Questions about the future of the Pevensey Town Trust appear now to be uppermost in the minds of both local businesses and residents, with a call for the organisation to come to terms with the fact that they are removed from the reality of the affairs of the management and profiling of the most precious asset in our civic canon, the Pevensey Court House and Museum and Gaol.—Bay Life, 10 January 2017
Since November 2009, the organisation has received, we believe, over £200,000 to manage and promote the Court House and Museum to residents and visitors from across the world, largely through their ownership of the Cattle Market Car Park and the charging of fees to visitors to the historic location.
A poll by Bay Life will now seek to find out the views of local people about the future of the organisation.
The absence, in our view, of any real understanding of their role, calls into question whether they can be continue in their current form.
With all the monies in their bank account, which we believe to be in excess of £65,000 and so much support necessary to profile the Museum and Court House to visitors from across the world with what is a small but precious asset of national significance, is it time for the trustees to step aside and prepare to support a new team of trustees that can adopt the role necessary to see that the locality in the form of the asset is properly managed?
Every day, the car park that they manage takes money. Every day that money is stuffed in their bank account. They congratulate themselves by sitting in local service establishments, pat themselves on the back and gloat about what a healthy situation this represents.
This is not a healthy situation at all, in the view of Bay Life. In our view this is an abnegation of responsibility, a complete shambles of purpose, ambition and management and something now approaching a public disgrace.
A concerned resident close to the affairs of the organisation has told us that the situation stinks.
A dossier of our findings from six months active work with the concerns of local people will be passed to the Pevensey Town Trust at the end of this week, with a view given that the trustees should all resign with immediate effect.
To be fair to the organisation, before publishing the dossier we will give them the opportunity to respond and we will also publish their reply.
We believe that it is time for an organisation to emerge that is representative of local people, and local businesses, to preserve the identity of the precious asset and see that once again the Museum and Court House is promoted to visitors from across the world.
The last straw appears to be the correspondence with the Castle Cottage Tea Room.
Our understanding is that the letters from the Castle Cottage Tea Room were ignored and that the business owner had to write three times before she even received the courtesy of a response.
The response in our view, when it finally came is an embarrassment. The defence, in our view, that they are only volunteers that only meet every 8 to 9 weeks is pathetic. With over £200,000 raised from the car park since 2009, and currently £65,000 in their bank account, is the Pevensey Town Trust seriously suggesting that they can not afford someone to write a letter?
The question about whether car park fees can be varied is answered with the suggestion that this is not possible or practical.
Anyone reading that reply with or without an interest in the future of our key civic asset will be left speechless.
Are we seriously being asked to consider that possibility that with 7 years management experience of the car park, over £200,000 raised, that they can not even work out how to vary the car parking charge?
The letter finally sent to the Castle Cottage Tea Room after three months waiting, in response to communication efforts by the Tea Room is published, together with the reply by the Castle Cottage Tea Room.The Tea Room has clearly had enough of this nonsense.
In our opinion that is a view shared by many residents and businesses locally.
Is enough now enough? Is it time now for the Pevensey Town Trust to be wound up with immediate effect?
Reply to Castle Cottage Tea Room from the Pevensey Town Trust
Ms F Di Palma
Castle Cottage Tea Rooms
6 December 2017Dear Ms Di Palma
I am sorry for the delay in responding to your letter dated 4 November but members of the Trust, including myself, are all unpaid volunteers and only meet every 8/9 weeks. Trustees include four members of the local community, a local business and four representative Councillors from Pevensey and Westham Parish Councils.
All the Trustees received a copy of your original letter and this was discussed in great detail at their meeting on 21 December. The Trustees fully appreciate your efforts to bring Castle Cottage back to life and re-instate the tearoom as a much appreciated local venue. However the Trustees are unable to offer any concessions regarding the parking fees at the present time. The Trustees also discussed the possibility of a nominal parking fee for the first two hours but this was also rejected as a non-viable option as this would involve costly changes to the tickets and machine.
