Marinas and on-line moorings
THOSE of us who moor regularly at Hawkesbury Junction on our way through to more pleasant spots, will be familiar with the site of the proposed marina at the former Hawkesbury Power Station, writes David Collins.
Those of us with dogs will have exercised them on the hill, amongst the scrubland trees, where the marina is planned. We will have picked our way through the broken glass, dumped hardcore and abandoned beer cans of the local hoi poloi. We will have dodged the scramble bikers on that site as best we can.
In need of redevelopment
Such as we will have concluded that this is a site greatly in need of redevelopment. But not any redevelopment.
We will surely look at the plans, but wonder what kind of idiot wants to build a marina on a hill, under high tension power lines from the neighbouring National Grid distribution station. A marina that you have to access via a lock, now that's really handy!
Where, we would ask, would all the spoil removed from the hill go and how would it get there? Not by boat, you can be sure of that! But we will wonder in amazement at the CaRT objection that the buildings proposed are out of character with the area?
What character?
What character? Apart from Sutton's Stop itself, which retains charm and is in a Conservation Area anyway, the rest of the area from Fossets Bridge is a mess and characterless. Anything new would be an improvement over what exists.
This is a much dafter proposal than the one up the cut a bit which Nuneaton Council has decided to kill off, although surely that's a site which needs attention? Redevelopment would be welcome but do we need another marina?
Gain merit
Well, if it got rid of the plague of online continuous moorers at Hawkesbury Junction, it would gain merit. Those moorers are of course encouraged by those who choose to moor on-line and pay for the privilege either side of the Junction. What a fine example these moorers set to their non-paying emulators nearby. Such clean, well-kept boats, such tidy moorings—no wonder the water tramps feel at home around them.
What chance CaRT now any more than British Waterways before it would ever require on-line moorings to be as presentable as marina moorings? What chance of on-line moorers being evicted because of the state in which they keep their pitches? Dream on.
It doesn't happen
What chance of CaRT reducing on-line moorings full stop? Whoever heard of British Waterway/CART actually getting rid of significant amounts of their own (or anybody elses') long-term on-line mooring anywhere near a new marina. It just doesn't happen. Why—because there's money to be made from on-line moorings as well as the 9% rake-off (in annual mooring fees) they gain from marinas.
The real case for marinas is that they can improve navigation by getting rid of on-line moorings and do improve security for boaters by providing moorings away from towpath thieves. They also look a lot better than miles of on-line moorings. Anyone who takes a trip to Chester on the Shroppie would back a resolute policy to cut back hard on on-line moorings.
So let's have lots more marina applications, but balanced by fewer on-line permanent moorings and a real attack on continuous moorers.