BaNES Council is holding another consultation about the moorings at Mead Lane, Saltford, on the River Avon. The deadline is 31st October 2019. Please respond to this so that the views of boaters without a home mooring are heard. The survey is here:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/MeadLane
There will be a a drop-in consultation session for the boating community on Tuesday 22nd October 2019 between 5pm and 8pm at Bath Cricket Club, North Parade Rd, Bath BA2 4EX. Please go if you can and make sure that BaNES Council understands how important it is for liveaboard boaters to continue to be able to moor at Mead Lane for 14 days and how this can make the difference between being able to renew your licence with no problems and having your licence restricted to 6 months or renewal refused with the consequent risk of Section 8 and homelessness.
Local residents in Mead Lane and elsewhere have tried many methods to close the moorings, which are owned by BaNES Council. Also some residents have regularly harassed of boaters who are quite legitimately moored at Mead Lane, as they are entitled to do by the Publc Right of Navigation on rivers and the British Waterways Act 1995. The latest attempt to close the moorings to boaters is a proposal by the Saltford Environment Group (SEG) for a Local Nature Reserve at the moorings. The SEG is canvassing local residents to support in the BaNES consultation.
The SEG says among other things on its web site:
“BaNES Council held a mooring trial in Mead Lane in 2017 and 2018 which led to increasing levels of mooring infringements, anti-social behaviour and damage to the riverbank and in particular the flora and fauna it supports. The issues there have continued unabated since the trial ended in 2018.
SEG and Saltford Parish Council, supported by Mead Lane residents, are now asking BaNES Council to create a Local Nature Reserve there in response to the Council’s online consultation on the future of Mead Lane being held during October.
At its meeting on 1st October Saltford Parish Council agreed its consultation response. This was that the trial mooring had clearly demonstrated that Mead Lane as a hitherto unspoilt beauty spot in the Green Belt and in close proximity to residential housing is unsuitable and impracticable for moorings which are having a detrimental effect on the natural environment for one of Saltford’s most important amenity locations for viewing and appreciating the local landscape, the Cotswold AONB.”
Please respond to the consultation to challenge these inaccurate and offensive accusations against the liveaboard boating community.
This matter will be discussed at the forthcoming K&A Boaters’ Action Group meeting on Monday 14th October 2019 at 7.30pm at the Somerset Arms, Semington.
Tags: BANES Council, community, consultation, liveaboards, Mead Lane, prejudice, River Avon, Saltford Parish Council
By all means make it a nature reserve as long as the existing mooring and parking arrangements stay the same. After all lots of nature reserves have car parking space and boats are moored on protected coastlines eg all the way along Jurassic coast world heritage site, Poole harbour, etc.
I totally agree with Saltford Parish Council & SEG.I believe that the Mead Lane riverbank
should be designated as a Local Nature Reserve.
It is very important that Mead Lane should be a nature reserve ,and now is the time to get started on this project .
I think Mead Lane should be strictly a local nature reserve.
I think it’s a little harsh to suggest evicting everyone from the houses along Mead Lane.