CRT has released information about its new visitor mooring framework which confirms that most visitor moorings will revert to 14 days between 1st November and 31st March, unless there are strong reasons against this. It is unlikely that all the visitor moorings on the K&A will revert to 14 days in winter. Those on the busiest parts of the waterway, such as Bath and Bradford on Avon, are likely to remain short-term all year.
In Short Term Moorings: Framework for Change, CRT also states that any changes to visitor moorings must be consulted on and must be based on evidence collected over at least three months, including the busiest six weeks of the summer. This is a welcome step forward. Many visitor moorings (and ‘no mooring’ areas) on the K&A were established at the behest of wealthy canal-side residents who don’t want boats mooring outside their gardens. Some visitor moorings, such as above Bradford lock, were extended without consultation by previous waterway managers.
The extensive changes that CRT announced to visitor moorings in the south-east in 2013 provoked enormous opposition. One of the reasons was that the proposed changes were not based on sound evidence. Some of the changes that were made, such as making it impossible to moor in Stoke Bruerne for 14 days, have had a significant adverse effect on local businesses because boaters do not stop there any more. Local businesses that depend on trade from boaters have complained to CRT about the changes.
A review of the visitor moorings on the western K&A is currently being carried out by representatives of local waterway users, including live-aboard boaters.
You can read the detailed visitor mooring framework and appendices here
8539-short-term-moorings-framework-for-change
8541-short-term-mooring-framework-appendices
See also
http://kanda.boatingcommunity.org.uk/se-visitor-mooring-consultation-example-response/
http://kanda.boatingcommunity.org.uk/petition-against-the-se-moorings-consultation/
Tags: consultation, liveaboards, se waterways consultation, visitor moorings