Harbour Band Arena....

[kidstypike]

Had a walk along the promenade earlier and the area of land known in a former life as the Harbour Band Arena and then Arena Leisure is beeing dug up ready I assume for landscaping.
I did get some pictures which I will eventually get on the website but it's just diggers,rocks and soil.
The steelwork for the new RNLI station looks almost complete.
Dave

[kidstypike]

On second thoughts............

[lifeboat1721]

Hi Dave,
Interesting photo looks as though they may have started to knock down part of the sea defense wall as well.

The Steel framework is complete, it's just up to the builders now to make it look more impressive.

And Dave please be Careful what you photograph !! the Nuclear Police Don't like people taking picks of the Powerstation, when they stopped and did a check on me they explained it was because of the High security risk, I was on my way to photograph a ship in Heysham harbour.

Ian

[kidstypike]

The only way they'll stop me Ian is if they threaten to stop my pension!!!

[lifeboat1721]

Point taken The first thing they do is check your details age address etc if you don't come up on there computer then they explain why they have stopped you and fill in a form which they advise you to keep. I have mine in my camera bag encase I get stopped by another team.

I had a good laugh with them and I've seen them a couple of times and they are ok But they do say that the Power station should not be photographed.

Ian

[gnasher]

A recent article highlighted the plight of trainspotters being interviewed as potential terrorists gathering details of our rail network.

Another place not to photograph is the Egg in London, if security see you then you will be asked to hand over the film, delete, the images, whatever. Somehow they've managed to copyright it. Nor would it be sensible to use a pro looking camera in Trafalgar Square or most London Parks unless you've paid a few thousand for a pro license.

A petition to the government to clarify photography laws received the following reply:

The Government’s response

Thank you for your e-petition asking for clarification of the law on photography in public places.

There are no legal restrictions on photography in public places. However, the law applies to photographers as it does to anybody else in a public place. So there may be situations in which the taking of photographs may cause or lead to public order situations, inflame an already tense situation, or raise security considerations. Additionally, the police may require a person to move on in order to prevent a breach of the peace, to avoid a public order situation, or for the person’s own safety or welfare, or for the safety and welfare of others.

Each situation will be different and it would be an operational matter for the police officer concerned as to what action if any should be taken in respect of those taking photographs. Anybody with a concern about a specific incident should raise the matter with the Chief Constable of the relevant force.

[WillowTheWhisp]

It's getting harder and harder to live in this country and just enjoy the simple passtimes which were never a problem in the past.

[accykeef]

I am not sure what secret information you could get from a photo of the Power Station except how to get in. It is the same with the 1 mile exclusion zone for aircraft, breaches are punished very severly. I suppose they have to be seen to be protecting an area of outstanding unnatural concrete.

If anyone was to do something nasty there, they could be in and out before anyone could react.

It is probably best to just be polite and co-operative if challenged, the guards and police are only doing their job.

[gnasher]

I find the following an excellent guide to photography "laws"

www.sirimo.co.uk/media/UKPhotographersRights.pdf

Well worth printing and keeping in the camera bag.

[lifeboat1721]

As gnasher points out in that link, the Power Station comes under the Counter Terrorism act of 2000, And is classed as National security as is the Harbour When they stopped me and did there checks they did explain that it was the Terrorism act and a High quality pic could give away details that they didn't like, My reply was "that's ok I don't photograph concrete blocks" ;D now that made them smile ;D ;D

And a Mate who IS a train spotter says that they have been asked to Report!! to the station/platform manager at Lancaster, but nine out of ten don't bother.

Ian

[kidstypike]

Jan 15, 2009 19:35:04 GMT lifeboat1721 said:

As gnasher points out in that link, the Power Station comes under the Counter Terrorism act of 2000, And is classed as National security as is the Harbour When they stopped me and did there checks they did explain that it was the Terrorism act and a High quality pic could give away details that they didn't like, My reply was "that's ok I don't photograph concrete blocks" ;D now that made them smile ;D ;D

And a Mate who IS a train spotter says that they have been asked to Report!! to the station/platform manager at Lancaster, but nine out of ten don't bother.

Ian

True.....But what puzzles me is that BE have pictures both external & internal of the stations on there own website.

[lifeboat1721]

At the time they were taken there prob no Security risk ;D and besides they may think that you have a better camera and would show more detail.. Or they may be frightened that you may take a pick of one of them asleep or having a "p" whilst on his rounds with his MP5. Now that seems the most logical ;D ;D

Ian

[trevnhil]

Hi all. A least things are still on 'track'....



By Ingrid Kent
CONTRACTORS digging up the old Harbour Band Arena site next to Morecambe's Midland Hotel got quite a surprise when they discovered train tracks from decades ago under the paving stones.
The tracks had once carried rail wagons onto the Stone Jetty where they picked up freight from ships, ready to be transported by trains on the main lines. Later they were used to move scrap metal from Ward's ship breakers on the jetty. The old Harbour Band Arena, a key site earmarked for redevelopment, is currently being landscaped by contractors for Lancaster City Council. Last year the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) offered to fund the project to demolish buildings at the Harbour Band Arena and replace them with a new area of open space.

Contractors started work on the demolition phase of the project just before Christmas. Work on the second phase will see the area laid out as a predominantly grassed open space. In addition, the section of promenade leading to the Stone Jetty and the area in front of the Midland Rotunda will be resurfaced.

The council owns a large part of this area and has entered into a development agreement with Urban Splash Ltd whereby this developer has an option to take forward a redevelopment of this area (subject to certain conditions including securing satisfactory planning permission).

Urban Splash proposes that the site be transformed into 'Seaside Square', an open space which can be a focal point, not just on the promenade, but for the town as a whole.

The cost in undertaking project – anything up to £225,640 (funded entirely by the NWDA) – includes demolishing all buildings (other than the electricity sub-stations), getting rid of remaining services in the buildings, importing topsoil and turfing the area over, maintenance of the area (mainly grass cutting), re-rendering the existing wave reflection wall to complement the material used on the Midland Hotel, high quality seating along this wall, a new dwarf wall between the promenade that provides access to the Stone Jetty and the beach and high quality lighting.

Urban Splash has said it will maintain the grass.

The project should be completed by the end of March.

[lifeboat1721]

I bet there were a few rails left behind with all that work at Wards "Breakers yard" The Stone Jetty was Morecambe's original Harbour until Heysham was built, Then it became a breakers yard.