Changes At Beccles Harbour

[Hylander]

According to the local rag , changes in the future could be afoot.       If they are as is mooted proposing to charge for us to use the car park , then may I as someone who uses this car park on a regular basis , ask that it is resurfaced because at the moment there is more puddles than car park.

[dnks34]

What actually happened to Sentinel? 

Whenever I have attempted to access that carpark on a week day its usually been packed out and I assumed its used by people working on the Industrial Estate more than anything else. 

I agree if they plan to implement a charge it needs a better surface on it. 

[JanetAnne]

For boat owners based in the marina who had use of the car park for free it is going to be a costly affair. 

[Breydon]

Typical Beccles! I used to stop there when the swimming pool moorings were free of charge and spent some money in the town in the pubs and shops.

Now I make sure I have plenty of food on the boat, bash through to the Locks pub and back on the next receding tide without stopping in Beccles. I am not at all happy about their "free mooring" bit below the bye pass bridge at all it is too small and rubbish.

Beccles loss, not mine, I used to spend around £50 at least on every visit in the shops and pubs.

[JennyMorgan]

Boat owners at Oulton Broad Yacht Station have to pay to park their cars, nothing new there. What does stick in my craw is that Waveney District Council have accrued vast reserves from both Oulton Broad and Beccles and in neither case are they using even a tiny proportion of that dosh to make good the significant lack of maintenance that both communities suffered under WDC's mismanagement.

[JanetAnne]

I do hope that Beccles Town Council and whatever 'trust' has been deemed to be needed to run this little lot now actually put up and get on with it. 

If as much money had been spent on the asset in the last few years as has been used in meetings, site visits, plans, assessments, re assessments and in house politics between WDC, Sentinel and BTC they would have already had a facility to be proud of!

 

[VetChugger]

Better hope that they don't contract the parking out to such as that eyeball lot!

[SwanR]

We use the free car park that is a grassy area before you get to the quay itself. Is that where they mean?

[grendel]

I think they are meaning the one opposite travis perkins.

[stumpy]

It'd help if the bogs were cleaned now and again!

[Hylander]

22 minutes ago, SwanR said:

We use the free car park that is a grassy area before you get to the quay itself. Is that where they mean?

Not sure where you mean Jean?      The car park (well rough ground) is a large area for parking adjacent to the harbour.   Not the short stay part , 30 mins I believe that is.

 

 

[Hylander]

5 minutes ago, stumpy said:

It'd help if the bogs were cleaned now and again!

Absolutely they are a disgrace.     Other half tells me that some time ago an old chap who has his boat at the harbour mentioned that years ago there was a facility at the harbour for pump outs,  if true be good if that was resurrected for busy times.

[SwanR]

Ah yes, that is where we park. No idea why I thought it was grass!! :)

[Paul]

Mooring fees and parking charges are a fact of life I'm afraid. I'm surprised that free car park has lasted so long. Nothing's for nothing in this day and age. 

[smellyloo]

16 hours ago, dnks34 said:

Whenever I have attempted to access that carpark on a week day its usually been packed out and I assumed its used by people working on the Industrial Estate more than anything else. 

Yep, this is my recent experience too. I've had to do a drive through and leave as there are no free spaces on at least a couple of occassions. I think 2 hours free parking might be an attractive compromise.

In general a town like Beccles needs to attract visitors so free parking is essential for the local economy. Charging commuters for a parking space seems appropriate to me.

RANT warning: I really object to the ticket machines that boldly announce "over payment accepted .... no change will be given"!! Particularly when fees are set in such a way that multiple denominations of coins are required to meet the exact fee.

 

[Hylander]

My initial thoughts are , if this even goes ahead ,   I suppose it wont be so busy to park there.    I have to pay in Beccles to park so why not there.    I agree about the odd amounts and the fact they give no change.     If it was all rounded up or down to the £1 it would be much easier than having to root around for a 10p which 9 times out of 10 you have not got and have to pop in another 50p or a £1.

