Expanded Lincolnshire Bike Week plans ko'd in Mablethorpe and Sutton over health and safety concerns

Ambitious plans to add a series of new events to a larger scale Lincolnshire Bike Week have been scuppered after the district council and a safety advisory group ended their support amid health and safety concerns.
Sutton on Sea Bike Night is one of the events still going ahead this month, which is organised by Coastal Events CIC. Photo Credit: Mablethorpe Photo Album.Sutton on Sea Bike Night is one of the events still going ahead this month, which is organised by Coastal Events CIC. Photo Credit: Mablethorpe Photo Album.
Sutton on Sea Bike Night is one of the events still going ahead this month, which is organised by Coastal Events CIC. Photo Credit: Mablethorpe Photo Album.

Coastal Events CIC (a Community Interest Company) initially planned a week-long programme of events in what was seen as a major boost for tourism in Mablethorpe and Sutton on Sea.

The programme would have featured several new attractions alongside established events like the Beach Hut Festival.

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The Leader can reveal organisers have decided to cancel those new events after East Lindsey District Council and East Lindsey Events Safety Advisory Group (ELESAG) - which is facilitated by Magna Vitae - withdrew support due to ‘health and safety concerns’.

However, not all of the events have been cancelled.

Coastal Events CIC stressed three established events will still go ahead - The Beach Hut Festival in Sutton on Sea this Saturday and Sunday (July 21 and 22), Mablethorpe Bike Night tonight (July 18), and Sutton on Sea Bike Night on July 25.

Coastal Events CIC had planned to hold overnight camping and live music on private land in Trusthorpe along with various motorbike ride outs - as well as running bike nights on the council-run promenades in Mablethorpe and Sutton on Sea.

But ELDC has withdrawn consent for events to be held on their land - except for the Beach Hut Festival which is already well-established.

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Duncan Hollingworth, Property Services Manager at ELDC, said: “Despite being asked numerous times, organisers of Lincolnshire Bike Week didn’t provide required documentation to demonstrate to the council they had addressed issues previously raised with them in regard to their event planning.

“Issues principally focused on ensuring the event was run safely for those attending, and regrettably, the council has been forced to withdraw its consent for the event to take place on council-managed land.

“The council is keen to encourage events to come to the area but will only support events on land it is responsible for, when the organisers can demonstrate they are safe.”

Following ELDC’s decision, Coastal Events CIC are now running the Mablethorpe and Sutton on Sea bike nights on private land.

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In addition to ELDC withdrawing its support, ELESAG - which includes Lincolnshire Police, East Midlands Ambulance Service, Lincs Fire and Rescue, both Lincolnshire County Council Highways and Emergency Planning Team, and East Lindsey District Council - also expressed concerns.

The group sent Coastal Events CIC a letter of non-support for the Bike Week.

In a statement, ELESAG said: “The East Lindsey Event Safety Advisory Group have met with the organisers of Lincolnshire Bike Week on several occasions over recent months to offer advice and guidance in terms of their event planning.

“As the organisers haven’t fully addressed concerns raised by the group in terms of event safety, the Advisory Group has written to say they are unable to support the Bike Week.”

“It is now for the organisers to decide how to progress.”

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ELESAG confirmed previous events put before them in the last nine years had all been supported.

ELESAG pointed out they are an advisory group and have no power to object to events being run on private land.

In a statement on Facebook last week, Coastal Events CIC announced their main Festival Field (live music and camping) element of the Bike Week had been cancelled - but offered no explanation.

They added their three remaining events would still go ahead.

• When approached for a comment, Coastal Events CIC said they will not be making a statement until the events are over.