Chasewater pier – erected as a monitor tower for speedboat events – has been publicly inaccessible and steadily rotting away for a couple of decades.
Readers who are Chasewater fans will remember that back in February, I wrote a post that set out to explain the planning application that had been submitted to construct a wakeboarding facility in the south east corner of the lake, from around the old pier to just past the valve house on the dam.
At the time of posting, I was expecting the application to generate huge opposition and be somewhat controversial: in the end, this seemed not to be the case.
Last week, the scheme was approved by planners, and all things being well, this will result in Chasewater gaining a new, state of the art watersports facility and public attraction, which should secure visitors for some years to come.
The plan also includes the reclamation and refurbishment of the old pier, which will be used as a dock. This can’t be a bad thing at all.
Video supplied with planning application of wakeboard equipment in use.
Details of the approval were posted on Lichfield Live! last week, and I thought it prudent to draw them to readers attention.
On the whole, I support this plan and think it will be good for the the park, pull punters in and help cement the future of the park after what has been a tough couple of years. The small environmental cost will be offset I feel, and the wildlife is already unsettled by, or cohabiting alongside speedboats, waterskiers and other such disturbances.
The location plan of the scheme appears to indicate the pier brought back into use. From documents submitted with the planning application.
The application bears the number 13/00145/FUL, and can be accessed online from Lichfield District Council’s planning service.
The application is described as ‘Installation and operation of a straight line cable tow wakeboarding facility and associated works’ and is being made by Wakelake Limited, of Burton on Trent.
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Thanks, Bob. I agree. Bostin’ pic!
Will this bring the wrong caliber of people to the railway like other events have been acused of doing .I feel that comment is rubish and i think the lake is the number 1 attraction to the park im all for the wakeboard equipment.
Agreed.
Someone been grumbling, have they?
Cheers
Bob
Evening All……… Can’t wait for this to take off the ground (water) livening up Chasewater can only be beneficial to the facility in general, would still want to see a balance between commercialism and nature though, we have to be mindful of both, but dome properly this could be a real asset to Chasewater and the area generally, would love to see the old Pier being used again.
The email I am sending to you will explain David Borton’s comment!
Good luck to them, it will be nice to see the old pier being used again.
I think any development of the facilities at Chasewater can only be a good thing. As a young child I remember being over Chasewater with my parents until the early hours of the morning, watching 24hr powerboat racing; watching the world OZ races one weekend during the 1970’s and spending most summer days during the school holidays sailing during the drout of 1976. Local people used Chasewater as a means of providing recreation for their children, many who could neither afford or unable to take their family on holiday. The eighties and nineties pretty well passed Chasewater by like it wasn’t there. I think it was a positive move when Lichfield Council took over control once again around about the time of the milenium as Walsall was doing nothing with it. I would love to see anything go ahead that sees an increase in the facilities at Chasewater. If you look at Chasewater on a national basis, its one of the best pools in the country, and its on our doorstep!
Hi Bob
Brownhills Urban District Council
Meeting of the Council 10 April 1957
minute 1041. Chasewater- Passenger Craft;-
” A letter was received from the Severn Steamboat Company stating that the Company is willing to proceed in the provision of passenger craft and small boats as outlined iin the Heads of Agreement. The following sub-committee was appointed to meet the Company for the purpose of discussing points which may arise;-
Chairman of the Council
Chairman of the Chasewater Development Committee
Councillor S.T.Breeze ”
regards
David