The organisers of the annual event said they felt they had little option but to cancel
Wirral Council said it is disappointed a beach bonfire and fireworks event will no longer be happening after a sailing club complained about “unworkable” conditions and restrictions claiming they were “imposed” by the local authority. The event was due to take place on Hoylake Beach.
The beach is a contentious issue locally due to a debate about its future, with arguments for the vegetation growing on it naturally to be left alone, while others call for the whole thing to be cleared. While there is more support in Hoylake for the beach to be cleared, it is subject to a number of environmental protections as a site of special scientific interest in the Dee Estuary.
This protection means events taking place on the land need to be managed within the law. This is led by Wirral Council who take advice from government body Natural England over what is legal and what isn’t. It’s understood the restrictions on the beach have not changed from when the event went ahead in 2023.
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On October 7, the Hoylake Sailing Club said their annual bonfire event would not be taking place, adding: “Restrictions around the beach imposed by the Local Authority due to Natural England’s requirements have simply made it unworkable, with limitations on the position and sizing of the bonfire and, most significantly, no vehicle access allowed.
“To have to manually carry items across the beach to build a bonfire within a confined space would be too much to ask of volunteers. To have to then transport fireworks across the beach in the evening without the use of a vehicle (possibly in wet conditions) and attempt their safe and dry storage prior to lighting would simply not be feasible.
“We’re sorry to have to disappoint the regular supporters of this event, but felt we had little option but to cancel in the overall interests of the Club and our members, and hope that you will understand this decision.”
At a tourism, communities, culture and leisure committee meeting on October 17, Charlotte Smith, member of campaign group the Hoylake Beach Community, said the event was “a long standing cultural event” that supported the local RNLI and the sailing club, adding there was “great anger” at its sudden cancellation and blamed the council.
Council legal officer Vicki Shaw said it wasn’t an event organised by the council but gave advice. They said it was their understanding the organisers decided not to go ahead “not that the council is preventing the matter from proceeding” and it was “disappointed it won’t be going ahead.”
Neighbourhoods director Jason Gooding added the responsibility for the beach sat with the council as its landowner but that didn’t mean the council could just do what it wanted. He said if the council broke environmental protections on the area, it could lead to prosecutions and they were open to trying to find a way for the event to go ahead with permission from Natural England.
He said: “We’ve tried but clearly failed to find a way of supporting the organisers to hold that event in a way that will satisfy both parties.”
While it was pointed out West Kirby has had its beach raked by Ms Smith, council officers argued there was no precedent set because it was a much smaller area in West Kirby. Mr Gooding said they are still pushing for a larger area of vegetation to be cleared at Hoylake and would try to tackle the condition of slipways with Natural England.
The council came under criticism from West Kirby councillor Jenny Johnson. She said: “The community is crying out for this and I’m afraid the council is simply not listening and not doing what I suggest they need to do which is get the communities back on side and give them back their firework displays, give them back their chance to do their activities, and create an amenity beach with immediate effect because I’m afraid this is going on too long.”
Cllr Ian Lewis who chairs the committee also apologised to Ms Smith and to the Hoylake community “for the council’s conduct on this. I don’t think it’s been helpful and I think we’ve seen that tonight.” He said he believed the council did not have a solution but councillors referred the question to the council’s Environment committee.
