News
BAGB leaves Starley House
Carlton Reid Mar 12 2007, 10:30am
The Coventry HQ of the Bicycle Association and the Motor Cycle Association is to be flattened to make way for a shopping development. The BA has today relocated to a new city centre office complex. Starley House - named for John Kemp Starley, creator of the 1885 Rover Safety bicycle - has been the BA's HQ since 1959.
Starley House is owned by the Cycle and Motor Cycle Association as a 50:50 partnership. The CMCA has two members: the BAGB and the Motor Cycle Industry Association. News of the sale of the property was carried on BikeBiz.com in April last year.
The new address for BAGB will be: 3, The Quadrant, Coventry CV1 2DY. The telephone number remains 02476 553838
The move comes as a result of the sale of the premises, jointly owned by the Bicycle and Motor Cycle Associations (CMCA), to a property developer who now owns all the buildings in the vicinity of Coventry station.
The sale, which will be worth about £850,000 after tax to the Bicycle Association, ensures that BAGB "can look forward to a new phase of financial stability, enabling it to promote the Association to potential new members and support new initiatives in the furtherance of the industry as a whole," said BA president Phillip Darnton.
The BA’s intention will be to run its day-to-day activities from its subscriptions and the interest on its capital investments.
"This capital will be maintained as a secure legacy for future generations," said Darnton.
The BA is now in a position to reduce its level of annual subscription for members. The lowest level will be £250 p.a. on a scale rising to £2,000 p.a. for members with the highest level of turnover.
The benefits of BA membership are:
Technical expertise: with the CEN Safety standards for cycles set to replace the BSI standard, members benefit from the on-going advice and expertise of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG). "This is a complex field, and will remain a critical issue for the industry over the next three to five years," said Darnton.
Government relationship: the BA is in regular discussion with various government departments: Transport (DfT) on all issues affecting the future of cycling. Trade and Industry (DTI) on potential EU legislation on labelling and disposal of tyres. Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on tariff barrier evasion.
Parliamentary lobbying: the BA is a member of the UK Cycling Alliance, which supports the work of the All Party parliamentary Group and retains a part-time staff member in the House of Commons.
European cycling issues: as a member of COLIPED, the Bicycle Association contributes to all discussions regarding EU-wide cycling discussions.
Cycling in London: the BA is represented on the committee for the long-term development of the Cycling Action Plan (LCAP) for London.
Bike Week: this annual event is managed by a group of directors of the Bike Week Company, of which the BA is one.
Bike Hub: established by the initiative of the BA at the end of 2003, this levy fund is designed to support key initiatives to get more people cycling more often. Its principal project has been Bike It, which now employs 20 full-time officers working in over 200 schools each year to provide everything that schools need to make cycling to school a real choice. Results indicate that in Bike It schools, regular cycling has quadrupled. The fund has now raised just over £1m so far. Bike Hub money also pays for Bikeforall.net, the industry-owned web portal which the recent bike supplement in The Guardian said was "excellent".
