Members of a classic car club have been left ‘in limbo’ after being told not to meet up at a car park owned by Chichester District Council.
For 13 years, Manhood Classics have been meeting one Sunday per month at the East Beach car park, in Selsey, where members socialise and admire each other’s vehicles.
But the district council has issued a formal notice telling them to stop.
Club chairman Les Payne said: “Manhood Classic Car Club was formed by a couple of local chaps in Selsey in October 2010 as a way to get together, share their interest, and enjoy a breakfast or just a coffee at the beach-front kiosk.
“As the meet was held in a public car park where anyone can park, paying the parking fees in the summer months, the club did not realise that any permission was needed.
“Surely a public car park is just that – a place to park your car.”
The issue was raised during a meeting of the full council on Tuesday (January 23) by Elizabeth Hamilton (Con, The Witterings), whose husband is a member of Manhood Classics.
She said: “There’s no antisocial behaviour and the kiosk benefits from the sale of coffee and snacks.
“Then the organisers, out of the blue, get a threatening letter from [the council] telling them to stop this event.”
The council’s monitoring officer Nicholas Bennett denied the letter had been sent ‘out of the blue’, saying the club had been sent other letters about the issue but had not responded.
He told the meeting: “The council has a responsibility to all users of all its car parks and to take steps to ensure people are not using it in an unauthorised way.
“Members have heard in the past, for example, of encampments on car parks and other unauthorised uses.
“It is a very contentious issue. It’s an issue which concerns our insurers. It’s an issue which concerns other users of the car park who are entitled to be there.”
Chichester MP Gillian Keegan said she had written to the council asking for ‘an urgent explanation’ about the situation.
And Richard Butlin, owner of the East Beach Kiosk, which enjoys regular trade from the car club, said: “If the car show was to stop altogether it would make the winter months very hard indeed.
“We have never heard a bad word about the car club in all the time it’s been going so I don’t understand why the council has a problem with it.”
The car club has no formal structure or membership fundraising facility.
Mr Payne described the additional costs of being able to hold formal meet-ups.
He said: “We have had to add expense to put ourselves in the position of being able to apply for permission to meet, including upping our public liability insurance from £2m to £10m.”
But he said the club had been ‘overwhelmed’ by the support received from the community.
He added: “Everyone is upset and angry that yet another community spirited group is being forced to stop enjoying their hobby, sharing it with the public and generating local trade.”
A council spokesman said: “We understand that the car club may be disappointed with the current situation.
“The council has been in communication with the club since early December, since being made aware that the events were taking place on our land.
“Any events that take place in our car parks must meet a number of requirements – this is to protect the public, the event organiser and the landowner.
