Community Access to Private arenas?

[palo1]

So as not to derail the thread about living without arena or trailer facilities I wonder what people think about the idea of making limited community access a condition of PP for private arenas? I know that for non-equestrians the arrival of giant black arena surfaces isn't always welcome, especially when that facility appears to be for sole use. An environmental group I am aware of has been thinking about this and have kicked around the idea of private arenas needing to provide say 30 community access points a year as a condition of planning. It is up there I think with discussion on every aspect of consumption and I thought it was an interesting suggestion. So far on the other thread people have not felt particularly positive about it!

 

[ihatework]

Urm …. Why should someone else be paying for another persons hobby facility??? Is the community going to be putting their hands in their pockets?

 

[MagicMelon]

Personally no. I dont have an arena unfortunately but do dream of one! If I had one, I would not want to spend a fortune creating an arena to then be forced to allow strangers to use it - especially 30 times a year! And for what purpose? I can only imagine dog agility for example would want to use it, then you'd have the issues of loose dogs and poo everywhere. How would you stipulate who could use it and who couldnt. It would be a nightmare to implement! Personally even if I was a non-equestrian, I would much rather see an arena pop up beside my house than a farmers massive shed for example which they can wack up wherever they like and dont have to provide the community with access to

 

[Fjord]

I'm not surprised the feedback hasn't been positive. Why should a private person who is paying all the costs for an arena, as well as increased rates, have to allow others in 30 times a year?

 

[DabDab]

Would be a big change on current planning policy. Most private arenas are granted planning specifically with a condition of private use only.

Not sure what wholesome community activities could be supported by an arena anyway. Unless people want to jog around it I suppose....or community tug of war....pop up beach volleyball... ?

 

[Snowfilly]

I can’t imagine much worse and I work with a lot of community groups and access projects. They’re hard work! You start needing to think about car parking, access, toilets… then you need someone on site to facilitate the group so you’re tied to being there to keep an eye on them and lock up afterwards.

And the insurance implications are making me cringe.

 

[ycbm]

There is no way in hell I would allow a compete stranger to turn up and come onto my property to use facilities I paid a lot of money for, even if I could trust them to leave it in a good state, which you couldn't.

Not one of your best ideas Palo ?
.

 

[ycbm]

Most private arenas are granted planning specifically with a condition of private use only.

Yes, mine was and 4 others in the area too.

 

[cobgoblin]

Presumably the idea of this suggestion is to prevent anyone building an arena on their own land, at their own cost!

 

[palo1]

I'm not surprised the feedback hasn't been positive. Why should a private person who is paying all the costs for an arena, as well as increased rates, have to allow others in 30 times a year?

Well people would be required to pay for that access but the 'point' of community access would be about limiting the environmental impact of the number of personal arenas and about improving community access. It is interesting to hear just how negatively people feel really. It wouldn't bother me hugely I don't think as I would have enough people I trust that could use an arena if I had one! But I do understand some of the logistical and privacy issues.

 

[palo1]

Yes, mine was and 4 others in the area too.

Yes, that is the case locally here too, hence the number of arenas being put in. To me it seems a negative condition tbh.

 

[palo1]

Urm …. Why should someone else be paying for another persons hobby facility??? Is the community going to be putting their hands in their pockets?

Yes, people would have to pay for access (this is only a theoretical model though!) .

 

[cobgoblin]

Surely if the community has to pay for access it would become a commercial enterprise and would have to be taxed accordingly.

 

[palo1]

Would be a big change on current planning policy. Most private arenas are granted planning specifically with a condition of private use only.

Not sure what wholesome community activities could be supported by an arena anyway. Unless people want to jog around it I suppose....or community tug of war....pop up beach volleyball... ?

I love the idea of pop-up beach volleyball!! Especially on a wild Welsh winters day...I think community access was mostly aimed at other equestrians/provisions of clinics/vetting facilities etc though that might also be problematical for those folk who have ECs as a business.

 

[chaps89]

I’m sure I remember reading a magazine article on this many many years ago, I want to say a European/Scandinavian country has them in heavily horse populated areas.
but I’ve googled and can’t see anything (but then school, ménage, community aren’t exactly rare key words!) and if it was a thing on the continent I’m sure some of our more pro members would know about it

 

[palo1]

Surely if the community has to pay for access it would become a commercial enterprise and would have to be taxed accordingly.

I guess the limitation on community access would be the point of commercial/private status.

 

[Widgeon]

There are a couple of community arenas that I know of, which seems like a really interesting concept - they're not particularly close to me so I don't use them or know how they are funded, maintained, insured, booked etc, but it's definitely an interesting model.

https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/new...ty-arena-scheme-hope-to-inspire-others-716980

https://odrc.co.uk/friezland-arena/

 

[palo1]

I'm not surprised the feedback hasn't been positive. Why should a private person who is paying all the costs for an arena, as well as increased rates, have to allow others in 30 times a year?

I think the idea is to limit the number of private arenas and thus mitigate some of the environmental impact of their construction/surface etc.

