LEGAL action has been threatened at BCP Council if it does not reopen the Whitecliff gates in Poole Park.

The authority was told it has two weeks to open the gates to traffic from Saturday, August 10 or face “very expensive proceedings”.

Nick Davis, who owns the Ark Cafe and The Kitchen in the park, has issued the warning to BCP Council after claiming his businesses have seen a £30k drop in revenue year-on-year since the gates closed.

Mr Davis argues holidaymakers are reading the ‘Poole Park closed to through traffic’ signs at the entrance and not coming in with their cars.

(Image: Daily Echo)

Part of his legal threat is because there is a part in his lease agreement with the council that says the gates must all remain open to all, he said.

Mr Davis told the Echo: “We will launch legal action against the council when the time runs out in two weeks’ time.” 

And it’s not just his business he believes is suffering: “The council owns the train and mini golf at Poole Park, and it is completely empty and dead,” he said. 

Protesters against the closureProtesters against the closure (Image: NQ)

“I’ll be interested to see the figures for it, because its earnings must be down.”

The businessman previously told the Echo his trade has “dumped”, with turnover for both businesses down 24 per cent year-on year.

BCP Council declined to comment on the legal threat.

Bob Lister, part of the Leave Poole Park Alone group that campaigned to keep the gates open, echoed Mr Davis’ claims that there has been a reduction of people using the mini railway.

He said: “All the stakeholders are suffering and the council has got to do something about this. We believe they have spent £27k to find a way to keep the gates closed, when in fact they couldn’t spent a lot less than that on the speed bumps.

Bob ListerBob Lister

"If the speed humps are raised to the height they were before, you'd stop people speeding through the park or using it as a cut through.

“The crazy golf is suffering; the railway is certainly suffering; clearly this is a concern for BCP. They’ve wasted taxpayers’ money on keeping the gate closed.”

Councillors elected to close Poole Park’s Whitecliff gate to cars in May, despite a consultation showing the majority of residents – 63 per cent – wanting to keep it open.