This questionnaire is being carried out by liveaboard boaters as part of the Equality Impact Assessment of the Local Mooring Strategy proposals for the western Kennet and Avon canal (Bath to Devizes). The purpose of this questionnaire is to find out what impact the proposed mooring restrictions will have on liveaboard boaters – most of whom don’t have moorings.
BW have issued “For discussion with representatives of national boating organisations” a revised version of the 2004 document “Moorings Guidance for Continuous Cruisers”.
According to BW figures obtained by a London boater in a Freedom of Information Act request, the Lee and Stort Mooring Strategy will make a loss. At a time when BW’s grant from DEFRA has just been cut by around 10%, do they honestly think it is reasonable to embark on a policy that is not only unlawful and unjust, but is financially unsound as well? Here are BW’s income and cost projections:
On March 1st and 2nd, BW were faced with packed halls of angry boaters as they held public meetings to ‘discuss’ the proposals for the Lea and Stort Navigation. It was clear that BW thought they could impose these draconian mooring restrictions without much opposition and did not expect an attendance of 300 intelligent, motivated and furious people.
Another BW press release which puts the Sally Ash operation in perspective – we seem to remember there was an outcry in this country when the Chinese cleared what they saw as undesirables before the Olympics — and again when South Africa hosted the World Cup.
Boating in London during the Olympic Games
Boaters interested in visiting London during the 2012 Olympic Games will be able to pre-book BW visitor moorings more than a year in advance when a when a web-based booking system for visitor moorings goes live in April 2011 to coincide with ticket applications for the Games themselves.
Pre-booked moorings will be available at key locations across London. These are likely to include simple towpath moorings on the Capital’s canals and River Lee as well as both unserviced and more expensive serviced berths in Docklands.
Research conducted at the end of last year suggests that there will be strong demand for moorings in London during the Olympic summer and well over 500 people have already registered to receive further information about securing visitor moorings.
Sally Ash, head of boating at BW, comments: “We are looking forward to welcoming visiting boats to London during summer 2012 and want to make sure the waterways are right at the heart of the Olympic party. Our canals, rivers and docks are perfect bases to discover the capital, with many also having easy access to the Olympic Park.”
Scheduled to go live on 11 April 2011, boaters who register or have already registered their details at www.waterscape.com/londonboats2012 will automatically be emailed inviting them to browse the available mooring sites, book and pay. Moorings will be available on a first come first served basis.
Games ticket applications open for six weeks from 15 March to 26 April 2011 (there is no advantage to submitting your Games ticket application on the first day or the last day). For information on Olympics tickets visit www.tickets.london2012.com/about_tickets.html.
In order to manage the London canal network efficiently at this busy time and ensure moorings are reserved for those who have booked them, there will be a ‘controlled zone’ for several weeks throughout the Olympic summer. Visiting boats will only be able to enter with a confirmed booking of a visitor mooring (with BW, another operator or individual) or a home mooring.