 

 

[MauriceMynah]

3 hours ago, smellyloo said:

RANT warning: I really object to the ticket machines that boldly announce "over payment accepted .... no change will be given"!! Particularly when fees are set in such a way that multiple denominations of coins are required to meet the exact fee.

I completely agree Smellyloo

14 minutes ago, Hylander said:

 If it was all rounded up or down to the £1 it would be much easier than having to root around for a 10p which 9 times out of 10 you have not got and have to pop in another 50p or a £1.

No, I don't quite agree with that, There is a better answer. First, have a fixed rate per minute fee, second have the customer put in however much they want, then push a button to obtain ticket. The signage should state how much time you will get for 10p, 20p, 50p, and £1.

It should also state how much you need to pay for 1 hour, 2 hours,  3 hours, etc. etc.

No change given but what ever you put in, you get time for, rounded up or down to the nearest minute.

The technology to do this is already here (it's called a pocket calculator) it's a cheap, easy and fair solution to a problem that should never have occurred in the first place.

[grendel]

the parking meters in Canterbury already have this system, you pay a fixed amount for the first 20 minutes, then its extra time depending upon how much you have paid, of course its not as cheap as Norfolk at £1.60 per hour, so your extra 10 p gets  you an extra 3 minutes

[SwanR]

We pay for all our parking by phone. Of course that means having the right apps downloaded and paying a small admin fee but it avoids the need for real money in your pocket!


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[Hylander]

14 hours ago, SwanR said:

We pay for all our parking by phone. Of course that means having the right apps downloaded and paying a small admin fee but it avoids the need for real money in your pocket!


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Gosh Jean you are modern.     I would not know where to start with that and doubt very much my Windows iphone would even manage to achieve an app for it.      Never mind soon be Christmas.

So if you are going out anywhere in the UK you can pay by phone.   Now that is a good idea.   Nothing worse than rocking up to a National Trust Car Park to find that it has gone up another pound.      Ok if you carry a load of change around but I dont.

 

[JennyMorgan]

If I have to pay to park then I rarely go there, plain & simple. Judging by the decline of our local high street (Lowestoft) and the growth of nearby shopping centres, with free car parking, I am not alone. Beccles has long had oodles of free parking, we shop there far more than we do in my local town. 

[SwanR]

Cost of time and petrol compared to cost of parking can be a factor. At home I often walk 30 minutes into the city centre and get the bus back on a Saturday. We rarely go further afield just to get free parking. For us it depends whether we can get what we want and support local businesses. We quite enjoy nipping into Lowestoft when we’re at the caravan. We can combine a bit of shopping with a coffee stop or a walk by the harbour.


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[MauriceMynah]

I have to say this, Beccles is a delightful town the likes of which are disappearing fast. It has a selection of independent shops, several butchers and some decent pubs all of which seem to be doing well. Now I hear that if  someone has to pay a couple of quid to park they won't bother.

That would be a shame. Use it or lose it is a term often quoted and it applies here.

You have a Tesco's there which will soon make all those independent shops things of the past unless they get custom. Don't believe me? Go look at Stalham. See what Tesco's has done to that!

 

[smellyloo]

51 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

You have a Tesco's there which will soon make all those independent shops things of the past unless they get custom. Don't believe me? Go look at Stalham. See what Tesco's has done to that!

 

Tesco's has been in Beccles for several years now and arguably Beccles has improved much over this time. Probably because of the pedestrianisation of the road next to the King's head which makes the whole area seem more welcoming.

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

Personally, i think Beccles has deteriorated over a few years.  There used to be lots of nice shops, but like all towns where the big superstores open up nearby, the village centre has gone downhill. I can remember when we used to go up to the town for food shopping, and other things. Now, there tends to be charity shops, cheap shops etc etc. It happens everywhere.  And as for the yacht station toilets and showers?, ...........................bloody disgusting.