Richardsons

[ChrisB]

Here we are talking of a private limited company, the shareholders of which are getting no younger.

I would never be so bold as to tell Paul, Laura and whoever else how to run their business. But!!:-

If it were mine, I would be lining it up for total redevelopment to luxury appartments, duplex and Town Houses with private moorings and I would off to St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat to eat lobster, drink cold Provence Rosé and get my trotters in the air.

[Broads01]

1 hour ago, oldgregg said:

Earning potential is lower if everyone has the new and shiny stuff, but if they don't then it's all relative. 50 years is too old for a hire boat really

I don't think 50 years is necessarily too old. The oldest Bountys are that age and could continue with the right investment I feel.

[JawsOrca]

Interesting title of the Acle document. Wonder if it's a case of "Build my vanity project and I'll rub your back"..

Saying that it looks good and be nice to make better use of both sites.

 

 

[garryn]

2 hours ago, ChrisB said:

Here we are talking of a private limited company, the shareholders of which are getting no younger.

I would never be so bold as to tell Paul, Laura and whoever else how to run their business. But!!:-

If it were mine, I would be lining it up for total redevelopment to luxury appartments, duplex and Town Houses with private moorings and I would off to St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat to eat lobster, drink cold Provence Rosé and get my trotters in the air.

I'm pleased you don't own it then

[kpnut]

30 minutes ago, JawsOrca said:

Interesting title of the Acle document. Wonder if it's a case of "Build my vanity project and I'll rub your back"..

Just got back from a walk at the ‘discovery hub’ at Salhouse Broad, put up early 2023, ready for the season. 

This little item was on it. Acle and Stalham both ‘coming soon’. 

I am generally in favour of an improvement on the area down at Acle Bridge. I find it most bleak. So look forward to something smarter to enhance the obvious natural beauty surrounding it. 

People are only going to continue to be attracted to this area of the country if it smartens itself up a bit. I don’t mean the wildness of the wetland itself, but the environs. At the moment it does feel to me like it’s a bit lost in the past, which of course is part of its charm. 
Charming, but run down, Victorian/Edwardian seaside resorts fall into the same category, and look how some of them struggle; economically, educationally and socially -some of the most deprived areas of the UK, for all their charm. The 21stC has to come eventually. 

And as has been said, putting aside the politics of it all, I would think that Richardsons of all companies would have a good clue of what they’re doing. They’ve done OK business-wise through some earlier tough times on the Broads (I expect some would say ‘on the back of smaller companies’ but that’s business. And they have enough history among the family to have a care for the place, surely. 

Not sure that digging up peat to make more mooring basins at both sites will go down well in some quarters though. 

[MargeandParge]

If you don't create assets you can't sell them. This investment doubles the assets on the same footprint. 

Clives business ls totally separate and very traditional. 

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[Keebz]

Immediate reaction, it won’t happen thinking how broads authority/other moronic organisations are so good at stopping progressive projects which will bring jobs temporary and permanent, I hope it does go ahead the broads needs so redevelopment in places, and before I get shot down I don’t mean rip up all the broads for a marina I’m one example of someone who has all ways holidayed and owned boats on the broads but the situation with moorings reducing and the broads authority bending boat owners other until something changes I’ll never come back to the broads it just doesn’t represent value anymore, all that said hopefully Richardsons do get it done 

[Vaughan]

12 minutes ago, MargeandParge said:

If you don't create assets you can't sell them. This investment doubles the assets on the same footprint. 

Clives business ls totally separate and very traditional. 

There is a great deal of truth in what you suggest and I agree with ChrisB's assessment as well.  It is a large site in a strategic area and if it is no longer viable for the purpose that it was dug out of the marsh for in the first place (and I remember it happening) then we have to move with the new "National Park" times.  Many other traditional and famous yards have gone the same way since the 60's, such as Jack Powles in Wroxham.  And look what happened to Horning, since the demise of Southgates main yard, H.C. Banham, H.T.Percival, Turners, Chumley and Hawke and others.  All now in very different use.

The trouble with this new era of National Park thinking - which clearly runs right through this plan like a coal seam - is that it is yet another body blow to cruising on the Broads navigations.  They used to say the Broads can only be seen and appreciated when you are out on the water, by boat.

Very soon at this rate, they will only be best seen in National Park visitor centres, or phone boxes with clockwork bird noises.

[Vaughan]

5 hours ago, ChrisB said:

and I would off to St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat to eat lobster, drink cold Provence Rosé

Provence rosé with lobster?

At the least a Vin des Sables du Golf du Lion or at best, a Pouilly Fuissé.   

[ChrisB]

40 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

Provence rosé with lobster?

At the least a Vin des Sables du Golf du Lion or at best, a Pouilly Fuissé.   

Only in Jest. In reality, I would go north for a Grand Chablis.

[ChrisB]

Also my choice would be Cap Martin over Ferrat to lay trotters dans l'air.

[Vaughan]

12 hours ago, kpnut said:

Thurne, coming soon? Surely they already have a lovely new phone box.

Funny they don't mention Ranworth Staithe and I thought they had failed to renew the lease on the Whitlingham gravel pits.

Or is it all just yet more expensive national park signage?

[Vaughan]

16 hours ago, oldgregg said:

If you have a fleet of 'middle-aged' boats that are kept in great condition then costs are lower.

Earning potential is lower if everyone has the new and shiny stuff, but if they don't then it's all relative. 50 years is too old for a hire boat really, but 20-30 isn't.

