Hypothetically speaking...

[LondonRascal]

I read on another thread with nothing to do about fuel but ended with:

 

"At least I'll get to use my Tesco fuel points now, I just have to work out a way to get the boat to Tesco's"

 

And then there was a light bulb above my head and a ding sound.  By Jove I thought as I slapped my head, I'll ask people their opinion on this...

 

So,  though very hypothetical imagine if one of the Supermarkets - or even major fuel suppliers like Esso were to take over somewhere by the river and spring up with a water based filling station, complete with small shop just like you get on the roadside. It would sell Charcoal, wood and Coalite along with Calor  gas, oils and antifreeze.  You could get essential provisions, papers and even some coffee and do your Lotto numbers.

 

What do you think about that? 

 

Would you jump at the chance of such a convenient solution or see it as somewhere to especially avoid and take your business to the small local boatyard as you always have to support them?

[Gramps]

Interesting thought that is Robin, Competition on fuel prices would certainly make a difference, but I fear it would cause the closure of some small businesses.

 

Ron

[BroadScot]

Robin,

 

I can hear the locals shop owners in Stalham going quietly loopy at the very thought of yet another Tesco in the area! Good thinking though on your part,

 

Iain

[Hylander]

Are you planning a career change Robin,  our very own Arkwright.          Are you planning on several on the Southern Broads as well as the North (us meanies dont want to waste too much fuel to get to you to top up).            Will you be doing daily papers?             One downside to all of this -  all of your profit will come in the 'Season' as not a lot of 'drop ins' in the winter months.       

 

It all sounds very romantic and wonderful but really the folk who already have taken on this task do a very good job and thank goodness they are there.

 

   

[grendel]

Robin, how about converting an old thames barge to a convenience store.

Grendel

[Guest]

I find your "light bulb" threads on here very interesting Robin, fresh ideas can sometimes be very enlightening.

 

The idea of a Tesco filling station and metro on the riverbank selling even just petrol, let alone discounted diesel would be welcomed by all boaters.

 

I guess the reason why it hasn't happened is year-round scale of sales. It would be a real honeypot in the high season, but almost dead during the Winter months.

 

Roadside filling stations have steady year-round trade, so are attractive to supermarket giants.

 

But if they could find a Broads location with a busy road running along the front, and the river running along the back.....

 

I guess it makes it more understandable why boatyards have higher 12 month overheads, pushing up their fuel selling prices....

[gancanny]

"But if they could find a Broads location with a busy road running along the front, and the river running along the back."

 

 

       the stracy arms     ..

                                      and it is up for sale.

[Hylander]

Oi!!!   you leave our lovely peaceful Stracey Arms alone......  

[ReedRunner]

Pretty please.... is there any chance this good idea could have a drive float-through boat wash too?

[BroadScot]

Oi!!!   you leave our lovely peaceful Stracey Arms alone......  

Oh has the A47, sorry the Siverstone racetrack been moved then ?

 

Iain.

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Robin,

 

You may not have seen it but on the Canals people make a living operating from their working boats supplying fuel, pump-outs, coal & coke, gas, logs etc.

 

I don't think that I would like the thought of a river based Tesco

 

Regards

Alan 

[Viking23]

Central point for fuel...petrol, diesel, access to a supermarket 24/7

There is only one place... in my opinion...

Great Yarmouth, Asda, free short stay deep water floating pontoons, fuel, water, food and drinks etc. Stop there in each direction during a weeks holiday, and you won't need to stop at another shop or pub on the broads again.

Hmm...not a good idea for supporting local businesses, but when did the large supermarket chains ever consider that?

Coffee shop overlooking the pontoons, great for the grockles to watch first timers trying to moor in a confined space with strong currents.

A great day out for all.

Also have a few moorings for the Broads Authority too.

Richard

[Guest]

"But if they could find a Broads location with a busy road running along the front, and the river running along the back."

