National Trust withdraws plan for Morston visitor centre, Norfolk
While a visitor centre already exists on the site, it is not accessible for everyone because it has steps.However, within the plans that were submitted last July, the building would be single level to ensure it was an accessible space and would have more toilets and changing spaces. The plans also included the relocation of the car parking machine, shade for staff to minimise their time outdoors in the sun and the conversion of the existing toilet block into storage. The parish council said: "Almost everything about this proposal is abhorrent. It is the wrong building, in the wrong place for the wrong purpose. "Morston residents and Quay users have been seeking improved toilet facilities for over 20 years, but this is not the solution to their needs."We have been presented with an enormous and unnecessary new development which will fundamentally change the character of Morston Quay and seems designed to create a full-time visitor and administrative hub for the National Trust as a priority, introducing office space and adding retail space, while also providing new toilets."
The parish council added that although the National Trust stated the former toilets could not be repurposed or redeveloped, the application "makes it clear" the existing building could be adapted. It believed if the building could an be reused as storage space, it could be redeveloped, enlarged and improved. The National Trust added: "We are grateful to everyone who engaged with our planning application for improved visitor facilities at Morston Quay." The heritage and conservation body said the application would be revised with the intention of resubmitting it to North Norfolk District Council by the autumn/winter.
Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
12 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Jeremy Corbyn is right to stick up for Britain's allotment holders
SIR – A sentence I never thought I would write is: 'I agree with Jeremy Corbyn.' He's correct, though (' Corbyn goes to war with Rayner over allotment sell-off ', report, August 5). Allotments are hugely important, especially in cities. Even where I live – an area of farms and rolling countryside – they matter enormously to their tenants, keeping many a soul sane and probably preserving many a marriage. Keith Sumner Derby SIR – At a time when we are so concerned about mental wellbeing and the problem of obesity, it is surely crazy for councils to sell off allotments and school playing fields. These should be made into protected places, and developers should look elsewhere. Mr Corbyn is right: once these recreational spaces are lost, they will never return. Dorothy Woolliscroft Attleborough, Norfolk SIR – Angela Rayner's desire to build over our green spaces appears to know no bounds. Allotments are community places, where those who are not lucky enough to own a garden can grow vegetables and enjoy the camaraderie. I am fortunate to have a garden in which to grow my vegetables, but firmly believe that others should have the right to potter around in an allotment. If Jeremy Corbyn starts a petition against these sell-offs, I will sign. Trina Golland Hatfield, Hertfordshire SIR – I suspect I'm not alone in agreeing with Jeremy Corbyn for the first time in my life about the need to fight against the selling off of allotments. We had an allotment when we lived in a flat. We enjoyed the vegetables we grew, which were organic, as well as being much fresher, tastier and cheaper than shop-bought alternatives. The exercise and friendships that came with allotmenting were also very beneficial. Graham Ashen Horsham, West Sussex SIR – I hope Mr Corbyn's excellent article on the selling of allotments is read by the councils concerned. The Inclosure Acts of the 18th and 19th centuries were indeed shameful. In ancient Rome the latifundia did a similar thing. The wealthy and powerful took land and destabilised the rural economy. Houses are needed, but they should not come at allotments' expense. Christine Cutler Aldeburgh, Suffolk SIR – Mr Corbyn talks of the joys of harvesting potatoes on a cold Sunday in February. I plant mine by Easter and harvest by October. If his are left in the ground over winter he can expect significant frost damage. David Hutchinson Nutley, East Sussex
Telegraph
12 minutes ago
- Telegraph
British spy planes are helping Israel find hostages in Gaza
British military aircraft are flying over Gaza to help Israel find missing hostages, even as the UK condemns Israel's actions in the war-torn enclave. Intelligence gathered by RAF planes flying over Gaza is 'routinely' shared with the Israelis, who use the information to track captured hostages, the Ministry of Defence told The Telegraph. Hundreds of missions have been flown by Shadow R1 surveillance aircraft over Gaza since the war broke out in October 2023, including last month. It comes as Benjamin Netanyahu considers plans to fully occupy the Palestinian territory. 'The die has been cast. We're going for the full conquest of the Gaza Strip – and defeating Hamas,' a senior Israeli official was quoted by the Hebrew media as saying. Around 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are thought to still be alive. The families of the hostages fear plans to take over the Strip could endanger their loved ones. Israel's allies are also thought to be opposed to Mr Netanyahu's plans, and pressure is growing on the Jewish state to wind down its military campaign and alleviate the ongoing humanitarian crisis. The continuation of British military support above Gaza comes as Israel-UK relations plummet to an all-time low. The Government has sanctioned a number of hard-Right Israeli ministers and threatened to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN in September unless conditions in the enclave improve. David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, said he was 'sickened' by reports of Israeli troops firing at Palestinians at aid distribution centres. Britain has supported Israel's military operations in Gaza by flying above the enclave to help find hostages since October 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis in a terror attack. RAF aircraft have flown nearly daily missions, gathering intelligence the MoD says is used solely to locate hostages. The RAF's Shadow R1 plane is equipped with electronic sensors that are able to gather data on the ground in Gaza. It is used to identify vehicle convoys, residential buildings and zoom in on individual movement in the Gaza Strip. An RAF source told The Times that the Shadow R1 aircraft had returned to Britain. It is unclear which planes have taken over intelligence gathering. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: 'Since early December 2023, the RAF has routinely conducted unarmed surveillance flights over Gaza for the sole purpose of locating hostages. 'The UK controls what information is passed to Israeli authorities and only information relating to hostage rescue will be passed to the relevant authority. 'We do not comment on operational detail for security reasons.'
