Regarding the planning application by Royal Gourock Yacht Club. Quote: “The changes would allow major dinghy events to be run from the club. It states that there are no facilities to allow this to take place at present and, if local children are to be encouraged into the sport, then such a facility is crucial.”

What about the Greenock Sea Cadets who have been running a successful boating station fully equipped and RYA recognized establishment in the heart of Greenock’s Waterfront development?

I have nothing but affection for the RGYC having spent many a wet night ferrying your members back and forth onboard the club’s launches, but the Cadets continues to strive from strength to strength from nothing other than public donations and a lot of very hard work by their volunteers and supporters.

The comments about there being “no facility” in the area, particularly for kids gaining entry-level to such an enjoyable sport, are false. I hope the planning permission doesn’t end up “in irons” ; but please don’t mislead.

John Houston, Greenock

Re John Houston’s comment re no facilities in the area and not wanting to detract from the excellent facilities at Greenock Waterfront, I’d just like to highlight a few assumptions he may have jumped to:-

“The changes would allow major dinghy events to be run from the club. It states that there are no facilities to allow this to take place at present and, if local children are to be encouraged into the sport, then such a facility is crucial”

The article only says that the RGYC would like to hold some major dinghy races from Ashton and at present they don’t have the facilities to do so  (there currently is no access to their slip). I don’t know what size of “boating events” they do at Greenock but Greenock isn’t local to my son who lives less than 400m away.

I await with bated breath to hear the outcome of today’s planning meeting and I for one would like to see it approved. It would be a sad day indeed when its OK to knock down a 100-year-old historic building to build a mini supermarket or to build modern houses on former greenbelt land yet a thriving local amenity can't utilise an unused piece of foreshore for the better good of the locals and members. If I remember rightly there used to be a little shop there in the past but it has since been demolished.

Regards

Iain Rankin

In response to Iain Rankin;

Believe me, I am ALL for Gourock getting its fair share of regeneration as it has been long overdue. A small statue overlooking the new ‘bus shelter’ at Gourock Pier is a world away from the transport and shipping hub with marina and waterfront shops we’re promised on a seemingly annual basis.

To get back to my original point however, RGYC say “if local children are to be encouraged into the sport, then such a facility is crucial”.  So are you saying I’m wrong to assume that, if they don’t achieve planning permission for this then local children would have no facility to enjoy the sport?

If your concern is that “local” isn’t “local enough”, then I’d answer I want a cinema in Larkfield for “local children”… do you think it could happen whilst there’s another about five miles away (coincidentally the same distance from RGYC to Greenock Sea Cadets)? We could argue semantics all day.

Personally I think the Greenock Sea Cadets offer a safer learning environment in a large harbour with faster safety vessels, first-aiders and more experienced qualified instructors. They also participate regularly in regional and national sailing events around the UK offering infinitely better opportunities than any local yacht club could muster. The Cadets are a noble past-time for today’s Playstation-generation and instill values that elitist private clubs can’t match.  Oh and if planning is granted, it will not be a public slipway. I don’t even think the residents would greatly benefit from parking as I remember many occasions of being told that the current car-park at RGYC was “members only” by an over-enthusiastic official.

I don’t think RGYC should lose the application nor do I wish to cause undue stress to your children by forcing them to travel on the excellent public transport links our towns share. It is wrong however for private members-only establishments to use the argument that no-one publicly offers this to kids in our area.   

Kindest Regards,

John Houston, Greenock

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