The way through the village hall car park and around Little Weighton village hall is often used by villagers as a
convenient short cut between Potterdale Drive and Old
Village Road.
As you follow this route in the next few months you might see that some new
notices have appeared. Why has the village hall committee put up these notices?
Background details.
The village hall, the car park and the surrounding land is private property and there is no pubic right of way across it. The notices already in place emphasise these points.
The whole property is managed as a charitable trust on behalf of the entire village, by a committee of local people including representatives of village organisations. About two years ago, the Charity Commission and the Humber and Wolds Rural Community Council warned all village hall trustees about how important it is to ensure that the value of the whole of the property is maintained. This includes making sure that paths across village hall land do not by default become public rights of way. A public right of way across village hall property obviously would reduce its value, which would mean that in the (very unlikely) event of the village hall and its land being sold, then our whole village community would get less money from the sale.
So what has been done
to safeguard the value of village hall property?
A few months ago the village hall committee contacted a solicitor for professional advice with the result that the trustees have deposited legal statements with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council to the effect that there is no public right of way across village hall property. The solicitor also advised that newly-worded notices are needed in order to provide the necessary extra safeguards, and this is the reason you might see these around the village hall within the next few weeks. She also specified that the gate to the car park should be closed and locked on one day each year.
So what effect will all this have?
In everyday terms there will be no real changes. Villagers will still be able to cross village hall property, between Potterdale Drive and Old Village Road. Just as before this will continue to be at your own risk, so please take special care. The village hall trustees cannot accept liability.
On one day each year however, the gate to the car park will be closed and locked but you will get plenty of warning about this. The closing day will be chosen carefully to cause minimum disruption, for example it is likely to be a day when the village shop is closed too.
The village hall trustees believe that the changes should cause little inconvenience to people who use this route. With Little Weighton Village hall we have a major asset for the village and the future value of the entire property is now maintained more securely for the benefit of the whole community