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JennyMorgan

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Everything posted by JennyMorgan

  1. Peter, I can't argue with any of that but considering the flood prevention scheme has now been running for twenty or so years, and that includes the soft rather than hard bank policy, the BA should surely have been aware of the likelihood that the St Benet's quay heading, and others, are at risk. A couple of years ago I contributed to a 'moorings consultation' with the BA at Acle. I don't recollect any suggestion that any 24hr moorings were at risk in this manner. I would have assumed that they were protected by the terms of any lease.
  2. And there lies the crux of the matter. Since that structure is surely the very reason for leasing that stretch of river bank I would have thought it critical to have been included, an amazing oversight, in my opinion. If I understand things correctly it is the tie-rods that have been found to have failed. I don't believe that that is an everyday event and I can quite understand how that this has gone undetected until now. The tie rods are what keep the quay heading upright. The weight of pedestrians can further compact the soil behind the untied quay heading and force the structure out of true or even to collapse. I don't question the closure as such, that was a prudent decision. However, I do question the timing and more especially the management handling of the situation. There is a further six years of lease remaining, that for me is the 'Something just doesn’t ring true'.
  3. Despite the above the BA has confirmed that the present lease runs until 2027. Surely there is some leverage there?
  4. Agreed, Fred, but apparently it all hinges on whether the EA decide to remove the piling or not, or at least that is my understanding of the situation.
  5. You could be, Fred, you might be right too. The whole darned affair is a tad wooly, or so it seems.
  6. My thought exactly. Perhaps tenders were requested but only advertised in the Hebrides News.
  7. That's true, but only whilst the quay heading is retained. I can only assume that EA drew up the lease with their best interests at heart, that as far as the BA is concerned it is a weak document otherwise they would insist on the quay remaining, at least for the duration of the lease. So where does this leave the toll payer? I know the area but certainly not like the back of my hand. Are there alternatives or other options for the Authority to explore or are we likely to be losing as many as fifty irreplaceable moorings?
  8. As I understand it, if the EA pulls out the quay heading, as apparently they wish to do, then the lease ends there and then. The BA has made that clear. That suggests to me that it is the mooring that is leased, not the land as such. It also appears that initially the issue of the quay heading is between the new owner of the land and the EA rather than the BA. I do wonder at the strength and validity of the BA's lease, not that I have had a sight of it.
  9. and even more curious! Effectively a number of agencies and interests are involved, probably all with their own agenda and non taking the final responsibility.
  10. Back to the original topic, fishing at St Benet's. As an angler I have been in contact with the NDAA and have alerted them to the barrier that has been erected along the waterfront because, quite simply, it would prevent angling from that location. They, in turn, have been in contact with Authority and have been assured that the barrier will be down by June 16th, the start of the fishing season. This does rather beg the question as to why it was erected in the first place. At another mooring location access has simply been denied by tapes tied to the tops of the mooring posts. Having now read the various postings on this topic across the joyous world of the internet I have come to the sadly obvious conclusion that there is much contradiction and confusion, starting at the very top and quickly working its way down to us uninformed little people.
  11. When they next invite me to a tête à tête and tea with dainty cucumber sandwiches I shall remember to ask them.
  12. I know absolutely nothing about this picture other than it looks like Oulton Broad.
  13. Thank you, that is extremely interesting and entirely logical. My thought is that even the NAT would appreciate an income stream such as moorings could supply. Not only that it would also provide access and customers to the Abbey. If the NAT is the owner then, in the long term, that is very satisfactory, in my humble opinion. I doubt that they would welcome any form of destructive development. Mind you, I'd rather not lose the 24hr mooring.
  14. If it were to turn out that the new owner was to bang in a planning application to create a private mooring then I would not be surprised. Twenty five permanent moorings at £2,000.00 p.a. sounds tempting. Why else would someone want to invest in a seemingly valueless, soggy bit of river bank? A due diligence enquiry might have alerted unhelpful people. Just a theory but nothing would surprise me.
  15. Fred, both bodies can raise their voices. The BA is a member of the National Parks family, the NSBA a member of the Royal Yachting Association, both being nationally recognised consultative bodies. I respect your opinion, not least because you have a point. Nevertheless and for starters, surely there can be no argument regarding the importance of the moorings at St Bennet's. If no one else, surely, the Nav Com should have been kept in the loop. You and I, i'm sure, are both aware of the mix of members of both the Authority and the Nav Com. Perhaps, amongst all that wisdom and local knowledge there are those who could have provided relevant advice or at least good leads. I do know that at least three members of the Authority are deeply concerned at the withholding of information. The executive is not above the Authority.
  16. Yes, the NSBA could & should be much more proactive on a number of issues, not least rubbish disposal issues. Re day sailors etc, many appear to wear wet-suits, problem solved, at least for Number Ones. It's all very well promoting access to the Broads but without addressing the subsequent growth in footfall, e.g. providing reliable toilet facilities, then that promotion becomes questionable.
  17. But with those fences on the bank will you be able to fish at St Benet's? That's a question for the NDAA to resolve, they are on the case.
  18. But did we? Granted that the NDAA involvement has turned out to be something of a red herring despite the fact that it was their website that triggered my concerns, beyond that, basically, we weren't that far off the mark. Tom (BA) Waterfall is a man that I consider to be as straight as the day is long yet, very clearly, he was initially mislead, shameful. I have read reports, and corresponded with people and an Authority member in particular, despite the importance of moorings generally, and the potential loss of fifty in a Broads hotspot, Authority members very clearly had not been made aware of the situation at St Benet's. James Knight, Authority member, had been alerted to the situation by members of a Facebook Broads news group which in turn had been made aware after a moderator there, Sue Hines, had seen the topic here on NBF. James, thankfully, raised the topic at the recent Authority member's meeting. It was very clear that members, up to that point, were not aware, the topic presumably deemed of insufficient importance. I think that that dismissal says a great deal about the executive's priorities. Coincidently and quite incidentally 'Paladine' over in the other place had also realised that something was amiss. As we all know Paladine is thorough in his research. Indeed he went down to St Benet's to see for himself what was going on. It would seem that forums have a value, if only in keeping the BA's executive on its toes. I ask again, did we really get it wrong?
  19. We used to collect them for a local circus act!!
  20. So back to old Broads photographs, this time c1890 at Oulton Broad.
  21. https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/broads-authority-blocks-off-st-benets-abbey-moorings-7838368
  22. They must have been 'specials' just for the locals!
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