West Sussex: Classic car club members upset over car park ban

Mr Payne said the club had been "overwhelmed" by support from the community

Members of a classic car club say they are upset after being told they can no longer meet at a West Sussex car park.

For 13 years, Manhood Classic car club have been meeting at the East Beach car park, Selsey, one Sunday a month.

However, Chichester District Council issued a formal notice telling the club to stop using the public car park with a spokesperson saying: "We understand that the car club may be disappointed."

Club chairman Les Payne says "everyone is upset and angry" over the decision.

Mr Payne said: "Yet another community spirited group is being forced to stop enjoying their hobby, sharing it with the public and generating local trade."

Manhood Classic car club was formed by a group of locals in 2010, to share their common interest and have a coffee by the beach.

Richard Butlin, owner of the East Beach Kiosk, which enjoys regular trade from the club, said: "If the car show was to stop altogether it would make the winter months very hard indeed."

Mr Butlin said he had "never heard a bad word said about the car club"

Conservative councillor Elizabeth Hamilton, whose husband is a member of the club, said the club's organisers got a letter "out of the blue" telling them to stop using the car park.

The council's monitoring officer Nicholas Bennett denied the letter was sent "out of the blue" and said the club had not responded to the council's other letters.

He said the council had a responsibility for all its car parks and to ensure they were not being used in "an unauthorised way".

Gillian Keegan, MP for Chichester said the group's meetings were "a key part of what make our district so special".

The council said it was in the process of developing a policy on the types of events and activities considered "appropriate" in council-run car parks.

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