Stalham Staithe

[colino]

Stalham saithe is a great improvement, unfortunately,nothing has changed.We still have the same old boats, it is in fact even worse now there is often                                                                                                     a yacht left at the end next to a cruiser that is up for sale on facebook along with with lots other boats le

[grendel]

i managed to moor Jayne there last friday, to get some shopping from tesco, there isnt a lot of space and you might struggle with a 40 foot boat, as the space thats left bends around the corner.

[colino]

The cruiser you moored next to is no sale on facebook along with other boats we now have a boat sales on the staithe

[BroadsAuthority]

Hi Colino,

Following the improvements to the facilities we are in the process of taking this over as a Broads Authority 24 hour mooring. When this happens we will be able to enforce bylaws and prevent vessels overstaying (amongst other things).

At the moment the hold-up is not on our end or with our colleagues at Stalham Parish Council. It is unfortunately due to delays with the paperwork being processed by Her Majesty's Land Registry.

We hope to be able to provide updates soon.

Tom

[colino]

Good to hear at the moment room for one boat

[MotorBoater]

Yeah, we walked all around there while waiting for our boat on the 10th..

If ever there was an area you felt should be better this is it.

[Heron]

Broads Authority, your record on preventing boats overstaying anywhere is not good. Why will things be different in Stalham?

Good luck, I am not going to hold my breath on this one!

[VetChugger]

Because it is not yet under the management of the BA.

[MauriceMynah]

9 hours ago, Heron said:

Broads Authority, your record on preventing boats overstaying anywhere is not good. Why will things be different in Stalham?

Good luck, I am not going to hold my breath on this one!

Just a little harsh there Heron. Last year (or it might have been the year before) for a whole bunch of odd reasons, my boat Nyx was left at Sutton Staithe. after 4 days I received a phone call from the BA asking why my boat was there, overstaying it's welcome.

I had the boat returned to it's proper mooring within 24 hours. 

To the outsider Nyx was on the staithe for 5 days and apparently just went away scot free. 

Yes there are those who take the whatsit and of those, there are a few for whom it would be a complete waste of BA's time and resources to act. And don't they know it !!!!! For those boats the BA is damned if it does, damned if it doesn't.

Personally speaking I reckon the BA gets it pretty much right on overstayers.

[AndyTBoater]

The Staithe does seem to be turning into a showroom for boats for sale on Facebook. Hopefully when they sell the new owners will move them.  I notice that a new liveaboard turned up earlier in the week and shows no signs of moving anytime soon so it is not getting any better.

It appears from the post from Tom above that the BA and Stalham Council are working to resolve this but regardless of the state of play with the moorings there is the issue of tolls with all of the boats there. A quick check reveals that none of the are tolled and a couple not even registered with BA. 

Looking around online I can see there is a requirement for registration, tolls and BSS but couldn't find any information on sanctions for those who do not comply. Surely there must be some - Is it that I am looking in the wrong place?

What legal recourse is there for BA when people refuse to pay tolls or insurance or have a valid BSS? 

Andy

[marshman]

They presumably can take the individual to court but you have to weigh up the value of that process against whether the individual could even pay the fine, and the cost of the proceedings to the BA.  Hardly going to make a splash in the EDP is it !!

As we all know, legal processes move very slowly at the best of times - even more so if you have furloughed your staff I  guess!!!

I think it would be more appropriate to blame the BA if this situation continues for any length of time after the lease has finally been settled - the topic of abandoned boats etc continues to crop up now and again, but it is more difficult I suspect for the BA to deal with these, than it is for Councils to deal, for example, with vehicles in similar circumstances.

[Cheesey69]

So in effect it’s a good will kind of law. 
You hope everyone plays ball but in reality enough people mess around....

seems to me regular clamp downs and inspections need to happen because if this recession does indeed happen many more will probably chance their arm

 

[AndyTBoater]

Yep. It does seem like a "goodwill" kind of thing. 

I wonder if there are figures available for the actual number of boats on the Broads and figures for the number registered/ tolled? 

If I am honest, it seems pretty easy to chase up non payers. My boat had tax last year. If I hadnt paid again this year its quite a big indicator. 

There will always be boats that are sold/ transferred to others but if the last registered owner is still liable for any and all fees it is a big incentive to let BA know when it is sold on. 

As you say though if the BA has no teeth then they are relying on honesty and goodwill from the majority. 

Just so you all know, from Jan 2021 all boat owners are required to pay me £1.68 per year per fender. Dirty ones may incur a small surcharge.

