Mildenhall site not opening 2017
Comments
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David, whilst it may be true that we don't know the full story, isn't that one of the geniune gripes that members have, particularly when it concerns the closure of a site that would tick all of the new bullet points made by the PR savvy chairman recently made?
If the Sites manager had explained to members in greater detail then the club may have had a more sympathetic hearing but we're not told so how does the club expect us to react when a site favoured by many is dropped in this manner, particularly those members who had booked for this Spring? That was underhanded allowing that to happen regardless of whether the decision to close was right or not.
A little more illumination from EG wouldn't go amiss and not just on this topic.
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It is a lovely site with EHU's in a quiet area of Mildenhall and 2 miles South East from the Base RAF Mildenhall. They very rarely fly from the Base after 10 pm and before 6 am so Aircraft noise is not a real problem and the predominant wind is from the west so the planes do not fly over the site at all. .I live about half a mile from the campsite so know it very well.
It looks a if it was a last minute decision to close the site as GarryP who opened this Topic was due to go to a rally on the site to get it prepared for the 2017 Season. Was it Volunteer Warden trouble I wonder. I very much doubt if it was the closure of the base in 2023 was the reason. Nothing has been decided in what to do with the base yet and due to Trump being President could well be kept open.
DianneT
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Thankyou, Dianne. It's good to hear first hand local knowledge and I suspect your theory of warden recruitment problems could well be accurate.
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The number of sites becoming unavailable for whatever reason is rather disturbing. Wincanton gone, Mildenhall gone, Bromyard Downs to go at end of this season, and that's just this year. I personally don't find some of the newAS replacements that enticing, despite enjoying others in the past.
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What I was meaning NH is if the EHU system was past it sell by date and in need of a revamp.
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I was thinking of the Morris Leisure site at Ludlow ET, not sure, but I think it is fairly new. The other one, due to open shortly is the one up at Shrewsbury. Neither in our opinion nicer than Much Wenlock, very basic but it was a little gem.
We don't mind AS sites if the location suits. North Ledaig is very good, and we like the racecourse ones.
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Still no sensible answers from the CC, whilst I accept there may be safety related tests for general maintenance that may cost (although as said the great sticker postout would have paid for that)
I believe the land is owned by the Forestry Commission, however if Mildenhall airbase does close in a few years time, then the need for houses diminsh greatly as most of the American families rent in Mildenhall, and also bearing in mind a lot of the locals work on the base, and may well have to move out of the area to find work, also with the loss of the revenue which the airbase must pour into the local community, Mildenhall town may well struggle, so I can't see a developer wanting to build on the club site, with the delays in planning and mobilising etc, they may well be left with a white elephant.
Also consider the money spent in the town from the club site members.
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Garry
Perhaps the Club can't give more details because they are still discussions with the landowner, which as you say is likely to be the Forestry Commission. It would seem there is no obvious reason to close the site immediately from a lease point of view. Had that been the case I imagine we would have known about before/as the site closed last year. I am wondering whether its something that Steve mentioned further up the thread regarding the electrics on site. If that is considered dangerous and in need of a complete overhaul that could cost tens of thousands. Perhaps a preseason electrical check showed major problems which triggered what seems to be a last minute change of plans? It can't be the general condition of the site as its the same as it has been for years! If the lease only runs for a year or two with no guarantee of an extension how should the Club respond? I would agree that it would be nice to know the full facts but it looks as if we might have to wait?
David
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Sorry for my mistake, the way it read to me was that you were saying that EHU had to be installed, not updated. Perhaps the OP would be able to give us some indication on the condition of the EHU, in their opinion of course.
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I have never had a problem with electrics on site, and I believe they are the fairly new style, I would assume some annual testing needs doing for our safety, but simple testing measures on a rolling contract should not cost the earth, but until the club decides to state why they took bookings and left members high & dry by only letting them know after all the adjacent sites were fully booked, and at such short notice is beyond me, it leaves me with very little confidence in the 'regional officers' who make these late descisions, perhaps they are not caravaners or campervan users and don't appreciate the problems they cause with a simple stroke of a pen, with no thought out plan.
If I was not active in my centre with organised rallies etc, I would be looking to get my subs back for the year and try the other lot !!, I will certainly be investigating there sites so that I can make a descision for next year even tho' I have been in the club for over 30 years.
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I, on the other hand, always found Round Spinney a haven ( when the F22s and Tomcats weren't flying above your head!) and there was definitely a different feel about it to the general CC sites of conformity and regulated pegs! A non EHU site run by the CC - something that should be encouraged- not closed. I'm now a member of both clubs.
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I wonder if the site owners have had an approach from another organisation to take over the site, or if it is Forestry Commission land they are considering another "Camping in the Forest" site there.
That is what all the organisations are telling us we want.
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I wrote to the Club re Mildenhall and this is the reason for closing. You cannot use Copy and Paste on here so will type it out.
The Mildenhall site has been run under the excellent management of our team of volunteers for many years. However,as a result of no long term security of tenure, the site standards have become worthy of major investment to bring it back to Club Standards. We have therefore had to establish the viability of spending significant funds to keep the site operational in the circumstances, and having reviewed a number of options, we have concluded that it is time for us to withdraw from the site. Although this process will take some months to formalise, we have decided not to open this season. We would like to thank all members who have stayed at this site over years
from C&MC 6/3/2017.
