Paladin

On page 12 of this document, it is apparent that there was consideration, by the BA, of a project for the removal sediment from the broad, to reduce nutrient and/or restore depth. No mention of 'hard' development. In the absence of funding grants, it appears the project was dropped by the BA.

I don't think the discussions back then reach the point of detail agreement. The BA has now issued a press release

If that were to be the result, it would signal to all and sundry that the BA is not interested in enforcing the regulations which are intended to protect the conservation area from this type of uncontrolled development.

To improve: to make (land) more useful, profitable, or valuable by enclosure, cultivation, etc. to increase the value of (real property) by betterments, as the construction of buildings and sewers. The use of the word “improvement” by the BA is not a recognition of a benefit to the environment of the broad, but an accurate assessment of the betterment of the property which benefits the owner, in much the same way as a house extension would add value to the house, notwithstanding it was constructed without the requisite consent. If there has been development that obviously falls outside the existing policies, as seems to be the case, is it any wonder that retrospective consent is unlikely to be given. I agree with littlesprite, let the owner comply with the planning legislation and submit a retrospective application for consent.

Hylander, I suppose you could consider joining the NSBA. It's only £10 a year and you'll get your very own Green Book sent to you annually. There's a lot of information in it and it's a handy thing to have on the boat.

Hylander, there is a full list in The Green Book. From the home page, click on 'Green Book' in the left-hand column, then in the centre column scroll down to and click on 'Electric Charging, Refuelling & Toilet Disposal'.

Really? Where is there any misinformation in the discussion posted so far?

The accounts and trustees' annual reports are available to read here. The headline figures show that from 2007 to 2011, they have been making a yearly average loss of £42,000 (£62,000 loss in 2011 alone) BTW it isn't a 'hall', it's an environmental study centre. So it's OK if the grounds, which, historically, have been open for "free and unrestricted access" are closed to visitors who arrive by car, but heaven help them if they try to close the moorings for a day. As has been rightly pointed out they are BA moorings, NOT a public staithe, so there is no RIGHT of mooring. If the BA considers for Health & Safety reasons, or simply so that the boaters don't get a free concert, to close the moorings for that day, there's not much can be done about it. I don't know whether the moorings will be open or not, (I expect they will be) but think about it for a moment. There are about 32 moorings at How Hill, each boat with at least two adults x £20 = £1,280. That's easy money, isn't it?

jonzo, the director of How Hill made a comment to the Press, with a passing comparison to Blickling Hall concerts. There is no connection between the two venues (AFAIK)

mbird, sorry not you, there was a juxtaposition of posts. Both Burghley House and Blickling Hall are 'private', in that there is a fee payable to visit, even when there are no events taking place. As the How Hill trustees make much of the public having "free and unrestricted access...all day, every day...", this can be seen as a major change in the use of the facility. Once the flower gardens used to be open and free, now they only open during summer weekends and a fee is charged. After the precedent is set and the glint of silver is in their eyes, what next, I wonder, for the lawn? Craft fayres, car shows, boot markets? OK, so perhaps I'm being cynical, but, as I said previously, I've seen it all before.

Snipe away, but we're not talking about change-over-madness-time. Nor are we talking about a remote farmer's field. Blickling Hall, which was mentioned in an earlier report, is not such a sensitive area, has better vehicular access, large solid-surface car parks etc., and the event isn't held on the front lawn.

Sorry to sound so negative, but I've seen this before, when a 'public' space has been closed and used for musical events of this size, and IMHO the general public end up with a reduced and devalued amenity. I hope I'm wrong in this case and that we, the general public, don't come out of it on the wrong side, but history has a nasty habit of repeating itself. The report I read mentioned that the idea was first raised by the Ludham PCC with the previous director of How Hill. I wonder why it is only now going ahead, with a new director in place. Was the previous director against the idea?

