Legal dispute
This project aims to raise funds to resolve a claim, or other type of dispute.
Save the Camber
Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Aim
We are fighting to save public access around Camber Dock, Old Portsmouth and protect this unique heritage asset for the city.
SAVE THE CAMBER
This November we are facing a legal challenge that threatens long-standing rights to enjoy the waterfront around the Camber. The Camber Action Group is presenting a case to a public inquiry in support of the Right of Way around the Camber perimeter. To secure the best possible outcome we need to ask a rights-of-way lawyer to review our arguments and evidence. This costs money so please help with any contributions, no matter how small (or large!).
Everyone in the city loves this historic dock, it’s a highlight of visits to Spice Island, strolling and cycling around the quays, fishing, taking daily exercise, dog-walking, or simply watching life on the water.
This precious heritage asset urgently needs protecting so that the public is always free to access the water’s edge around the dock. The only way to ensure these rights are protected in law, is to put all our evidence and arguments before the Planning Inspector at the Public Inquiry to be held in Portsmouth on 21 November 2023 — there is only one shot at this!
We are proud of the Camber — it’s a public asset belonging to the people of Portsmouth, and we want it to stay that way… FOR KEEPS! The local community has been fighting to do this because it is such an important symbol of Pompey’s identity, and we are winning but we need your help to get across the finish line.
There is overwhelming evidence from many Pompey residents about how they have used the Camber over the last decades, and yet the Council refuses to add this right of way to the definitive map so that it is legally protected.
If only that was the end of the story…
When residents appealed to the Secretary of State in 2018, the Inspector directed Portsmouth City Council to make an order for a Restricted Byway. However, Portsmouth City Council has objected and sent the case back to the Secretary of State to make a final decision after evidence is heard at the public inquiry in November.
PLEASE, don’t let the Council take away what has always belonged to the people of Pompey.
At a time when health, well-being, and active travel is so widely promoted, it would be criminal for the Camber to be closed or cut-off from public use, or worse still, sold off for development with no waterside access. If we don’t act now, it is only a matter of time before the Camber is lost forever.
Securing the Right of Way around the Camber would remove any threat of closure.
Help us win this battle.
A Right of Way is the only course of action we have to ensure this much-loved and well-used path is legally protected for future generations. Your reward for any donation, no matter how small, is a lasting legacy for you, your families, and the people of Pompey.
How much are we crowdfunding for and how will it be spent ?
We need £4,000 to cover the costs of Rights of Way legal expertise before we attend the Public Inquiry. We have already engaged the right person for the job. He will conduct a full review of our Statement of Case, along with all the evidence and testimonies from the many residents who have come forward to help this cause. He has a proven record in defending cases like this, and is familiar with all the relevant case law that will help us.
For more information and enquiries about how you can help ? Or to contact us if you have been a regular user of the Camber quaysides and have evidence that might be useful? Please get in touch with the Camber Action Group right of way applicants Ken Bailey [email protected] and Anna Koor [email protected]
CAMBER FOR KEEPS !
This project successfully funded on 22nd August 2023