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Thanks for sharing Diane. A bit like the rebrand - lots of words, all English, but actually tells us nothing 😉. Just that it's closing.
I haven't used but was on list for later this year as it's local. Can anyone say what or where it lacks or needs to be brought to club standards? If there are no facilities block I can only assume grass cutting, tree trimming or similar and even as a humble householder these are affordable works. 🙄
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I have no idea what the 'major investment' might have been with not knowing the site. The site reviews from members that have reported on it are very favourable with regard to maintenance and indeed overall. I have to wonder if the true reason is a lack of profitability and are more non facility sites with good reviews set to disappear.
Is this part of the rebrand to appeal to more members?
One has to wonder when the reviews talk of a well maintained site what is wrong with the standards on this site such that it requires 'major investment to bring it back to Club Standards'. In what way is the site below standard. Is anybody aware?
Just because I am cynical does not mean that I am wrong.
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In my review of the site dated 2008 I noted:-
"So really good value and less than many CL's. In my view it would still be good value if it was a couple of pounds a night more and the extra money invested in making small improvements to the site like better site roads, more electric points and a TV booster system."
The site is definitely very rustic which will appeal to some but not to others I would suggest. There are other non facility sites which are far better. Whether with the digital signal television has improved since we were last there I don't know which is important to some but not all. Mildenhall will no doubt have its loyal followers but someone used to the full facility Club sites could get quite a shock had they not done their research!!! It did need money spent on it, how much I have no idea but clearly more than the Club thought was worthwhile given the likely length of tenure.
David
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Someone used to the full facility Club sites could get quite a shock had they not done their research!!!
The thing is David that there are many members that like no facility sites. I is pretty clear that there are no facilities also. Do the club think that non facility sites are somehow below standard I wonder. I sincerely hope not as I find that the atmosphere on such sites is generally much to my liking.
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We love non facilities sites but I have to say the one time we used Mildenhall we were very disappointed. It certainly needed an update and that was a few years ago so I guess by now it would require quite an investment and if the lease is short this would not be realistic. All in favour of basic Club Sites with hard standings but no toilet blocks and seeing how full they seem to get many more agree.
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There seems to be a view form some that do not use non-facility sites that they are not popular. I find that it depends very much on location Nev and that many are popular. I can only think of one that I would not revisit and that is High Onn because of the approach. However I shall not use Cherry Hinton facility site because of the exit.
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The site may be a little tired and doesn't appeal to all members but I always thought that it was a popular site. It literally is a camping in the forest type of site where you pitch among the trees and there are different areas to choose from. A regimented site with neat rows of 'vans it certainly isn't.
As has been stated, before the season starts volunteers go in to get the site ready. Why couldn't an appeal have gone out for members to go a bit further and do a bit more work and really spruce it up. Let them camp for free for a couple of weeks, that only leaves the electrics requiring professional involvement. I wonder how the club gets its volunteer wardens as I have never seen an advert for one.
Maybe the club is ashamed of it as it isn't up to their usual standard, but that just might be its appeal.
Sorry folks, I got carried away with "blue sky thinking" and "thinking outside the box".I am obviously "not on the same page" as the CAMC and was just doing a bit of "brain storming" on my own. Whoops, sorry again, that's all management speak isn't it.
So sad to loose another site when demand far far outstrips supply.2 -
As I have said, although Mildenhall might not be everyone's cup of tea I am sure there is enough demand to keep it open, at least in the short term all things being equal. What we lack is exact knowledge of what the Club consider needs to be spent and on what. I can't think of anything that would prevent opening except either a shortage of volunteers to run the site or a discovery that some of the essential services require major investment like, the water and waste facilities or the electrics. The volunteers could no doubt be found with little cost so I am inclined to think that was not the reason. This leaves the major services to the site like water, drainage and electrics. Major work on any of those elements would be expensive and is my best bet for the site not reopening. I agree that it would be nice to have more concise details from the Club.
David
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Smilar thing at Hawes. Initially the club site was to be closed for refurbishment. It was only when the town folks complained that it was agreed to keep half of it open. The access road bisects the site. Seems the tea drinkers at HO don't give full consideration to these issues and just close a site. At Mildenhall they surely could gave judged response to a none facility site without incurring any real expense particularly if there is some unexpired length on the existing lease. But hey this is the Better" club.
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See page 5, JVB.
Egg? Where's Chips?
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Well I've had to book Thetford Forest this year since Mildenhall is closed.
May I be permitted to add here MY twopennorth with regards to the site itself ??
The only thing that should cause a problem for any body with a motorhome, camper what ever is The Strange Grey Water Disposal system !! You study the area, park your 'van and then place a length of black down pipe over the dump-hole, return to the vans dump tap, place the pipe appropriately and open the valve !! Sounds a darned sight more complex than it is but it's all done without digging up the ground
!!the rest of the site is a forest glade with all that goes with it -- occasional midges' but then I've been to Glen Trool so .. .. .. ..
Its a Footpath to the local corner shop, and about twice that to Mildenhall Centre -- all the usual town bits & bobsWould I Go Back ?? Yes, yes, yes I've been there in September several times over the years, and I've always left it with a smile, altho' sad to be leaving you understand.
Brian A B M
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