 2018 a planning inspector ruled that while it was lawful for the café to operate as a cycling café with associated workshop, it could not be used as a “cyclists’ meet.”
In July this year, the council sought an injunction against Mr Goodwin and local cycling clubs, claiming that the café was being used for cyclists to meet up before, during or after rides, in breach of the enforcement notice.
Letters threatening action against cycling clubs were subsequently withdrawn, but the enforcement notice against Mr Goodwin, who had urged cyclists not to use the café to meet up, remained in force until now.
Reacting to the news of the withdrawal of the application for an injunction, Colin Walker, British Cycling’s lead cycling delivery manager, said: “Aside from putting the café owner’s livelihood at stake, the people who would’ve been hit by this most aren’t a group of antisocial thugs, they are simply people choosing to ride their bikes.
“At a time when we need to be encouraging people to move more and leave the car at home, discriminating against a group of people like this would have been a travesty and we’re relieved to see the council have finally woken up to this fact.”
“I am incredibly proud of the way the cycling community came together on this issue, and the work that British Cycling has done alongside Cycling UK and Leigh Day to support Mr Goodwin and the affected local clubs over recent months, and we are pleased that he can now get on with running his business.”
Cycling UK’s head of campaigns, Duncan Dollimore, added: “Velolife should never have been put in this position by the council, but it’s a relief they have belatedly come to their senses, and the café can return to business as usual.
“A legitimate local business shouldn’t have to call on the support of national organisations like British Cycling and Cycling UK to ensure their survival – but I’m glad we were able to help mobilise public support and highlight the absurdity of the council’s position, so Velolife could stay open.”
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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22 comments
Rick_Rude does have good points to make, tho I'm equally sure that there are some hard-working realists working for local authorities too.
We do have an enquiries industry in this country and it's sometimes mighty expensive, often a bit pointless. The conclusions seldom seen to make much difference. The Bloody Sunday enquiry seems only to have resulted in a suggestion from the Tories that soldiers ought to have less to fear from enquiries. The Penrose enquiry into contaminated blood products used in Scotland was limited in scope and more or less said "er, yes, that didn't go well."
But the alternative is impunity. It's like the old saying about democracy - the worst possible system of government apart from all the others.
I hope there is something simpler that can investigate this mess. Do District Auditors still exist? Or should it just get passed to the police?
What I see in the public sector vs the private sector is a big difference in the implementation of 'the idea'. We've recently had an 'idea' which was supposed to help improve staff quality of life. The idea was fine but the implementation was garbage and actually accidentally involved some illegality. So many people's fingers got into the pie that it would actually quite hard to find a single person to put the blame on.
The in the real world the idea would have been properly cost checked and scrapped if it wasn't fit for purpose with the budget available.
The problem is that your average public sector wage doesn't attract the sort of people that it needs in. Take IT for example, the going rates are rubbish so you get rubbish implentation and off the peg crap (or the other end your get some bespoke crap that nobody can support). My mate earns £100k+ but if he worked in my place he'd be lucky to get £35k.
That explains why the private-sector banks did such a brilliant job.
Actually, to truly screw something up it takes a collaboration of the state and private sectors.
Could there be an explanation of what this all means now the injunction is not going ahead. I mean does the planning inspector's enforcement notice still apply? Are cyclist meets now allowed?
A waste of public money obviously needs some more public money putting in to have an inquiry.
Or we could just let public officials continue to waste public money for no clear reason indefinitely - with no repercussions for those responsible or explanation as to why it happened. No possible way that would have bad long-term effects, I'm sure.
(OK, that's pretty much what we already do, so I guess you have precedent and tradition on your side - cf Boris's Garden Bridge)
Yeah, let's just not hold public officials responsible for fucking up and wasting taxpayers' money. Twat.
My, my, how rude! Have you not ever noticed how enquiries are disproportionately expensive to any actual results or action. Even if anyone is held to account, staff change and someone else will just do something else.
I work in the public sector and see money wasted every day on stupid schemes. If you had an enquiry into waste then someone would come up with a new way of wasting money dressed up as 'change'.
My, my, how rude! Have you not ever noticed how enquiries are disproportionately expensive to any actual results or action. Even if anyone is held to account, staff change and someone else will just do something else.
I work in the public sector and see money wasted every day on stupid schemes. If you had an enquiry into waste then someone would come up with a new way of wasting money dressed up as 'change'.
And many inquiry results then get shelved in any case until after a general election (even if that is the thing that the inquiry directly mentions and affects). Allegedly.
We've found the one!!!
Yep but he wouldn't have to actually do his job, be held accountable, try and make improvements, prove ROI etc.
In some ways I would have loved this to go to court to expose the council for what they are, bigoted, disingenuous, discriminatory and very likely lying, fraudulent bunch of shysters.
Maybe heads would have rolled, I knew this would end up with them backing down because going to court would have damaged them and indeed lost certain cretins their jobs!
Two fingers up to the knobs!
Call me cynical but what's to stop the council starting up again once all the fuss has died down?
I think someone would notice.
Especially when you see that the two main complainants were linked to the previous Pub, both residents adjacent to the property and are elected members of the council...
If I was a resident in the area I'd be trying to kick up a stink to look into them. A quick look in a search engine shows they've got form!
At last a resolution to this literally insane row that should never have happened. Congratulations to BC, CUK and all the cyclists who helped.
I can see the headlines:
"Sudden outbreak of sanity in utterly mad row"
"Councillors to be charged with wasting public money"
"Council forced to eat humble pie in cycling cafe row"
The possibilities are endless.
More likely:
"The cafe for cycling gangs that is costing local taxpayers £thousands."
"Local residents outraged as illegally run business avoids council injunction."
"Lycra louts have last laugh at locals"
Excellent - another chance to use this pic
BeholdHIM.jpg
Boardman is right, enquiry to find these wasteful scumbags who waged a campaign against this business.
I'd bet it will be someone quite high up who is mates with complainant
Hallelujah!
Yay for celebrating common sense!
Boo to this council and their NIMBY mates, ridiculous that this should have even been allowed to have gone this far.
Great news.
I visited yesterday, the Hummingbird cake was excellent.
I did ask and was told news would be immenent.
I got there a bit late, and it was admittedly a bit quieter than when I went in the summer.
I must say it was warm enough inside, as it was a bit parky last evening before the rain started.