Boaters' Update March 2009

Bill Bryson backs campaign to clean up canals
Bill Bryson, best-selling author and President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), is backing BW’s Towpath Tidy weekend between Thursday 26 and Sunday 29 March 2009. Everyone is welcome, with activities ranging from litter picking, painting and graffiti removal, to cutting back towpath vegetation.

As part of its Stop the Drop campaign, CPRE is supporting the campaign by involving its local branches and other litter picking groups registered on Litteraction. Bill Bryson comments: “Britain’s waterways are of vital importance, providing everyone with the opportunity to experience their cities, towns and countryside from a unique and tranquil perspective. It’s a disgrace that some people choose to treat their waterways as an open litter bin or as a place to dump their discarded waste. I urge everyone who wants to get this country clean to join in and tidy a towpath.”

In addition to CPRE, BW’s Towpath Tidy 2009 is supported by EnCams’ The Big Tidy Up campaign, the leading inland waterways charity the Inland Waterways Association as well as a number of canal societies and trusts.

Read more information about BW’s Towpath Tidy 2009

Find out more details of Towpath Tidy in your area

Waterways provide a flow of renewable energy
BW has announced an agreement with The Small Hydro Company Ltd to generate 210,000 mega watt hours of renewable energy per annum using it’s waterway network. Backed by Climate Change Capital’s Ventus Fund, the process of gaining consents for the first five hydro schemes alongside river weirs will begin later this month. The proposals will enhance waterway biodiversity as well as providing improved flood mitigation for local communities.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Ed Miliband MP said: “By committing to build small hydro power stations and wind turbines, BW is playing an important role in generating renewable energy from the UK’s natural resources. This will help cut carbon emissions and further secure energy supplies. We want even more homes, communities, businesses and public sector organisations to take action and play their part in tackling climate change. The Renewables Obligation already supports renewable electricity generation and from 2010 we'll be introducing a feed-in tariff which will reward projects like this with guaranteed cash payments.”

Hilary Benn, Environment Secretary said: “Britain’s waterways were the arteries of our economy, providing transport and power. This scheme shows how with ingenuity and innovation they can once again deliver real economic, social, and environmental benefits, especially in tackling and adapting to climate change.”

Read more information about how waterways will provide a flow of renewal energy

Price review for 12 month mooring permits
BW has completed its latest pricing review for 12 month mooring permits to apply in England and Wales from April 2009. The review fulfils BW's statutory obligation to set market-led prices whilst ongoing analysis of vacancies and prices will ensure that BW is able to respond quickly to any effects that the unprecedented economic downturn may have on the moorings market during 2009/10.
As part of the process, each individual BW mooring site in England and Wales has been reviewed taking into consideration its condition, facilities, occupancy levels, strength of local demand and changes in supply.

BW’s chief executive, Robin Evans comments: "Whilst ensuring that BW prices its moorings at the market rate we are very mindful of the unprecedented economic climate. Over coming weeks and months we will continue to analyse what's happening in the market place, keeping a close eye on occupancy levels and the volume and strength of bids for tendered vacancies. Whilst the moorings sector appears to be holding up well, if necessary, we will be able to quickly respond to reflect changes in local markets.

Read more about the 12 month mooring permits review and a summary of the price increases

The price list for BW's directly managed sites is published at www.waterscape.com/downloads

A report of the price review, which includes a copy of the pricing guidelines used by BW managers is published at www.britishwaterways.co.uk/mooringprices09

Moorings vacancies update
The first week of March saw an all time high of 70 vacancies advertised for BW’s long term moorings - signs of Spring we hope! There is some evidence of prices softening, but the percentage of contracts secured at above the guide price is still hovering around 50% (the long term average is 54%). To view vacancies currently available, use the search facility at www.bwmooringvacancies.co.uk

BW’s web development team is working on the conversion of the tendering system to open auction. If you have suggestions for site improvements that you think they should consider, please drop an email to mooring_vacancies.enquiries@britishwaterways.co.uk

Online boat checker submissions
Despite a slow start due to the bad weather over 100 sightings have been logged up until the end of February. Of these reports 12% related to boats which had already relicensed and a further 59% were already in our enforcement process, 13% resulted in new cases being opened for action, and the remaining 16% were boats which were not identifiable through a valid boat index number but the details have been passed to our enforcement teams for further investigation.

Visit the online boat checker

Shop a Trolley hotline launched
BW is calling to account many of the UK’s biggest retailers after figures show that it wastes £150,000 of public money every year recovering thousands of abandoned shopping trolleys.
A new Trolley Hotline allows the public to report sightings of abandoned trolleys in BW’s canals and rivers. This information will be used to help recover trolleys, to map hotspot areas and to identify a league table of the nation’s least and most environmentally responsible retailers.
The initiative is supported by the Inland Waterways Association (IWA), the leading inland waterways charity. IWA’s chairman, Clive Henderson comments: "The waterways are attractions for the whole community to enjoy. They should be kept free of litter and some of the country’s biggest household names should be doing more to protect the nation’s waterway environment. Abandoned shopping trolleys are unsightly, costly to remove, and spoil the outlook for the millions of people who visit the waterways each year. They also cause costly damage to boats. Removal of these trolleys would also have a wider beneficial effect for the waterways. There is evidence to suggest that an improved environment changes behaviour. So the problem of general littering, dumping and other antisocial behaviour might well reduce as a result of trolley removal."
Later in the year, BW will present a 'Golden Trolley Award' to the retailer showing best environmental management of its trolleys, while an 'Off Your Trolley Award' will be presented to the least environmentally responsible retailer.

