BroadsAuthority

Good afternoon @marshman and @JennyMorgan I am not sure why we stopped publishing this information in a formal manner but off the top of my head we've got a fair amount of work coming up. I'll have a chat with our Rivers Engineer and see what I can do in terms of getting an up to date schedule. Tom

Hi all, I thought this may be of interest to some of you. We have recently uploaded a set of eight voice recordings kindly donated to us by David Cleveland (ex-Director of the East Anglian Film Archive) to our YouTube channel. They include chats and ramblings from some key local people involved with the Broads over the years, including wherrymen, eel catchers, Ted Ellis and Joyce Lambert to name just a few. The playlist can be found below if you wanted to take a look (please bear in mind that voice recording technology seems to have come a long way since these were made!) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrkwmQ8uE07Xu7FKs2ppFNbi0G_GdhQRG Tom

Hi @vanessan @Bytheriver and @ranworthbreeze are correct. They are technical terms that basically mean to survey and measure the water depth at various locations around the Broads network (full details of locations can be found on the document in the link). These surveys allow us to plan future dredging works and other operations. There's more info on our website: https://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/looking-after/managing-land-and-water/dredging and Geosight's (the contractor) https://www.geosight3d.com/services/hydrographic-surveys/ Tom

Hello, All parish clerks on our database are emailed directly inviting them to the Parish Forum events.

This is very sad news, I know a number of people on our office knew Craig well. Condolences to his family and friends.

Hi Paladin, Not as of yet but I'll see that clarification is included in the next newsletter we send out. It's an error by one of our newer members of staff that has been scrutinised by some people but we wouldn't regard correcting this particular information as a matter of grave urgency that requires the 1,000 or so subscribers being emailed solely for this. Relevant parish councils and businesses will be contacted to inform them of the ongoing works. We hope you understand and thanks again all for the feedback.

Hi all, an update on this below from our boating news page. In our most recent monthly newsletter (January 2020) some incorrect information about Acle Bridge was shared regarding works at the site. Please accept our apologies for sharing this incorrect information which arose due to a genuine error. The latest update is that major sheet piling works along the river frontage are to be carried out at Acle Bridge 24 hour moorings starting at the end of February. Our appointed contractor is in the process of mobilising to site after waiting for water levels to drop to a suitable level. Phase one of major works at the site will be to completely renew 110 metres of sheet piling, plus installing a new mooring path and three electric charging points for boats. Works are planned to extend for several weeks around and including the Easter holiday period and will involve the moorings, a section of the Weavers Way public footpath, car park and toilet area being closed. Signage and fencing on site will be placed to exclude people from those areas at all times during the construction phase. There will be a 55 metre section of the mooring left open on the upstream end for boaters to moor to during the works. Footpath access from the mooring will only be available for pedestrians heading towards Oby and Thurne. The Weavers Way public footpath through the construction site will remain closed until project completion. Advance notices on the Weavers Way have been installed. Works will be closely monitored for progress and the Broads Authority will seek to open any areas of the site as soon as it is safe to do so. To report any issues please contact Broads Control on 01603 756056. Thank you for your understanding. Regards

Good afternoon everyone, thank you for your feedback on the briefing. John is of course directly involved and writes a lot of the briefing, but it is a team effort with quite a few different members of staff adding contributions on their particular areas - many apologies if some of it has been muddled or lost in translation. I can clarify a few things for you below: 1. There appears to have been a bit of a misunderstanding with the wording on the briefing regarding Peto's Marsh. The Suffolk Wildlife Trust has an ambition to build a raised viewing platform in the vicinity of the mooring so that people on foot can get a 360 degree panoramic view over the marshes, including those who have arrived on boat. The new pontoon moorings there will provide access to the Carlton Marshes Reserve, the new SWT Visitor Centre and also the Angles Way. They will be located towards the southern end of Oulton Dyke – around TM 50113 92964 on an OS Map. We have a set of pontoons on the other side of the river known as the the 'Dutch Tea Gardens' 24-hour mooring, at TM 50149 93041. The OS website has a handy map - https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/52.47805,1.68220,18 2. Regarding the use of concrete or paving slabs, this surface is unfortunately not ideal at Acle due to subsidence (sinking/tilting) of the path. Sites with these types of paths installed require much more preparation if subsidence does occur and this creates additional ongoing costs, as well as being quite costly in terms of materials and initial installation. 3. On Acle Bridge, I agree that there has been a poor choice of wording there on our part and I think it's possible that some wires may have been crossed when discussing the briefing content internally. I have sought further clarification from our Maintenance Supervisor and will update you as soon as I hear back (they're busy dealing with a lot of fallen trees and other debris today so this may be tomorrow). I believe preliminary works have taken place at Acle and contractors will be starting very soon. We were aiming for Easter but the possibility for weather and operational delays mean the works could encroach on the Easter period. Again, please accept my apologies for any confusion created as a result of the newsletter. If there's any more genuine questions I am happy to help. Best, Tom

