Brundall From The Air

[DAVIDH]

I stayed in Norwich for a couple of nights last weekend whilst attending the Goosander AGM in Horning on the Saturday. I have a new drone, though the same model as the one which failed, and took it with me. I had time to fly it on the Friday evening so I took the train to Brundall and took the following images:

 

Silverline's base with Swancraft just infront.

Part of Brooms

More Brooms (I think)

Brooms with the Yare Hotel in right bottom corner.

Looking across the estate.

 

[Betty1]

I stayed in Norwich for a couple of nights last weekend whilst attending the Goosander AGM in Horning on the Saturday. I have a new drone, though the same model as the one which failed, and took it with me. I had time to fly it on the Friday evening so I took the train to Brundall and took the following images:
 

Silverline's base with Swancraft just infront.


Part of Brooms

More Brooms (I think)

Brooms with the Yare Hotel in right bottom corner.

Looking across the estate.
 

What drone did you have,and what did you replace it with?

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

[DAVIDH]

Betty1, it was a Hubsan H501SS and it was replaced with the same model - so still a H501SS following problems with the original - it became  faulty showing an error message which would not clear on my last Broads trip.

[Guest]

Very good pictures 'DavidH', but in my eyes Brundall like Oulton Broad has lost it's 'mojo' since so many of the hire yards closed. Acres of white plastic, just like the caravan sites along the coast at Caister and Scratby. I stopped visiting, when the 'shop with the tree growing through it' disappeared. It makes me a little sad going through Brundall now and remembering how it was, when we hired boats there in the 70's & 80's. Nowadays, I tend to go through Bargate (Surlingham) broad and miss out as much of the Brundall loop, as I can. Oh well, I suppose I shouldn't keep 'living in the past'...

[oldgregg]

18 minutes ago, kingfisher666 said:

Very good pictures 'DavidH', but in my eyes Brundall like Oulton Broad has lost it's 'mojo' since so many of the hire yards closed. Acres of white plastic, just like the caravan sites along the coast at Caister and Scratby. I stopped visiting, when the 'shop with the tree growing through it' disappeared. It makes me a little sad going through Brundall now and remembering how it was, when we hired boats there in the 70's & 80's. Nowadays, I tend to go through Bargate (Surlingham) broad and miss out as much of the Brundall loop, as I can. Oh well, I suppose I shouldn't keep 'living in the past'...

Sadly that part of Brundall is not the prettiest... Lots of boats to look at, but Brooms' yard does need tidying up. The last thing it needs is to be replaced with houses, though.

Nice pics though David!

[ranworthbreeze]

1 hour ago, oldgregg said:

Sadly that part of Brundall is not the prettiest... Lots of boats to look at, but Brooms' yard does need tidying up. The last thing it needs is to be replaced with houses, though.

Nice pics though David!

Hi oldgregg,

All the boats that used to be for sale at the side of the Yare have gone and that basin is virtually empty.

I had heard that planning has been applied for.

Regards

Alan 

[oldgregg]

13 minutes ago, ranworthbreeze said:

I had heard that planning has been applied for.

Not surprised, but seems inevitable. I don't think the management of that business have much interest in boats.

[marshman]

Can anyone then, point me to the planning application? I personally am not aware of one  -  yet!!!

[Guest]

Can the Broads Authority not stipulate that boatyard premises must remain so, or at least be used for an allied use or trade. It seems to me, that all the yards we have lost, that have been turned into 'riverside housing estates' are lost for ever. Should Norfolk Broads boating holidays, have a resurgance in popularity, where could possible new boating companies start up?.

I've heard, that some boatyards have been bought up, with the sole intention of running them down and turning them into riverside 'bricks and mortar' for the wealthy. Is it just me, that feels this is  wrong and should be discouraged by the Broads Authority, if at all possible...

[oldgregg]

In reality, all one has to do is run it badly for a few years in order to 'prove' to the dim-witted folks at the council that it's not a viable site for a business... Costs a few quid initially, but the benefit of playing the long game is huge.

