JennyMorgan

It would also be at the expense of quite a few mooring spaces.

Surroundings as in The Broads, excluding the tacky delights of Wroxham or Gt Yarmouth!

Modern can be great and can stand the test of time, witness Coventry Cathedral. However, at Acle, the design should surely be sympathetic and in harmony with its surroundings, culture and tradition. That doesn't exclude modern. Indeed I like the style of the long building however it would come at a cost of a dozen or so moorings but if I had to choose then I would ask that architect to do the job and in that general style.

A building doesn't have to be over sized in order to stand out, just well designed.

One swallow doesn't make a summer!

Dropping GP's onto the level crossing was never a good idea!

Depends on how many pickled eggs and pints of ale you consume, Rocket Man!

All three submissions have one thing in common, their sheer size. Each could probably house several hundred people at any one time. Where are all these people coming from and how are they getting there? By coach or car, all very well, but where are they going to park, the footprint of those buildings leaves little space for visitor parking. Okay, so they are coming by boat, umm, not that many moorings. I appreciate that the Broads is more than just boats and that a broad catheral of interests needs to be catered for but then does it need to be so 'in our faces' on the river bank? All in all it reeks of proflicate vanity and in planning terms I suggest double standards verging on hypocracy. I don't have a favourite, all three finalists have merit. I do question their scale in relation to their surroundings and I certainly question the need. If it's Packman's swan-song pre retirement then so be it. Lets be honest though, it does smack of a church building, it would be a monument to a non existant national park and very clearly self agrandisment. The Broads is 120 miles of waterway, one of the smallest members of the NP family, does that really warrant this 'statement' intrusion onto the landscape? A previous vanity project, Dragonfly House, was a financial disaster, do we really have to go down that route again?

http://www.edp24.co.uk/acle-bridge-visitor-centre-plans-1-5565396

But then having such a boat, with the obvious limitations for the Broads, is the owner's choice, surely. I don't see it as sad that said owners miss the delights of Hickling, so long as they don't complain and demand that the Broads is altered in order to accommodate their choice. What a gin palace offers is, by Broad boat standards, palatial living and comfort and the chance to nip over to Holland in order to top up on gin, a lot to be said for it. I have a kayak, absolutely nowhere on the Broads that I can't go, appalling accomodation and no television, so it sure as heck won't suit every one! We can buy the boat that we like, and accept it's limitations, or buy a Broads boat and enjoy most of the Broads, or better still buy a kayak and enjoy all of the Broads! OUR CHOICE. What I have never understood is the lack of initiative by Broads boatyards when it comes to building replica wherries. The Dutch are very good at building modern, luxurious replicas of their traditional boats but it's something which we Brits don't do, other than on the canals. For a kick off there are no size limits on replica wherries so a 65 footer is perfectly feasable, 65 feet of unashamed luxury perhaps? All on one level and build for the Broads. No radar arch, it's what the mast is for! There are some gorgeous looking GPs out there, equally there are some, especially one or two of the latest ones, that are hidiously ugly, as are one or two of our hire boats, but a replica wherry would have a pedigree that should avoid that, unless of course some fool puts tear drop windows in it!

The sad thing about this whole saga is that in this modern age, and not just on the Broads, we simply can not trust the railways to deliver. If someone chooses to moor at Brundall then they will just have to accept the likelyhood of a broken down bridge.

Fred, taking the country route, albeit longer is no bad thing. Pre Beeching we had a lovely country route from Lowestoft to Norwich. largely missing all those unused stations, and broken down bridges, it went via Hopton & Great Yarmouth. It was medication in itself!

In receny years the sailing trawler Excelsior has come through Mutford Lock. This picture shows the sort of ship that the lock was built for. Since that time the width of the lock has been reduced by over two feet or so.

I hope that you all remembered the dads that are no longer with us.

Charlie, supa-doopa gin palaces in the numbers that we see to-day might be a relatively new phenomenom but the coasters and colliers that used to trade up to Norwich via Oulton Broad were hardly minimalist!

You are missing a trick! Ten pound line, 1.5 tc rod, size 8 hooks, ten or so maggots, coffin lead or swimfeeder and fish on the bottom. Best fish on the ebb. Re giving pike hot spots away on an open forum, sorry but no way! Have a good one!