Some information from the other thread to save you searching. "The original engine on Spirit of Breydon (SOB) was replaced under warranty shortly after it was first commissioned after developing a fault (this wasn't an issue that could have been foreseen I have been told), resulting in some down time. We had listed SOB up for sale earlier this year as part of our launch replacement strategy. However, no suitable offers were made and so rather than selling her at a price we weren't happy with, we have recently decided to replace the engine on her. The new engine is a more suitable and efficient one which will reduce running costs and reduce carbon emissions as a step towards our commitment to be carbon neutral by 2040. As with all of our launches we do have occasional mechanical issues which is part of running vessels on a daily basis and SOB was no exception to this. The launches, including SOB, are also all taken out of service each year for their annual maintenance checks." Tom

Hi all, We receive a very high number of applications for all of our Ranger roles and this unfortunately means there's often a lot of disappointed people on the other end. This isn't a 'box-ticking exercise' - the recruitment process is transparent and the same as all of our roles. Despite the number of applications please don't be put off applying if you feel you meet the job description! Tom

Just thought I would post to clarify for Paladin and anyone reading the above, this is an old/outdated report and at the time no-one was trained or employed specifically to deal with responding on digital media. The Communications Strategy quoted above is also dated. I think we can all agree that a lot has changed in the last 10 years with regards to the importance of engaging online. As a result of this the Broads Authority and other local authorities recognised that it is both essential and very useful (to both the Authority and our stakeholders) if we have a presence on social media and forums such as this one...hence my employment I suppose! Finally, despite the risk of repetition, there is still absolutely no intention for the Broads Authority to seek legislative change to bring the Broads under the 1949 act or any desire for the 'Sanford Principle' to be applicable to the Broads. Tom

Good afternoon, As you may be aware I am an individual responding on behalf of the Broads Authority through my role in the Comms team. Myself and my colleagues were keen to join this forum so we could better engage with members, help individuals where possible and have productive discussions on the Broads and the work of the Broads Authority However unfortunately our membership of this forum does not mean that I am able (or obliged) to respond to every question or take part in every debate on here. This is pertinent when questions are asked which appear to serve a purpose of eliciting a response that will, regardless of the answer given, be used to continue a debate against the Broads Authority (or me personally) where the Broads Authority's official position is well-known and widely documented. Regarding the signs, an official response on the Broads Authority's rationale has been previously provided in this thread. If there's any further genuine questions can I kindly ask these to be directed through our official communications channels. Thanks, Tom

Hello and Happy New Year, Our facts and figures web page was somewhat outdated but latest figures are below. The £633m figure quoted (and the 8m visitors) is taken from the annual STEAM tourism data. It refers to 2018 direct expenditure in the Broads 'area of influence' which is (generally speaking) the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads boundary and some adjacent areas. In comparison, these are both 4% and 4.5% up on 2017.

Hello everyone, We hope you've been enjoying the Christmas break. We'd like to clarify a few points below on issues raised in this thread and elsewhere on the web. There are considerable benefits in the Broads being part of the international family of National Parks. The Broads Authority is legally entitled and privileged to be able to promote the area as a National Park. It shares the same purposes as the UK’s National Park Authorities as well as having the additional responsibility of maintaining the waterways for the purposes of navigation. The Broads attracts just under 8m visitors a year, supporting over 7,000 jobs and bringing £633m to the local economy. The signs have been installed in some key Broads locations to increase awareness and promote the area’s special qualities. They are not intended to mark or alter the precise boundaries of the Broads Authority’s executive area (it would be very difficult to achieve this given the way that the boundary follows the waterways and flood plains and interacts with roads). Locations have been chosen that are iconic Broads locations where the broads are an integral part of that town or village and where a positive response has been given by the relevant parish council. In doing so we hope that these locations will continue to benefit from being part of the international family of National Parks. Norfolk County Council and Suffolk County Council have helped achieve a very cost effective way of promoting the Broads National Park by using existing signage posts. To reiterate our previous statements on the matter, at its meeting on 23 January 2015 the Broads Authority resolved that: “for the avoidance of doubt, the Authority indicates that it has no intention of seeking the application of the Sandford Principle to the Broads Authority’s functions…”. This is still the case and the Broads Authority still has no intention of seeking a legislative change which would invoke the Sanford Principle in the Broads. There's more information on our legislation and other related matters on our frequently asked questions page: https://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/news/frequently-asked-questions Thanks (and happy new year for tomorrow!) Tom

Hi D46, I was just coming on here to post that but you've beaten me to it! From my memory ML Yare is one of the oldest launches in current service. Tom

Hi D46, All I can say is that the relevant and trained staff members responsible for annual checks deemed it necessary and cost effective that ML Yare have a refit rather than any repairs. I can't really provide much more information than that. Happy Christmas! Tom

It's what happens when a photograph with alternative text is copied directly onto here (I think).

