Is there a foundation to the rumours of a charge at Reedham Quay

[ranworthbreeze]

It is now a little over 9 months since there were reports that there could be a charge for overnight mooring at Reedham quay in the local press. There are more rumours that this may be charged at the start of the season.

I have searched the local press and searched the Broads Authority website but can not find any up to date information regarding this matter. It is apparent that the village do not wish to see a downturn in any visitors.

Additional electric posts were installed in the mid to later half of last season, but other than water points there are no other facilities such as public toilets or showers.

Can anyone confirm the situation for the start of the season.

Regards

Alan

[littlesprite]

Hi Alan,

There is a thread running on the other site that shows a copy of a letter from the Broadlands District Council saying that charges start as from the start of the 2014 season.

[donnygeoff]

Hi Alan,

No showers, but there are public toilets at Reedham....

Walk down to the ship and turn left, virtually in the ship car park, the last time we went, they were very well kept....

 

I did find it hard not turning right into the pub, but it was only 9:30 so wouldn't have been open anyway..

 

[Paladin]

The BA also provide a Quay Ranger, to help with mooring, as a safety measure. The Broadland District Council used to contribute to the cost, but, as part of their budget reductions, they stopped contributing at the start of last season, so it appears the £3 charge will go to balance that loss of revenue.

[reedham]

Also saw the thread on the other forum, it does look like it's going to happen. To be honest I think it's fair enough to continue to fund the ranger who obviously provides assistance to holidaymakers and £3 isn't a lot really. I also think that it's far more appropriate for the funding to come from boaters who use the service rather then the general tax payers, many of whom don't.

[littlesprite]

I was up at Medway Hospital last week for a blood test, 20 minutes total and it cost me £2 for parking, £3 for 24hrs sounds good in comparison.

[minor2011]

Yes I think it is a fair charge for their (the rangers) service. But since it is us hireboaters that are more likely to need assistance than owners maybe the charge should be levied at hire boats only with the bill going to the hire yard for the customer to pay at the end of the holiday or for the yard to pay for them.

[Happy]

  Well minor 2011, I totally disagree with your statement.

I have had my own boat on the Broads, on and off, for the past

40 years and am fully aware that a great deal of hire boaters

can handle a boat better than some owners!  The Broads are there 

for all of us to share, £3 is not a lot of 'beer tokens' so leave the

hire boats alone!  Regards Alan

[Hockham Admiral]

I can assure you, Minor, (as Happy Alan says above), that when the tide is running strongly at Reedham all skippers, be they private or hirer, welcome assistance from the Ranger!   :clap

[Broads01]

In my experience the rangers at Reedham tend to be helpful and friendly chaps who provide a good service in what can be a tricky area. I therefore agree that a £3 charge seems reasonable. Lets hope this is the only BA mooring where a charge is added. I could do without being pounced on for money at Cockshoot or How Hill!

[Linny]

Regarding payment itself, proper controls are necessary.  When a £2 charge for water in 2013 was requested, payments were asked for (to us) directly by the ranger and made with cash with no receipt.  (In fact one of them made a point of making sure we paid by sitting on the wall while we filled up and waited for the money - must have been a slow day).    The same concern would apply to any money charged for overnight mooring, would a receipt be given?  Have no objection to paying the £3 fee, but not sure if they still intend to charge for the water as well, if so then £5 may put some people off.

[SueH]

Hello. 

 

I think that £3 a night is a small amount to pay for the help of the ranger.  If the wind is blowing us away from the mooring I have great difficulty getting off Shadow (being not as agile as I should be and a bit of a wimp!), so having someone there to catch the ropes for me is a bonus.

 

We had horrendous problems last time we were on board in a similar situation at the Reedham Ferry (where there is no-one to help) where the wind changed just as we came into moor and blew us off the  mooring.  It took quite a while for me to sort it out, and two minutes later it absolutely threw it down which is probably why the wind got up.

 

SueH

 

 

[Soundings]

There is plenty about this on the other forum. The "NBF lawyers" having got hold of it 

[ranworthbreeze]

I have only moored there twice in over 12 years and one of those times was to take on fuel from Sanderson's (so not at the quay as such).

I tend to moor up at Reedham Ferry so pay their mooring fee.

 

For the protection of the Rangers at Reedham you should insist on a receipt, any cash business is open to accusations and abuse.

It is your right to demand a receipt for any payment made and because it is a service it should be a VAT receipt.

 

Regards

Alan

[650xs]

I,m orf to moor rite next to me ole fav the pub with charm .............

then I,ll set orf once half cut with a smile and a tipp orf the ole hat ...

shouting yer never get me alive ..........copper ..ranger ..!!!

smell yer later ...........!!!!!!!!

advice is free at reedham but ,tiying up cost s.....

ohh humm..............

[650xs]

a friendly ranger is a good ranger .........

well worth the expertise at reedham ............

we have all seen to many hickups ..........

I agree with he others .......a helping hand goes along way ...

last comment/post was dun in jest yer know ...........

fast flowing water and winds in rung direction can make good work for a boat builder for a week or two yer know ...

sonn moan if there wern,t a ringer there .......????

[ExUserGone]

Surely the point is that the quay at reedham belongs to the village not the BA so it's down to the village wether or not it charges, every conversation I have had with locals in reedham seems to suggest they are against it.

I don't object to £3 but I expect it to go to the land owner not the self imposed 'authority' that police it, the same bunch that have told me to moor on the lord nelsons spot telling me I don't need to use the pub, it the pub owns that bit of mooring thats out of order in my book.

I have fallen foul of the 24 hour bit there when returning for a second night when my visit has involved the spending of over £150 to the local business's, surely that is far more in the village (the quay owners) interest than the boats that have stopped onboard all night and spent sod all.

Just another point of view.....

[Soundings]

I think it is all down to the BA taking over the lease of the quay from whoever has it now. There is a long thread on this over on the NBF that may interest you. Personally I found it was getting boring but there for reasons for that.

[Paladin]

The BA has had the lease for many, many years. It expired in 2002 and negotiations have been going on since then. Broadland District Council actually own the quay, not the village.

 

A long time ago (1916), counsel's opinion was sought about fees and the opinion was that, as historically a fee had never been charged, it would not be lawful to impose one. This is before the BA was even a twinkle in anyone's eye. The orginal lease contained a clause which prohibited the BA from charging. BDC now claim to have had legal advice that a fee can be charged. The thinking seems to be that the charge is required, as BDC has now stopped contributing to the cost of providing the ranger service.

 

This is all being arranged secretly. At the point in NavCom meetings at which the matter has been discussed, the public have been excluded and the minutes of the discussions have not been made public.

 

That, in a nutshell, is where we are, at the moment. I won't bore anyone by mentioning this further.

[Soundings]

Thank you for the resume, Paladin. It is not the bare bone facts that I found boring but....never mind best left there as each to his/her own

[ranworthbreeze]

There is currently a report on Anglia Afloat that is reporting what we already know, but check it out for yourselves.

http://www.angliaafloat.co.uk/news/overnight_mooring_charges_would_make_reedham_a_ghost_town_residents_fear_1_3254615

Regards

Alan