Better Relations Group meeting cancelled
A MEETING of the Canal & River Trust (CaRT) Better Relationships Group (BRG) has been cancelled, writes Allan Richards.
Sowal Ahmed, CaRT's Boater Liason Manager for London, cancelled the meeting due to be held in September claiming just two people had confirmed attendance.
Improving boating in London
According to CaRT's website ‘The Trust set up the Better Relationships Group in conjunction with boating groups to help us improve communications and engage boaters, in particular, in developing local policy with us. The Group is now actively engaged in policy discussions and has come forward with specific proposals for improving boating in London.'
As part of this ‘improving boating in London' it appears that CaRT had promised to provide public pump-out and Elsan facilities at the new Bluebell moorings above Acton's Lock on the Regents Canal. Indeed, it was part of its planning application.
However, boaters are now told that they cannot use these facilities!
Concerns
It was left to Mikaela Khan-Parrack, the central London mooring ranger to break the news. Posting in the London Boaters facebook group, she wrote:
‘Update PUMP OUT and ELSAN at the new BLUEBELL mooring site (above Acton's Lock): we are sorry that we haven't been able to open this facility for general use as we had planned to. Concerns from various waterway users were raised around access and impact on navigation. We felt it was important to listen to these concerns and as a result we're putting service use on hold while we review the site. We would like to make it clear that we remain committed to providing facilities in the general area, we are currently in the final stages of proposing plans for Sturts Lock as an alternative.'
Not my project!
Following universal condemnation by boaters, Sorwal Amed posted:
‘Hey guys, I hear the disappointment here, and believe me I'm disappointed too, having 'promised' we'd have new facilities for everyone to use come June. Makes me look a bit stupid. The long and the short of it is, we tried to squeeze too much onto this site in an attempt to improve boater facilities for everyone. Ultimately, the pontoon arrangement meant that the facilities mooring wouldn't be practical to use, so we've had to re-think. It's not my project either, but all I can do is apologise that we couldn't deliver what we promised ...'
One is really left wondering if the meeting was cancelled due to lack of interest or because someone higher up CaRT management structure does not want to be held responsible for non delivery of promised facilities.
Deliberately difficult?
Or is it that CaRT is trying to make things deliberately difficult in certain areas for those who prefer not to moor in marinas by limiting access to facilities. After all how long has the popular Braunston Turn Elsan disposal and water point been out of action? (Elsan still out of use).
... and how many empty berths are there in the Braunston area?