Hi all, November's newsletter can be read here: https://mailchi.mp/ac1d7da7744f/broads-briefing-november-2019?e=[UNIQID] You can subscribe using this link: https://broads-authority.us16.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b957c2a429d58a35f9137b9c7&id=2d8b8ca3a3 We've included an item on the navigation charges for 2020/2021 and lots of updates on maintenance works taking place in the system throughout the winter. Tom

Thanks @WherryNice Apologies for the missed words in my above message, it appears I can't edit now. Oops!

Really nice to hear of your wildlife spotting Peter, especially the egret (assuming none of your fish were pinched!) There's certainly a lot out there if you take a look. The warm days of the summer may be more appealing for getting out and about but the lesser trodden autumn and winter seasons seem to reward you with more wildlife sightings. I've been watching the fieldfares recently enjoying the fruits and berries of autumn, lovely birds.

Hi everyone, I am pleased to provide you all with some information below. I should caveat this by saying I've got a few areas of expertise in my life however boat engines unfortunately isn't one of them. Please forgive me if any of the below doesn't make perfect sense as I've re-written some information from one of my colleagues in the CME team. So, onto Spirit of Breydon... The original engine was a Nanni N6 320hp. This was fitted by Goodchild's to their original specs and we were reliably informed that although engines (and vessels) of this type are generally more suited to periods of operating at high speed (e.g. offshore fishing, surveying and diving) the engine should have worked satisfactorily for our purposes at Breydon Water (predominantly using at relatively low revs) due to the electronic fuel injection system. Unfortunately, this was not the case in reality and she required a new engine unit replaced under warranty within the first year due to a failure in the machining of the main block, turbo issues and electric loom issues. There were also other reliability issues following the replacement, leading to downtime. The problem of downtime was unfortunately exacerbated by the unforeseeable breakdown (no pun intended) of the working relationship between Nanni and VM motors who are a supplier who produce the engine units. This made spare parts more difficult and slower to acquire. Earlier this year we did have Spirit of Breydon, in a fully functioning condition, listed for sale with a local brokerage (who shouldn't still be displaying a poster!). However, no suitable offers were received and so the decision was made to work with what we already have. For anyone thinking about electric vessels, I was informed that we had explored this avenue although the associated costs threw up some challenges that made it something possibly for the future rather than an immediate solution. Because of the above issues, and to also support our move towards more efficient launches, we have decided to reduce the engine size to a smaller horsepower. We have gone with a Yanmar engine that is more reliable, more fuel efficient, creates less emissions and is better suited to operating at lower revs/speeds but still able to push the launch along at a satisfactory when required. I'm aware that many of you may already know snippets of the info above but I hope it's interesting to some of you to have the full picture. Although the situation has been far from ideal we have learned plenty of lessons and are looking forward to utilising her for her intended purpose once again. Hope you have a good weekend, Tom

I must have forgotten to mention the new torpedo launcher we've installed

Thanks Peter, I've asked regarding the engine specs for your interest, although the member of staff most in the know with regards to the new engine is on leave at the moment. Will be able to update you next week, give me a gentle nudge if I forget! Tom

Hi Peter, The original engine on Spirit of Breydon (SOB) was replaced under warranty shortly after it was first commissioned after developing a fault (this wasn't an issue that could have been foreseen I have been told), resulting in some down time. We had listed SOB up for sale earlier this year as part of our launch replacement strategy. However, no suitable offers were made and so rather than selling her at a price we weren't happy with, we have recently decided to replace the engine on her. The new engine is a more suitable and efficient one which will reduce running costs and reduce carbon emissions as a step towards our commitment to be carbon neutral by 2040. As with all of our launches we do have occasional mechanical issues which is part of running vessels on a daily basis and SOB was no exception to this. The launches, including SOB, are also all taken out of service each year for their annual maintenance checks. Tom

Hi all, It's great to see lots of discussion here on water safety and advocacy of lifejackets/buoyancy aids. It seems most of you are experienced boaters but if anyone is new to the boating scene a glance over our safety and boating tips pages could be helpful (enjoy the old videos too!) https://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/boating/navigating-the-broads/safety https://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/boating/navigating-the-broads/boating-beginners Tom