Re maintenance, it always appears to be absolutely minimal and then only as a very last resort at Somerleyton. I always expect rusticals to descend onto my deck and cabin roof as I pass under Somerleyton Bridge. As for charging to open the Broads bridges, no way! The Waveney & Yare are largely natural, tidal, navigable rivers whereas Lowestoft harbour is a man-made, commercial enterprise. Remember too that us WAFI's also appreciate the convenience of an open bridge, they are not just there for three decker gin palaces and bling boats. As for spares at Somerleyton, I doubt that the original was built with off the shelf componants. If the bits could be made a hundred years ago then surely they can be made now. Excuses, excuses, excuses.

I wouldn't be too sure. Two very expensive bridges on a short thus low fare route might not stack up well when the costings are done. However, don't blame us boaters, Rail Track have ignored their investment for far too long.

The full text of Dr Packman's ramblings are as follows, make of it as you will! Reedham and Somerleyton Swing Bridges On Wednesday we had a meeting with the engineers from Network Rail. A number of interesting points came out from our discussion about the performance of the two bridges. Reedham Swing Bridge is apparently in a much better condition than Somerleyton which has a current problem with its centre bearing which is causing the bridge to rock. Network Rail is planning to commission work to deal with the problem in the near future. I asked about the potential to install a sprinkler cooling system but the costs, potentially over £100,000, look too high to justify the expenditure. This is because of the need for a desalination system. The engineers would not want saline water spayed on the bridge and there is no fresh water supply available at Somerleyton. I also asked about ‘summer rails’ which have been mentioned by a number of people. This isn’t a term the engineers recognise. However, the company paints the end of the rails white which apparently reduces the temperature of the rails on a hot day by 2-3 degrees. They also ‘double clip’ the rails to the rail base plate which also reduces the amount of thermal expansion. They will be instructing the bridge operators to improve the wording put on the electronic signs so that the cause of any delay is displayed, as well as the anticipated time when the bridge is expected to be able to let boats pass. Regarding communications, I am told that next year when the improvements to the signalling are complete the bridge operators will have more time to take calls from boat owners. In terms of the Authority’s preferred option of replacement bridges, there is no funding available to Network Rail in their current planning period which runs from 2019 to 2025 and we have committed to work with them to support the case for investment in readiness for the next window of opportunity from 2025. We will continue to monitor the performance of the bridges and have agreed to a further meeting with Network Rail’s engineers in August. My view is simple, the Authority has two relevant Acts of Parliament of which both apply. One, the Broads Act that requires the BA to protect the interests of navigation and the Railways Act which very clearly requires the railway company to maintain the right of navigation in regards to the Broads Bridges. Both Acts are quite precise in their wording, there is no need for phaffing around. Packman makes it clear that he is working with Railtrack, consider that the problems associated with the bridges has been around for a long time now and Railtrack just continues to drag its heels. Working with is no longer an option, insist that Railtrack upholds the relevant terms of the Railways Act. 2025 is seven years away, Packman is hopefully not going to be around then, problem is quite simply being brushed under the carpet for the next person rather than getting on with it now. The lack of insistance rather highlights the good Doctor's woeful attitude towards the boating community. We can be quite certain that if the bridge had broken down in the open position then there would be no waiting around until 2025. Re those summer rails, the darn things lay on the ground, near the bridge, waiting to be used, if Railtrack can be bothered!

Somebody has been working hard!

Even some of those will struggle at Somerleyton right now.

So boats at Brundall are cut off from the sea then. A load of GP's have gone through Oulton Broad's Lock this morning so some of the Brundall Navy have made it. I can imagine that there are some very angry owners and I don't blame them. The Authority really does have to start playing tough with Rail Track or whoever. To add insult to injury it's a higher than average tide at the moment thus more than just GP's will have difficulties.

It is, if he's touching his toes! Griff's sense of humour is what legends are made of!

Katie, a word of warning though, his taste in both music and jokes ( especially) are a tad unique!

There has been mention of CEO's and senior management required to handle big institutions like the RNLI. Well. I can see a parallel with our beloved Broads Authority here, capabable CEO's who have yet to grasp the ethos of what they purport to manage. For many years I was an auxilliary coastguard, the guys who coordinate maritime rescue, no heroics, not our job to get our feet wet! Inevitably I was involved with RAF Sea-King crews, RNLI and the RN. The banter is akin to the shop floor, it's part and parcel of the emergency services. Banter is not generally an office thing and probably not an undergraduate thing either. Banter is humour, it's what keeps people's spirits up when things become tough or monotonous, it's a way of life. Super educated CEO's and management need to grasp the facts of life rather than trying to eradicate them.