 

[palo1]

There are a couple of community arenas that I know of, which seems like a really interesting concept - they're not particularly close to me so I don't use them or know how they are funded, maintained, insured, booked etc, but it's definitely an interesting model.

https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/new...ty-arena-scheme-hope-to-inspire-others-716980

https://odrc.co.uk/friezland-arena/

That is brilliant!! Thank you for finding and posting those links.

 

[Reacher]

It would increase traffic to the site which I would have thought some neighbours wouldn’t welcome.
What if the access wasn’t suitable for increased traffic. What about insurance.

Agree more “true” community arenas would be great - I guess our riding club is the nearest we have to this although there isn’t an arena, just a field. But we can use it in summer on a club night.

 

[smolmaus]

I know that for non-equestrians the arrival of giant black arena surfaces isn't always welcome, especially when that facility appears to be for sole use.

I know nothing about arena planning here, but is this a significant problem? Are they considered an eyesore? Or what is the problem that your hypothetical local person might have with them?

 

[Nasicus]

Sure, we can do that. But then the same would have to apply to private tennis courts, private swimming pools so on and so forth. Not sure the rich and powerful would go for having the common rabble granted access to their private property

You'd be better off creating community arenas for the purpose (like in Widgeons link), as opposed to forcing community access to private arenas.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

I would rather not have an arena at home than have strangers, and strange horses, on my property.

 

[palo1]

Sure, we can do that. But then the same would have to apply to private tennis courts, private swimming pools so on and so forth. Not sure the rich and powerful would go for having the common rabble granted access to their private property

You'd be better off creating community arenas for the purpose (like in Widgeons link), as opposed to forcing community access to private arenas.

I think community arenas would be fantastic if more widespread and would probably reduce the number of people spending money on private arenas which would be the same outcome and more popular by the sound of it! I wonder how many of us would use a community facility in preference to investing in our own?

 

[DirectorFury]

I agree with everyone else about this happening in private home arenas being a non-starter.

There’s a community arena at Mynydd Mawr Park in Tumble (Carmarthenshire) and it’s had loads of problems — dirt bikes breaking in and ripping up the surface, no one wanting to take responsibility for maintenance, the council randomly padlocking the gate without letting anyone know, and dog walkers expecting to be able to use it as their personal dog training area and covering it in poo. I’m sure they work well in more rural areas.

 

[palo1]

I know nothing about arena planning here, but is this a significant problem? Are they considered an eyesore? Or what is the problem that your hypothetical local person might have with them?

Yes, they are considered both an eyesore and a discomforting signal of 'suburbanisation' in very rural areas. Most of my neighbours feel pretty 'anti' private arenas - maybe because of sour grapes, maybe because they see those as symbols of 'entitlement' but mostly I think because of the damage to land which is sort of contradictory to the pressure that a largely agricultural (non intensive) community is under to deal with climate change. I know that farmers are allowed to throw up sheds etc but for them, that is about food production rather than the 'fripperies' of leisure activity!!

 

[Snowfilly]

I think community arenas would be fantastic if more widespread and would probably reduce the number of people spending money on private arenas which would be the same outcome and more popular by the sound of it! I wonder how many of us would use a community facility in preference to investing in our own?

I would because I’ll never have one of my own but -it would have to be well maintained, allow stallions, allow weird and wonderful in hand or long reining work, not have restrictive rules on riding alone, allow instructors, be available at sensible times, have a decent booking system….

There are community football pitches round here. It’s a nightmare trying to book one and hoping you don’t get the useless groundsman on duty that week so they haven’t been white lined properly and the nets are damaged because the last team left them up in high winds.

Good luck to anyone trying it for horse facilities but I would be genuinely interested if someone tried.

 

[palo1]

I would rather not have an arena at home than have strangers, and strange horses, on my property.

Yes, me too though I don't think the idea that I have heard discussed really involved 'strangers' - more of an identifiable local 'community' need. I would far rather subscribe to a local community facility than build an arena tbh.

 

[palo1]

I agree with everyone else about this happening in private home arenas being a non-starter.

There’s a community arena at Mynydd Mawr Park in Tumble (Carmarthenshire) and it’s had loads of problems — dirt bikes breaking in and ripping up the surface, no one wanting to take responsibility for maintenance, the council randomly padlocking the gate without letting anyone know, and dog walkers expecting to be able to use it as their personal dog training area and covering it in poo. I’m sure they work well in more rural areas.

That is sad and frustrating to hear,

 

[ihatework]

It is just so unfeasible and absurd to think this way about private personal facilities. Perhaps people who have nice patios laid in their gardens should be forced to open them up to the community to have parties on???

That said, the idea of community facilities is a nice one. I have a friend in Germany that lives locally to such a thing. It’s a riding club. Just a big indoor arena and some parking built on a small plot of land that would have little other use. The community can buy membership, and use the facilities and it’s maintained for the community. Not unlike things like village tennis courts or a village hall or the likes.

But to set that up here would need a hell of a lot of community support, most likely some council funding and quite frankly there are better things that time and money could be spent on to benefit a community than some elitist hobby!