The Trust has distributed over 250 free parking badges to local residents in order to support the community. The Trust also support the local area as they often grant free parking to the local businesses and Church when they have asked for this concession for special services or large groups of visitors.
The Trust car park is primarily for visitors to the Castle and Court House and the daily parking charge of £2 is very reasonable compared to other similar historical sites. There is free parking within easy walking distance from the Castle Cottage Tea Rooms in Church Lane, the Town Square or to the west of the Castle. The Trust also offers the only free disabled parking in Pevensey.
One of the Trust’s main objectives is the repair and maintenance of the Grade 11 listed Court House Museum and Gaol so that visitors can continue to enjoy the local heritage and history associated with Pevensey. The income from the Car Park provides much needed financial resources for these iconic buildings which have been neglected over the years due to insufficient funds being available for any essential restoration and repairs.
The Trust is more than happy to organise a visit for you so that you can see the essential maintenance to the Gaol and Museum.
Yours sincerely
Barbara Molog (Honorary Clerk on behalf of Pevensey Town Trust)
What the Castle Cottage Room had to say about the response
The Chairman
Pevensey Town Trust
The Court House
PevenseyDear Sir/Madam
Re:- Parking ChargesI acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 6th December 2017 (?) and whilst the decision taken at your meeting 21/12/16 does not wholly surprise me I am nevertheless compelled to express my dumbfounded disappointment that the Trustees are unable to offer any concessions with regard to parking fees.
It astounds me greatly that despite having discussed the contents of my letter in great detail, Pevensey Town Trust has failed to grasp, appreciate, empathise with and embrace a suggestion that I, and many others consider to have been a fair, reasonable and altogether sensible request.
Your justification of the £2.00 daily parking levy was unnecessary in this instance as I have never contested this as a means to raise valuable revenue throughout the spring and summer months in order that your Grade 11 listed building can be preserved for future generations.
However, I too am now responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of a listed building and in turn am obliged to raise sufficient revenue by way of a small business to fulfil my own obligations in this respect.
My request has always been that the unreasonable parking charge be suspended out of season or adjusted to a nominal hourly rate to assist me in my efforts to save Castle Cottage from another prolonged period of neglect and dilapidation.
I am saddened therefore to learn that despite the fact of our similar goals and responsibilities The Trust is incapable of seeing beyond its own specific remit and that item no.5 in its list of objectives:- “ To educate and encourage the local community and visitors to support the historic buildings as a reminder of our historic heritage” pays little or no regard to the other iconic buildings of Pevensey which might also inspire visitors to engage with history and connect with the past.
To site Church Lane and the area to the west of the Castle as free parking facilities within easy walking distance of my tearoom makes somewhat of a mockery of my efforts to establish a venue that plays a vital role in alleviating the isolation of elderly folk and which strives to provide a calming atmosphere of unhurried nostalgia within easy travelling distance from home in the dreary winter months.
A brisk walk to Castle Cottage is often not an option for many of these customers and to suggest otherwise demonstrates a fearful lack of foresight from a charitable organisation that seems to have lost sight of its core values.
In view of the fact that The Town Trust has failed to grasp the reasoning behind my request that the parking charges be adjusted I shall once again attempt to elucidate :-
1. The Court House is closed throughout the winter and early spring
2. The Castle is closed during the week as above
3. Exploring the 1066 Walk is often not an option in the winter
4. On Mondays in winter Castle Cottage, Pevensey Castle, Priory Court Hotel and The Court House are all closed
5. An all day fee of £2.00 deters valuable customers to the tearoom who might otherwise have enjoyed a natter over a pot of tea
6. It would appear that a £2.00 fee is payable for the privilege of simply walking one’s dogPlease do not hesitate to contact me should the reasoning behind my suggestion continue to elude you.
Yours faithfully
Francesca Di Palma