There are targets to be met in terms of providing more houses, and more houses equals more council tax payers.. Not hard to see how these things get planning permission.

[ExSurveyor]

Brooms are still building new boats and expanding the hire fleet. They are building new Explorers at the moment.

[marshman]

You are correct in that a yard "has" to be retained but there is nothing to say how big it should be!!

Brooms might be building a few hire boats but it has shrunk massively since they were bought out by "vulture capitalists"! They of course had grandiose schemes of building a new factory up by the Brundall roundabout, but strangely this plan has come to nought only for it to be replaced by a planned housing estate - surprise surprise!!

You can almost guarantee that at some stage or other they will try to build on some or all the boatyard - venture capitalists exist to make money and not run a hire fleet!! Ask Vaughan how much the average annual return you can make out of that!!

How many boatbuilders are left compared with what was around when they took the business over?

[Koolwabbit]

Hi I thought it was illegal to find drones over built up areas.

Koolwabbit

[Vaughan]

3 hours ago, marshman said:

You can almost guarantee that at some stage or other they will try to build on some or all the boatyard - venture capitalists exist to make money and not run a hire fleet!! Ask Vaughan how much the average annual return you can make out of that!!

Venture capitalists will try for at least a 13% return on capital invested. They want this nowadays, just like they wanted it in the 1970s. A small boatyard business can never achieve this and neither can a pub, which is why so many of both have been closing down.

The other problem - which can clearly be seen on the Upper Thames, in the "Berks and Bucks" stockbroker valley, is that the riverside land becomes so sought after and valuable as domestic property, that a boatyard business cannot get enough return on its investment to justify that use of the land. So it sells to the property developers.

4 hours ago, kingfisher666 said:

Can the Broads Authority not stipulate that boatyard premises must remain so, or at least be used for an allied use or trade. It seems to me, that all the yards we have lost, that have been turned into 'riverside housing estates' are lost for ever.

Tell that to the Broads authority of the 1980s, in the great recession, who were handing out section 52 agreements like Saturday night bingo cards. So long as you wanted to close down a boatyard, you could build whatever you liked on the land. Why? Because the BA of the time, had a vision, for the future of the "natural" Broads and they were pushing for a National Park even then. Interesting to reflect on where that vision has got us, 30 years later. The real problems have not gone away.

[DAVIDH]

1 hour ago, Koolwabbit said:

Hi I thought it was illegal to find drones over built up areas.

Taken from the Broads Authority page on drone flying:

Be legal

Whether you want to fly your drone or report the misuse of a drone here are some things to be aware of:

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) specify that unless permission has been granted by them that you must not:

• Fly above 120m (400ft)
• Fly within 150m of a built-up or congested areas or crowds.
• Fly closer than 50m to people or property.

See the full page here: http://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/visiting/drone-use

 I would challenge that a marina of boats could be described as a built up area.

[Hrimfaxi]

Cool photos! I'd love to try my hand at aerial photography one day. 

[Chelsea14Ian]

I understand some of the comments about Brundall.It for me is still a great place to be based.Most of the nine years moored there.Now at Cove lots of nice follow boats.Okay there are a lot of Gin Palaces around and sadly many yards have gone.What the future of Brooms is still uncertain. Like many we us Brooms for fuel,pump,outs Gas etc.Last week we stopped to top up fuel.We found out Malcolm had to apply for his job,sadly it was given to someone else.That of course is up to Brooms,Marina and myself have always found him helpful and  friendly. A trip to Brundall will often end at The Yare(sadly not a hotel).of sorts of boaters from Gin Palaces,middle range boaters,workers holiday makers,locals.We love the broads, but for us Brundall ticks nearly all the boxes.

Ian

 

[Chelsea14Ian]

Boaters silly

[DAVIDH]

14 minutes ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

. A trip to Brundall will often end at The Yare(sadly not a hotel).of sorts of boaters from Gin Palaces,middle range boaters,workers holiday makers,locals.We love the broads, but for us Brundall ticks nearly all the boxes.