 

 

       the stracy arms     ..

                                      and it is up for sale.

 

Yes, an ideal location for the Broads first car/boat filling station.

 

Year-round road fuel sales, and a very well placed boat fuel supplier for craft transiting Yarmouth or going coastal.

 

(the ones with a sub 11ft air draught anyway)

[Guest]

Central point for fuel...petrol, diesel, access to a supermarket 24/7

There is only one place... in my opinion...

Great Yarmouth, Asda, free short stay deep water floating pontoons, fuel, water, food and drinks etc. Stop there in each direction during a weeks holiday, and you won't need to stop at another shop or pub on the broads again.

Hmm...not a good idea for supporting local businesses, but when did the large supermarket chains ever consider that?

Coffee shop overlooking the pontoons, great for the grockles to watch first timers trying to moor in a confined space with strong currents.

A great day out for all.

Also have a few moorings for the Broads Authority too.

Richard

 

Yes, even better, probably.

 

Usable by craft of any air draught, and based North or South.

 

All of the sea-going boats just before they go out or just after they come back.

 

I think they could sell a great deal of fuel to boats there, and they have the perfect foreshore area for a basin to be dug out for a floating fuel pontoon.

[LondonRascal]

If money was not an issue, and one could acquire the land and get over planning then it would be nice to have somewhere that was a sort of river side equivalent of a large filling station with a 'Kwik-Fit' on the side.

 

It would have a sign out front showing fuel was for sale with the price - just as you see on the roadside and it would have a nice modern well stocked store with the usual mix of snacks, drinks and provisions like you get in many a petrol station shops.

 

It would be a case of moor, fill up the tank and your shopping bag and go. But, there would also be say 3 'bays' where people could come without an appointment to have things looked at such as  'my batteries are not holding charge' or 'I need an oil change' - and they could have this carried out while they wait.

 

One could also 'book in' for other services like antifoul, polish, wash and so on - not major boat engineering just the simple stuff.  You would also have a small chandlery selling all things the average boat owner would need.

 

If the store was assessable from the road too, it could serve the local residents too  - think of it as a Spar or Londis which would mean when the boat traffic tailed off the needs of the residents would keep things going - then being able in the winter to sell things like wood, coal and the likes.

 

[Hylander]

Oh has the A47, sorry the Siverstone racetrack been moved then 

 

 

 

I could mention a lot of places far noiser, except for the other evening when a Stag Do on a Richos boat decided to have a firework display in the car park of the Tappas Restaurant.      Late at night which huge rockets and a number of very noisy explosions.       Must have absolutely scared the life out of motorists who would not have been expecting that at night.       You could hear dogs barking for miles.

[Guest]

 

 

[Gracie]

To be honest we would still shop at the little towns and villages while on holiday even if it means spending a couple of quid extra, if we were to lose some of these places it would be a tragedy.

 

The thought of the Stracey Arms becoming a big Supermarket/Petrol Station breaks my heart it's such a lovely place so I'm with Hylander on that one, leave it alone, there's enough Asdas and Tescos already we don't need any more :  

 

Grace

[LondonRascal]

On another thread I have spoken of amenities offered in towns and villages on the Broads  - I'm sorry but in my opinion they are lacking in their choice and breadth and be it a small Norfolk village or a large Town's high street, bricks and mortar businesses are under real threat mainly because so many of us don't tend to need nor wish to go around a shop if we can get it online.  Even brands you thought would be able to weather anything (mobile phone shops) are far from immune from sudden closure as we have seen with Phones 4 U.

 

Tesco is finding out now that simple, down to earth and cheap works well for more and more people than vast hypermarket stores selling it all.  So I think a local medium sized shop offering services locals want would work (take Budgens in Acle).

 

I am not saying that we need a large Tesco to pop up in Horning, but let us say Southgate's yard - a prime riverfront location now imagine if it was to become a Spar - with road and river side petrol and diesel sales and provision for the boat  owner to have small works undertaking too.