I will enforce this by some means or other (as yet to be determined) and will punish non payment by ignoring the non payment. 

I trust you understand this is a necessary charge and is for a reason as yet to be defined. 

Yours (tongue so far in my cheek its almost coming out of my ear)

Andy

 

[BroadsAuthority]

Hi all,

We certainly can prosecute those who do not pay their tolls, overstay, speed or infringe on other bylaws if it is deemed appropriate.

For example, a number of cases have gone to court over the years for non-payment of tolls and have resulted in some quite significant fines for those responsible.

Of course each case is different and the individuals involved have unique circumstances, so there is not a blanket approach to dealing with these issues.

With regards to Stalham Staithe, if bylaws are being infringed (when applicable) we will work with those responsible towards a favourable outcome, however our Rangers may seek prosecution if this is not possible.

Best,

Tom

[colino]

Another problem on Stalham staithe there are no facilities water toilet rubbish.

[MaceSwinger]

1 hour ago, colino said:

Another problem on Stalham staithe there are no facilities water toilet rubbish.

I suppose the issue there is funding. It's not a big staithe, and it's local authority run and I'd imagine they'll be ploughing money into other local services. It's without question that bins would certainly cut down on littering and fly tipping, but when it comes to funding most local authorities have to spend wisely. I believe the parish staithe at Irstead only has a bin there because they got sick of people dumping bin bags and then buggering off. And it's even parish members that come and mow the grass there on their own time! 

[AndyTBoater]

5 hours ago, BroadsAuthority said:

 

With regards to Stalham Staithe, if bylaws are being infringed (when applicable) we will work with those responsible towards a favourable outcome, however our Rangers may seek prosecution if this is not possible.

There are 5 boats there now. None of these have tolls paid (according to the BA toll checker) and a couple come up as unregistered. 

3 of the boats have been there for more than 2 years. As far as I am aware these boats have been reported to BA on numerous occasions but still they remain, untaxed and almost certainly (although I have no evidence of this) without BSS or insurance.  

I have to say this does not seem to be exactly a favourable outcome for anyone but them.  . 

I do understand the pressure BA are under, especially in these challenging times and this is not meant to be a moaning post merely a statement of fact but.....

What exactly do these owners need to do to incur the wrath of BA and comply with the rules that the rest of us have to.  ?

Regards 

[VetChugger]

How many times does this need to be stated. The BA are in the process of taking over responsibility for that very mooring. Tom has made it very clear that when this happens they will have th authority to move boats on. Bit of a shortage of patience methinks.

[YnysMon]

Agree. The reason why the BA can’t act yet has been explained. A bit of patience guys.

[AndyTBoater]

Sorry but my post above was not about the mooring as such. It was more about the fact that there are unregistered and un tolled boats bobbing about on the Staithe. Section 5.1 and 9.1 of the Vessel Registration Byelaws seem to have been broken.  

Regardless of who or who does not "own" the mooring is there nothing BA can or will do about that ? It's not like the boats in question are hard to find.

Anyway - I shall duck out of this discussion now. Life is too short to stuff a mushroom.

Regards

Andy

 

 

[grendel]

It has been pointed out that these boats are advertised up for sale, now i do know there is a separate bylaw regarding boats for sale and tolls, which may or may not be applicable in this situation

[MauriceMynah]

I think that only applies to boats for sale on brokerage moorings Grendel.

[Tobster]

How many times does this need to be stated. The BA are in the process of taking over responsibility for that very mooring. Tom has made it very clear that when this happens they will have th authority to move boats on. Bit of a shortage of patience methinks.

The BA don’t need to control the mornings to enforce the non payment of tolls of a craft on the water / Navigation, do they?



Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

[VetChugger]

Simple answer Yes, at the moment the staithe is under the control of Stalham Parish Council who have either limited powers  or are very reluctant to use their authority. May also be a question of resources. Yes, the BA often get a bad rep, but when they have control of this mooring I very firmly believe it will be a different story.

[Upcycler]

11 hours ago, grendel said:

It has been pointed out that these boats are advertised up for sale, now i do know there is a separate bylaw regarding boats for sale and tolls, which may or may not be applicable in this situation

Now that has given me an idea Grendel. If I ever own a boat and cruise around the broads I will display a "For Sale" sign. That way I can moor where I want for however length of time that suits me, knowing I am operating just inside the law.

Del Boy had the right idea all along, "Tax in the Post" displayed in his three wheeler.