Harwich: Historic ship events "jeopardised" (From Harwich and Manningtree Standard)

Harwich: Historic ship events "jeopardised"

3:31pm Thursday 11th March 2010

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A TIMETABLE of summer events has been “jeopardised” by a Tendring Council decision, it has been claimed.

The Pharos Trust, which owns historic ship the LV18, has said the programme of events portraying the story of men working at sea, may not take place.

This comes after Tendring Council voted to allow mooring to be created for a ship on Harwich Quay but not to pass a contract for the LV18 to be permanently based there.

Councillors passed the decision to allow the mooring after some councillors voted against the whole project.

Colin Crawford, chairman of the Pharos Trust, said: “This sad decision is after all the good work done by Tendring’s own regeneration company INTend, and the availability of funding from Haven Gateway Partnership to berth this historic local vessel on the Quay. “An exciting timetable of events for the summer months has been jeopardised by the decision.”

Members of Harwich Town Council voted on Wednesday night to show their support for the LV18 project by writing to Tendring Council.

Councillor Stephanie Tyrer had a statement read out at the meeting detailing her anger at Tendring Council’s decision.

“I read the LV18 has lost its mooring at Harwich Quay, I find this incredible given that this is a ship acknowledged as a vessel of regional and national importance,” it said.

“When the ship was last docked at the Ha’Penny Pier it attracted hundreds of visitors and thousands at the last last three pirate radio events.”

Tony Colbourne, town councillor, said: “It is a part of Harwich, why can’t it go there. It is going to be an attraction, you couldn’t move on the pier when it was there.”

Town and district councillor Garry Calver advised Tendring Councillors at the town meeting not to vote on the issue as the decision at Tendring was made behind closed doors.

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