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The owner of a Suffolk jet ski hire business has described a council's decision not to license the watercraft as a "sad day". East Suffolk Council's licensing committee decided not to license the commercial operators of jet skis and water scooters in the district, with councillors fearing the area could become a "Mecca for jet skis". The decision at a meeting on Monday, January 20, followed a public consultation on whether to license jet skis which received 377 responses; the majority opposed to licences.
READ MORE: East Suffolk Council licences rejected by 377 consultees The idea arose after the council became aware that jet ski hire firm Suffolk Jet Ski, was operating on the River Deben, sparking councillors' concerns about safety and the impact on wildlife. But Daniel Mayhew, co-founder of the business, supported licensing and said tourists visited the Deben because of the jet skis, driving up river usage. He said: "It’s a sad day for Suffolk to lose a ‘unique’ tourist attraction that was set up at the owners' personal expense.
" READ MORE: Suffolk Jet Ski launches offering trips in Felixstowe area He also questioned whether the consultation - of operators, interested parties and the general public - was a fair reflection of the public's views as most had been "lobbied" to respond. He added: "As the owners and founders of Suffolk Jetski Ltd, we were supportive of licensing any business in our local area where legitimate reasons exist. "In line with the incumbent UK Government mandate to promote growth, enterprise and entrepreneurship, our business ‘would’ have delivered a safe and attractive offering of diversity into the tourism revenue in Felixstowe and the surrounding areas.
" Concerns about damage to the environment were the main motivation for the councillors' decision to refuse, with five votes in favour and four against. READ MORE: Suffolk Jet Ski launched on the river Deben in July Cllr Jan Candy, the council’s lead for community health, said: “We are, I think, quite proudly saying we don’t want this damage down any of our rivers, not just the Deben. “If you encourage one business to hire out jet skis you also say that we’re open for business for other jet ski users.
What I think we don’t want to be is the Mecca for jet skis.” The committee had been recommended to refuse licences in a report by licensing officers. READ MORE: Views will be taken into consideration by licensing committee.
