Just a few days after we reported that the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust will have to re-home the trams it has stored at Kirkham Prison before the end of the year, comes news of a further negative development which could have serious implications for this organisation and its collection of historic Blackpool trams. This time, it is the vehicles stored at the Fleetwood fish dock which have been placed at risk.<\/p>\n
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Despite previous suggestions that the FHLT’s ambition to create a new transport attraction in Fleetwood was effectively dead in the water, the Trust are now claiming that the project is still very much alive, albeit under threat once again. Since last year several of their trams have been stored outside on land owned by the Associated British Ports, and thus far this has not been at any cost to the Trust. However, that looks set to change soon as Wyre Council has informed them that they plan to impose a back-dated rateable value of around \u00a312,000 on the land, and the Trust will be expected to pay a percentage of this. Although as a registered charity they will qualify for an 80% discount, an appeal for a further reduction has been rejected leaving the FHLT with a bill of more than \u00a32,000 to pay for the storage of its trams. The cars stored at the fish docks are Centenary car 643<\/strong>, Ex-Towing car 678<\/strong>, privately owned Trailer 683 <\/strong>and Balloons 710<\/strong> and 726<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Normally statements from the Trust come from John Woodman, but on this occasion it was fellow Trustee Frank Heald who spoke to the local press. He told the Fleetwood Weekly News that this bill could bankrupt the Trust unless it sells off some of its trams, which would seriously compromise its aims. He added that the Trust is considering taking the matter to Court and that they will not pay the fee as a matter of principle. However, Wyre Council are proving equally reluctant to budge on the matter, with a spokesperson stating: “any further discretionary relief would have to be paid for by local council tax payers and has therefore traditionally been awarded to only two organisations that ensure the safety of those at sea”. As the Trust’s plans to create a local visitor attraction have not made significant progress and a suitable location, along with the required funding, is still being sought, the Council is therefore reluctant to offer further support at cost to local residents.<\/p>\n As has been said before, the aims of the newly formed Blackpool Heritage Trust to create a new museum attraction lined to the tramway itself, in which to display a far more comprehensive collection of heritage Blackpool tramcars, has rendered the FHLT’s aims rather less relevant than was the case when they initially left Rigby Road, and the continued lack of backing from either local Councils or enthusiasts suggests that any such venture is unlikely to ever become a reality. Whilst the FHLT was formed with admirable intentions, in the opinion of your writer it is now time for the Fleetwood museum project to be formally abandoned, and the trams collected to either be offered to other preservation groups free of charge, or put up for sale – depending on where the Trust’s priorities lie. Having two tram museums on the Fylde Coast is hardly likely to benefit anyone and it is difficult to see the Fleetwood attraction generating much support with a similar rival potentially so nearby. It is also difficult to see how a group that cannot afford to pay a fairly modest \u00a32,000 rent fee (presumably to be paid annually) will ever have the resources to restore its vehicle collection or create suitable premises in which they can be displayed to the public, leaving a large question mark hanging over their short-term future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Just a few days after we reported that the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust will have to re-home the trams it has stored at Kirkham Prison before the end of the year, comes news of a further negative development which could … Continue reading