But they can't do that if they have pulled down all the boat sheds.  For that matter, they can't build the shiny new ones, either.

[Vaughan]

14 hours ago, JawsOrca said:

nteresting title of the Acle document. Wonder if it's a case of "Build my vanity project and I'll rub your back".

Also interesting that a previous planning permission by the then tenants of the Acle yard, for glamping pods on the ground behind the river bank, with parking and toilets, was turned down flat by the Highways Authority on the grounds of dangerous access onto an A class trunk road with a 60MPH speed limit.

Whilst at the same time, it didn't look as though access to the BA's new project, even closer to the hump bridge on the other side, would be an "issue".

I see they have moved the new acesss by a few yards but it doesn't look any less hazardous to me.  It will all be all right on the day though, as this application includes a National Park visitor centre.

[ZimbiIV]

Vaughan they have Silverline now for building boats.

paul

[Graham47]

I see that they will be operating 14 dayboats at Acle and I think I read 6 from Stalham. Not mentioned anywhere, but are these boats being transferred from their Wroxham location? If so, it would free up that valuable site, which originally belonged to Fineway Cruisers, for sale.

 

 

[Vaughan]

2 hours ago, ZimbiIV said:

Vaughan they have Silverline now for building boats.

They could also "farm it out" to Haines, who would build them lovely boats, but at their own profit.

On a yard of that size, it is normal to use your own staff, who you need for maintaining the hire fleet, to build new boats, and thus replace the old ones once they get to their "sell by date".  Others have said here that a hire boat can last 40 years - but not 50 years.  I disagree with that as I think a hire boat is knackered after 20 years.  Would you expect Hertz to hire you a 20 year old car?

Richardsons have proved me wrong by maintaining and upgrading their boats so well that they have lasted so long and in such good condition.  But they can only do that because they have the extensive facilities to do the work on their yard.

If they are now to demolish all this in favour of chalets, wellness sheds and outdoor learning centres that is fine and the BA seem to be delighted at the prospect.  But they will no longer be able to look after old hire boats and keep them to the standard we have come to expect, if they pull down all the boat sheds.

If that is their choice then I wish them well and I hope that they (and the BA) will turn out to be right.

But I don't think it is good for what we call "The Broads".

 

 

[Boatingman]

I see the EDP have it wrong again

Their article shows a picture of the entrance to Bridgecraft not Horizon

Ray

[grendel]

I suppose if they are no longer devoting time and space to building new boats, then they dont need as much space as before just to haul out and maintain those boats they do have, if the new build work is farmed out then some of the original space becomes redundant (though they will surely lose the skill sets that building boats gains).

Anyway thats their plan, so they must think its the right thing for them, whereas Horning Pleasure craft under Clive seem to have a different plan, which seems to work well for them.

[NeilB]

I think Clive took most of the boat building team with him to Horning.  The smaller sheds on Swan quay never seem to be opened much and one has the half finished sedan boat sat inside gathering dust, what looks like a day cruiser hull in the other.

I guess with less painted boats in the fleet now the newer ones just require a few gel repairs and a polish which could be done outside, the shed space reserved for the painted boats.

[Bytheriver]

9 hours ago, Vaughan said:

Thurne, coming soon? Surely they already have a lovely new phone box.

Funny they don't mention Ranworth Staithe and I thought they had failed to renew the lease on the Whitlingham gravel pits.

Or is it all just yet more expensive national park signage?

Whitlingham is owned by its own Trust & took management back "in- House" BA has a rep on the Board of Trustees again

[Bytheriver]

3 hours ago, Vaughan said:

They could also "farm it out" to Haines, who would build them lovely boats, but at their own profit.

On a yard of that size, it is normal to use your own staff, who you need for maintaining the hire fleet, to build new boats, and thus replace the old ones once they get to their "sell by date".  Others have said here that a hire boat can last 40 years - but not 50 years.  I disagree with that as I think a hire boat is knackered after 20 years.  Would you expect Hertz to hire you a 20 year old car?

Richardsons have proved me wrong by maintaining and upgrading their boats so well that they have lasted so long and in such good condition.  But they can only do that because they have the extensive facilities to do the work on their yard.

If they are now to demolish all this in favour of chalets, wellness sheds and outdoor learning centres that is fine and the BA seem to be delighted at the prospect.  But they will no longer be able to look after old hire boats and keep them to the standard we have come to expect, if they pull down all the boat sheds.

If that is their choice then I wish them well and I hope that they (and the BA) will turn out to be right.

But I don't think it is good for what we call "The Broads".

 

 

Building of ne boats now contracted out?

[rightsaidfred]

The past is the past and gone forever,  today is the now and tomorrow will become today, we cannot recall yesteryear we need to make the most of today and look to the future which is what I think Richardsons are doing.

Given their longitude and expertise in a wide spectrum of the leisure industry added to which consulting the BA planning Department over the past 12 months or so prior to the application I expect they have a pretty well though out plan of what they are doing with all their sites.

Its a New Year and maybe a new beginning, lets try and be positive.

Fred  

[MargeandParge]

I don't think that anybody has suggested to anyone how to run a business. It is the future of Broadland that makes a rounded conversation. Points thought about by some are different from points thought about by others and that us why this forum is a good place. 

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[OldBerkshireBoy]

2 hours ago, MargeandParge said:

I don't think that anybody has suggested to anyone how to run a business. It is the future of Broadland that makes a rounded conversation. Points thought about by some are different from points thought about by others and that us why this forum is a good place. 

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

I doubt that the owners would agree if they read through the doomsayers comments.