Visits by school children are totally in keeping with the How Hill charity’s primary objective, which is ”... to promote, improve and advance public education of Broadland...” and ”Our central role is providing residential environmental education courses for school children.” The Charity Commission’s web site shows that its activities are ”RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND CONSERVATION OF A LISTED BUILDING AND ITS GROUNDS.” (Their capitals, not mine). How on earth does promoting a concert of this nature, of whatever genre of music, at this venue, coincide with those statements? Interestingly, the accounts for the last five years that have been published show that the How Hill expenditure substantially exceeds their income. Perhaps they see the concert route as a way of digging themselves out of a financial hole. From the Trustees’ Annual Report ”The How Hill Trust provides a free access point for walkers, boaters and other casual visitors at all times and on every day of the year. The Trust makes no charge for this provision. From Easter to October, the Trust also provides unrestricted free car parking and access to the extensive, regularly mown "Fisherman's Field", a large open space which is made available without constraint for picnics, kite flying, dog walking, ball games and other informal recreation.” and ” A further aspect of the undoubted public benefit which is provided by the Trust is the free and unrestricted access which we provide to one of the few open spaces and informal riverside areas in the Broads. We levy no parking or admission charges, and yet these facilities are made available to the public all day every day throughout the year.” That will now have to change to, “except when we want to hold a commercial event, when we will close the grounds and charge an entry fee”. Slippery slope?

"The main lawn, running down to Toad Hall Cottage, will be used as a car park" I hope they lay down some proper matting, otherwise the lawn will be ruined Will the boaters mooring at the staithe be charged the £20 each, 'cos it seems as if they will 'enjoy' the concert, whether they want to or not. Then again, perhaps the staithe will be empty on that night! One of the organisers is quoted as saying "“We were conscious of the fact we would not want to do anything to spoil this special part of the Broads..”" So take one of the quietest regions of the Broads, encourage '1000's of visitors' to attend by car all at the same time, import a 50-piece 'pops' orchestra, and play a 3-hour concert next to a public mooring. That won't spoil the peace and tranquillity, will it? Has the abundant, resident wildlife been consulted? Don't get me wrong. I happen to be a musician, but I believe that turning How Hill into a mini V-Festival is not what it should be about.

I can certainly vouch for the strength of the Anchor fenders. I picked one up out of the water last season that had been ripped off a boat. It still had the rope and stainless steel deck fitting (including screws) attached to it

There's one on Saturday at the Norfolk Showground http://www.afterdarkpromotionsltd.co.uk/

Excessive and debilitating worry or fear is recognised as a mental disorder, so just to tell someone to stop worrying is rather patronising. I used to be a great worrier and I was given the advice that there are two sorts of life situation, one about which you can do something, and the other about which you can do nothing. If it is the former, get up and do what is necessary; if it's the latter, all the worrying in the world won't change it, so there is no point in worrying. Over-simplification, perhaps, but it has helped me through the various crises I have been through in my life. In this case, perhaps 'worried' should be replaced by 'concerned'.

Sorry, I shouldn't have posted that. I forgot, accidents are always something that happens to other people.

That's a very responsible attitude to take. So if, unbeknown to you, one of your children did get into a spot of bother and had an accident of some sort, you'd expect us to say 'Not one of mine - not my responsibilty', as we watched him/her go down for the third time.

There's one for sale here, which gives the air draft as 1.68m, which is a smidgeon over 5' 6".

It looks like the server's off-line now, so presumably Richard is working on a solution. Looks like the origin was Moldovia. My avast! antivirus flagged it up and blocked the script, so, provided you've got an anti-virus program, there shouldn't be a problem for individuals.

Watering down beer is illegal and to infer that such a practice is taking place is somewhat unwise, unless there is firm evidence. In response to Government pressure the alcoholic content of some drinks is being reduced BY THE BREWERS.

You can download a repair manual for your engine from here. It gives a list of recommended lubricants from a variety of manufacturers. Take your pick.

There is a handy distance calculator on the Broads Authority web site here. You will see that from Stalham to Burgh Castle takes about 6.5 hours, continuous cruising, so it can be done in a day BUT you have to take into account getting through Great Yarmouth and across Breydon Water at the right state of tide, which is normally one hour after slack water. This is a) to give maximum headroom at the Yarmouth bridges and to take advantage of the tidal flow, which can be very strong in that area.

I use this powered booster aerial from Avtex. It's powered via my Avtex TV, but it can also be powered directly with the 12v power adapter, or via a DTV set top box. Storage is no problem - there are no sharp edges or points and it's so small it will fit into a drawer. I get a full range of programmes when moored at Hoveton Viaduct, which was always been a difficult spot until the Tacolneston output was boosted.