Clarence Dock failure

WITH great pomp and ceremony, the opening of the £260 millions flagship Clarence Dock, was supposed to be the start of Leed's waterside revival.

But now, three years later it is struggling, with most of its units empty and its boat moorings, notwithstanding reduction in fees, unable to be filled—even in a city centre, Alan Tilbury reveals.

Bargain price

Such is its state, that the lease of this struggling development has been sold at a bargain price of just £1.5m to new owners.

It was last year that British Waterways announced a big reduction in mooring charges in both residential and leisure berths at its showcase Clarence Dock moorings, as it struggled to fill the empty berths.

This shows yet again that British Waterways timing of going into development was unfortunate, with the country on the brink of the recession.  But this development was rather silly in that it was not on a pedestrian route, so attracts little interest.