Telegraph
12 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Police face weeks-long delay before they can reveal suspects' nationalities
Police face a weeks-long delay before they are allowed to reveal suspects' nationalities because Downing Street is waiting for new independent guidance before changing the rules. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, is urging forces to give more information about suspects' nationalities and migration status after Reform accused Warwickshire Police of a 'cover-up' over the rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton. However, an official rule change on when foreigners can be publicly identified as suspects has been delayed because of a review that is not expected to be published until the autumn. It came amid criticism of the Government's broader strategy on illegal migration, after Ms Cooper was unable to say whether a new deal with the French would allow small boat migrants to be deported this month. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, warned that the deal was 'wide open to abuse' because France does not have to share any data on who is coming to Britain – meaning new arrivals could include criminals and terrorists. Ministers have asked the Law Commission, an independent advisory body, to update guidance on contempt of court rules, which currently prevent police or officials from giving details about suspects. The review, commissioned in February, is not expected to report until the autumn, and a change in guidance for police forces could be implemented weeks after that. Without an urgent change, ministers fear a repeat of the riots that followed the Southport stabbings last summer, while Downing Street has said police should be more 'transparent' about their suspects. There is concern among law enforcement officials and in Whitehall that public debate about crime by migrants and the threat of violent protests at asylum hotels will culminate into a summer of 'disorder' on the streets. Ms Cooper told the BBC on Tuesday: 'We do want to see more transparency in cases, we think local people do need to have more information.' One police leader told The Telegraph that while the previous system of 'saying as little as possible in order to preserve a fair trial' had worked well in the past, the rise of social media had 'driven a coach and horses' through that approach. He said the absence of information all too often created a vacuum, which was filled by mis- or disinformation, and said the risk to public order meant police must provide more information. The review of police protocol follows inaccurate speculation on social media of the Southport attacker's identity last year, with users alleging that Axel Rudakubana was an illegal immigrant. George Finch, the 19-year-old Reform leader of Warwickshire county council, on Monday accused the Government of covering up alleged crime by migrants in Nuneaton, claiming that the two men charged with the rape of a 12-year-old girl were Afghan. That claim has not been confirmed by police. There is not currently any guidance issued to forces about disclosing the ethnicity or immigration status of an individual on charge. The rules state only that a suspect should be named unless there is an exceptional and legitimate policing purpose for not doing so, or if reporting restrictions apply. Philip Seccombe, the Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner, has said that any release of information by police should 'follow national guidance and legal requirements'. The review of the guidelines on contempt of court was commissioned by Ms Cooper, Shabana Mahmood, the Justice Secretary, and Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, earlier this year. The Law Commission's review is expected to find that police officials and ministers should be allowed to reveal more information about suspects in cases where there is a 'threat of serious public disorder'. However, despite a request from ministers to publish new guidelines 'as soon as feasible', the body is not expected to report for some weeks. The delay has effectively left police forces defenceless against accusations of a cover-up, while Downing Street is urging them to make more information available. Another senior officer told The Telegraph any change to the rules would create new issues for the police because they do not routinely collect nationality and ethnicity data unless it is relevant to an investigation. 'The police's job is about gathering evidence and I can see some real practical difficulties in requiring forces to provide extra information,' the officer said. A Home Office source said: 'Not only are we deporting foreign criminals at a rate that Chris Philp and Robert Jenrick never managed when they were in charge at the Home Office, but we are also publishing far more information about that group of offenders than the Tories ever did.' Sir Keir is separately facing criticism over the one in, one out migrant deal agreed with Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, under which migrants who come to the UK illegally are meant to be swapped for people in France who have a legitimate asylum claim in Britain. The Prime Minister announced on Monday that the process of deporting the first Channel migrants under the deal will begin within days. But Mr Philp said the details of the agreement, published on Tuesday, show it will be a 'lawyer's paradise' that will make it too easy for migrants to stay. The agreement states that people who have made 'clearly unfounded' claims under the Human Rights Act will not automatically be deported, meaning lawyers will be able to create lengthy delays. The agreement states that anyone claiming to be under the age of 18 will be able to stay in the UK. Mr Philp said that because Britain does not carry out robust age checks, it means that people in their 20s who could they are under 18 could be allowed to stay. In addition, under the deal France will not have to hand over any data on the people they are sending to the UK, meaning they could be criminals or terrorists. 'This deal is unworkable and wide open to abuse,' he said. 'It's exactly what we've been warning about – a bureaucrat's dream and a lawyer's paradise set to prevent people ever being returned to France. 'There are no numbers specified, presumably because they are so small they would embarrass the Home Secretary. France won't even tell us any information about who we have to accept back, so they could be criminals or terrorists, and we wouldn't know. 'This is a pathetic deal, which simply won't work. No wonder this Government has presided over the worst channel crossing figures in history.'
