Latest Broads Authority Guidance

AndyH · March 3, 2021

29 minutes ago, Meantime said:

Thank you Thunder, that matches what I said earlier on about the stay at home message being lifted by the Government from 29th March, in favour of minimise travel. Makes you wonder why the BA would be suggesting differently! Maybe the website will get updated again!. Meanwhile, I'll continue to look to the Government website for correct information.

I would suggest that the Govt advice is at best vague and as before they are leaving agencies like the Police (and BA) to make an intepretation on travel. I would agree that it does not explicitly say "Stay Local" in the text for 29th March, but it does very clearly say "minimise travel".

So what do you consider is a reasonable distance to travel to spend a day on your boat?

Ray · March 3, 2021

Much emphasis was put on the roadmap announcement that great care had been taken in it's formulation, hence the 4 tests and "no sooner than" dates. I think it's fair to assume that the change from stay local to minimise travel was intentional and meant to be a different thing.

Minimise travel is not necessarily about distance at all... You may wish for example to go to your boat everyday but keep to the spirit and letter of the wording by only going once or twice until the next stage.

AndyH · March 4, 2021

I'm not sure that I can see how that fits with the clear statement in the Govt guidance that says:

"People should continue to minimise travel wherever possible, and should not be staying away from home overnight at this stage."

To me that says that I should continue to restrict my leisure activities to those that I can do without much travel - "wherever possible" is a pretty strong statement.

Meantime · March 4, 2021

2 hours ago, AndyH said:

I would suggest that the Govt advice is at best vague and as before they are leaving agencies like the Police (and BA) to make an intepretation on travel. I would agree that it does not explicitly say "Stay Local" in the text for 29th March, but it does very clearly say "minimise travel".

So what do you consider is a reasonable distance to travel to spend a day on your boat?

Hi AndyH, firstly welcome to the forum.

The following is taken from a speech the Prime Minister made to the House of commons on the 22nd February. I have highlighted some bits.

As part of Step one, we will go further and make limited changes on 29 March, when schools go on Easter holidays.

It will become possible to meet in limited numbers outdoors, where the risk is lower.

So the Rule of Six will return outdoors, including in private gardens

and outdoor meetings of two households will also be permitted on the same basis, so that families in different circumstances can meet. Outdoor sports facilities – such as tennis and basketball courts, and open-air swimming pools – will be able to reopen

and formally organised outdoor sports will resume, subject to guidance.

From this point, 29 March, people will no longer be legally required to stay at home

but many lockdown restrictions will remain.

People should continue to work from home where they can and minimise all travel wherever possible.

The minimise travel advice remains after the 12th April when overnight stays in self catered accommodation is allowed again. Clearly it is pretty pointless staying in a second home or holiday cottage if it has to be within your local area, village or town. From the 12th April Zoos, theme parks and drive in cinemas will reopen. They are going to be pretty quiet places if they can only be used by people in the same local area.

I would suggest as Ray has posted that visiting your boat after the 29th March providing you can travel there and back the same day would be acceptable if you haven't been able to check it for 3 to 4 months. To do so every day if you had the time would be excessive. If you could combine journeys by doing your weekly shopping on the way back from the boat, or visiting a relative outdoors on the journey to or from the boat , that would be minimising travel.

Finally the Police cannot make an interpretation on travel, they can only Police the legislation. They have already got in trouble more than once for Policing guidance rather than the legislation.

Timbo · March 4, 2021

Members are advised and reminded to follow HM Government guidance with regard to Coronavirus status and the ongoing changes to that status which is available to read and digest here.

In addition, specific guidance with regard to boating on the Broads has been published by the Broads Authority in consultation with Defra, other government bodies and other inland waterway authorities and is available to read and digest here.

Members are reminded that the easing of lockdown is fluid and subject to conditions and criteria being met nationally. Despite the rumblings of armchair politicians and lawyers or the pronouncements of digital demagogues there is no definite set timetable for the easing of lockdown. Guidance from HM Government and it's agencies, such as Defra and the Broad's Authority is written to reflect this.

Until such time as each of the phases of the lifting of lockdown is initiated or if the guidance is unclear, the default guidance during the pandemic is to stay at home unless your life is threatened.