Yes, not  a hotel. I had a meal in the Yare on the Friday evening and had been speaking to one of the staff  who told me originally it was a hotel and showed me a photo of it on one of the walls. All many years ago but it stuck in my mind when typing the descriptions. I first went there in 1973 on our first Broads holiday from Sandersons in Reedham and remember at one time it had a stage and entertainment (a band?). Thought i had been dreaming it but the waitress confirmed it was like that until around 1980 when the present owners took over. Still my most favourite pub on the Broads. 

 

[ranworthbreeze]

22 minutes ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

I understand some of the comments about Brundall.It for me is still a great place to be based.Most of the nine years moored there.Now at Cove lots of nice follow boats.Okay there are a lot of Gin Palaces around and sadly many yards have gone.What the future of Brooms is still uncertain. Like many we us Brooms for fuel,pump,outs Gas etc.Last week we stopped to top up fuel.We found out Malcolm had to apply for his job,sadly it was given to someone else.That of course is up to Brooms,Marina and myself have always found him helpful and  friendly. A trip to Brundall will often end at The Yare(sadly not a hotel).of sorts of boaters from Gin Palaces,middle range boaters,workers holiday makers,locals.We love the broads, but for us Brundall ticks nearly all the boxes.

Ian

 

Hi Ian,

Malcolm was telling us that he had applied for his job when we last at the boat in July, I am sorry to hear that Broom's have given the job to someone else. Malcolm was used to all of the regulars that used the fuel station and the foibles of the said craft.

Regards

Alan

[LondonRascal]

I like Brundall, because it is quirky. Everything about it could be that bit better but it is not and I like that. The village could have more choice not two Co-Op's, yet it has a handy Hardware store which are very rare these days. It has a Chippy, that like Reedham and Stalham is never usually open when you are about.

Moving down to the river it reminds me of a 'posh' Potter Heigham, and I see the old yards who once hired boats, still alive with their small moorings now filled with private owners craft. I never hired from here, never even ventured south as a kid when on the Broads, so now seeing just how crammed in all those small yards were any small decline in numbers would have a rolling effect since everyone was letting the same type of boats at the same sort of price so those that retired did so, and those who moved over to a quieter life of moorings and some private marine engineering took that route.

These days it caters for just about anyone. From the holiday maker in a riverside chalet, to the small boat owner right up to large sea boats moored in great lines looking splendid up top and with masses of growth at the waterline showing how rare their movements may be. Because of the diversity here it has a real community to it, be it summer or winter the Yare on a weekend is busy. You see the same faces on the trains, the same people around the yards and it all becomes a very nice place to spend time. The only issue is how hard it is for the passing boater to actually stop by and be part of this quirky corner of Broadland. It would make the perfect place to moor, head into Norwich on the Train and return to the boat in the evening, but alas it is not easy with limited visitor moorings.

Great images though Dave.

[annv]

Hi why did he have to apply for a job he already had, surely if you work for a business you eather 1= get  fired. 2= get redundancy 3=   leave of your own accord, i must be missing something, or am i to old. John

[SueH]

It seems to be the way nowadays.  There were five of us and four jobs in the last throughout we had.  We each had to reapply and officially you could not ask for voluntary redundancy.  It was the worst job interview I ever gave, as I didn't want to stay.   So, perhaps it could have been classed as voluntary!

Speaking to the 'lucky' four, it was a good move.  Things have definitely changed for the worse.

It will be interesting to see who replaces Malcolm.   Best wishes to him for the future.

 

[Chelsea14Ian]

1 hour ago, annv said:

Hi why did he have to apply for a job he already had, surely if you work for a business you eather 1= get  fired. 2= get redundancy 3=   leave of your own accord, i must be missing something, or am i to old. John

Sadly it's quite common to do now.In my business (contract catering)if contract  goes to another company you are transferred under TUPE by laws.Therefore you are employed on your present terms.However in time they can change your contract.

[VetChugger]

Another big bonus about Brundall that has yet to be mentioned is Brian Ward's chandlery! Tanya and Nick will always try and source items for you even if they don't stock tham. Great advice as well.