 

That would benefit Horning and the local area as far as residents went with greater choice of items and at a good price. By having a small petrol station, drivers and boaters would be helped too - it would also benefit everyone not to mention provide some local based jobs.

 

As far as the Stracey Arms goes - I doubt that would work as much because it is to much in the middle of nowhere without a local community who could use its services you would be reliant 100% on passing traffic.  As far as the Tapas Bar there goes, what a botched enterprise that is.  I stopped off there and had a look about, there are signs on the river front saying 'Tapas Bar' but that is it - no menu board to entice you to walk over to the place, and as you do approach it you can see how once it was a smart building with car parking - now it is slowly being taken over by weeds.  Not until you reach the front door do you find out what they serve and prices which are not keen.

 

It could do what it does just a lot better - offering a take away service for a start to moored boats, in the season popping out along the moorings with a menu to encourage people to give it ago...

 

Sorry I am going off at a tangent.  The point is if you want to fill up your tank with diesel on the Broads it can be a rather protracted affair - go to a hire yard and have to fit in with their operations, then be charged a lot more - go to a smaller independent boatyard like Boulters and have a keen price but not many passing boats (especially hire) would ever know about it and it is pretty cramped to get in and out of.

 

My idea is simply to have a cross over business - good for the residents good for boaters a sort of 'one stop shop'.

[Gramps]

If it were to happen I would be with Gancanny on this one, after all out of town shopping is nothing new to most of us

 

Ron

[Gracie]

What would you get from a Supermarket that a little village or town shop cannot provide for holiday makers and boat owners while out on the rivers. They all provide most essentials, bread, milk, beer and wine etc.

 

Take mooring at the Stracey for instance, you have a little shop, the option of a cooked breakfast if you want one and a place to have a drink and a bite to eat in the evening at the Tapas Bar not to mention the little farm and Mill, can you imagine that being replaced by a some sort of petrol station come superstore where you can even buy a kitchen sink lol, a real blot on the landscape in my opinion.

 

Not forgetting the lovely warm welcome you get from the norfolk people, not someone treating you like you are just a number and tell you to have a nice day at the end of your visit (I loathe that)

 

For boat owners there are the little boat yards like Jason at Ludham or Jon at Wayford to name but a few, that provide services such as boat repairs etc, what damage could a place like that do to these small businesses, at the threat of sounding too slushy I for one think it would be a very sad affair to lose these lovely little places.

 

All my own opinion and have no wish to upset anyone just feel really passionate about this type of thing, good topic and debate though, well done Rascal 

 

Grace

[Labrador]

Long live the isolation of the Broads. If you want riverside tesco type stores then take your boat somewhere else where they cater for you.

[Matt]

Oh has the A47, sorry the Siverstone racetrack been moved then

I could mention a lot of places far noiser, except for the other evening when a Stag Do on a Richos boat decided to have a firework display in the car park of the Tappas Restaurant. Late at night which huge rockets and a number of very noisy explosions. Must have absolutely scared the life out of motorists who would not have been expecting that at night. You could hear dogs barking for miles.

If that is within 50 foot of the centre of the raid that would be illegal.

Can we have a drive thru McDonalds as well

[ranworthbreeze]

Hello Strowager,

I like your aerial picture of the Stracey Arms site (Tapas Bar). The location with the land between there and the Stracey Mill would make an ideal marina location, well out of the way with easy traffic access.

A petrol station at one end with also waterfront access, would fill the needs of both car and boat traffic.

If visitor mooring where also provided then this would also help support some form of shop and eatery for overnight moorers and for marina berth holders.

Maybe a naïve pipe dream but the Northern Broads do need more marina spaces.

Regards

Alan

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Dave it is in places such as the Tapas Bar but towards the Mill the level changes.

With regards to construction the lower end may be even cheaper to construct.

 

Regards

Alan