In addition to the launch of the Trolley Hotline, BW has written to each of the main retailers asking them to enter into a not-for-profit cost recovery agreement for shopping trolleys that BW recovers on their behalf.
Members of the public can log a sighting of an abandoned trolley in a BW canal or river by phoning the Trolley Hotline on 01923 201120 or visiting www.britishwaterways.co.uk/trolley
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[/features-and-articles/news/2372/shop-a-trolley-hotline-launched Read more about BW’s Trolley hotline launched

Safe and Considerate Boating ‘09
Who will be using your boat this year? Are you confident they all know the ropes? To help any new crew members prepare for their trip, why not email them these links?

Boaters’ Handbook pdf - www.waterscape.com/boatershandbook

Boaters’ Video - www.waterscape.com/watch

Considerate Boater - www.considerateboater.com

If your licence-holder’s copy of The Boater’s Handbook is not where it should be on board, drop an email to Enquiries.hq@britishwaterways.co.uk and they will send you a replacement free of charge.

BW warmly welcomes the new, independent Considerate Boater campaign and website as a valuable complement to its own publications and advice. While the Boaters Handbook concentrates on boat handling competence and the understanding of safety risks, Considerate Boater fosters harmony on the cut by inspiring considerate behaviour.

Reacting to the credit crunch
In these hard times, it’s an obvious thought that renting out your boat for periods when you’re not using it could be a smart thing to do. Before you take this step, do check the advice note on the BW Licence webpage here. There are serious safety liability aspects that you can’t afford to overlook. These are covered in the BW business licence that you must switch to if you take payment from anyone for the use of your boat.

Late payment charge
BW will start invoicing for late payment charges from April this year. This means that if by April, your licence is more than one month overdue, you’ll face an additional charge of £150. This only applies of course if your boat is still on a BW waterway. To avoid being bothered unnecessarily by letters from the boat licensing office on this subject, do please help us keep our records up to date by using the relevant change notification form which you’ll find listed at www.britishwaterways.co.uk/license-it/downloads

BW teams up with Boris Johnson to go green
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and Rosie Boycott, chair of London Food, have welcomed BW as a major new sign-up to the Capital Growth project to find 2,012 new food growing spaces in London by 2012.

BW is working with Capital Growth experts to identify a range of suitable spaces for growing food, including land alongside canals and turning retired workboats into floating vegetable plots.
The first will be a stretch of land along the Hertford Union Canal in Hackney Wick. This area will be planted and tended by Growing Concerns, a community-based gardening and landscaping team dedicated to improving the environment for those living and working in London’s East End. The land will be used to develop a community composting scheme and food planting plot.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "I am thrilled that BW has signed up to Capital Growth. Using currently underused stretches of land along London’s canals and even the boats on them, to grow fruit and veg will not only provide local communities with top notch healthy grub but also help make our waterways even more vibrant, exciting and colourful places to enjoy."

A total of 14 groups have now signed up to the Capital Growth pilot scheme to date, which was launched by the Mayor and Rosie Boycott in November 2008.

Read more about BW’s work with the Capital Growth project

A couple of new faces on the bank from April
Following competitive tendering, BW has awarded nationwide contracts for its major canal engineering works and day-to-day vegetation and facilities management. The arrangements with external contractors, which bring financial efficiencies and improved environmental, heritage and safety standards, will support BW’s in-house engineering and bank staff in providing essential repairs and waterway maintenance.

The new framework contract to provide support on major canal engineering has been awarded to May Gurney. A four-year network-wide agreement with a possible two-year extension, the contract is worth approximately £20 million a year and is effective from the beginning of April. Whilst the major works contract excludes spend on waterway dredging, May Gurney is also likely to deliver a number of additional third party-funded canal improvement projects on behalf of BW and its partners.

The contract to undertake day-to-day vegetation and facilities management in England and Wales has been awarded to Fountains plc. BW has consolidated approximately 100 smaller contracts to award the three-year programme (with an optional two year extension), which also starts in April. The new arrangement is expected to be worth around £5 million a year and as well as bringing financial savings, which will allow greater level of vegetation and tree works to be delivered for the budget available, the Fountains contract is intended to provide a more consistent level of service across the waterways. It will also ensure a more rigorous adherence to BW’s environmental and safety standards.

BW’s technical director, Jim Stirling comments: “BW cares for the third largest collection of listed structures in Britain and today our waterways are enjoying a renaissance in popularity and use. Keeping them open and working, however, requires a year-round programme of care, maintenance and investment. These contracts will support our work in-house and will ensure that we continue maximising money that’s available to spend on waterway upkeep.”

Read more about how waterways benefit from BW’s new engineering and maintenance contracts

Floating moorings set to welcome boaters to Liverpool
22 new floating pontoons have been installed at Salthouse Dock in readiness for the opening of the Liverpool Canal Link in spring 2009. Costing £120K, the pontoons were designed and installed by specialist contractor Intermarine. Funding was provided by Objective 1 ERDF and North West Regional Development Agency, through the Waterfront Connections programme.
The new canal link, which is due to open in the spring, will bring further economic benefits to Liverpool, echoing a time when the city’s docks were a transhipment hub for inland waterways freight. For the first time in over a century, canal boats will be able to navigate the current 127-mile Leeds & Liverpool Canal straight into the heart of Liverpool.

BW’s external funding officer, Steve Higham said: “Developing high quality pontoons in the South Docks has been an important aim of BW since we took ownership of the waterspace in 2003. The pontoons will provide key services for boaters to enjoy their stay in the heart of the Liverpool Waterfront at the end of their journey along the newly created Liverpool Canal Link.”

Read more information on the new floating pontoons in Liverpool

BW creates new homes for water voles
BW is recycling the sludge and silt it removes from the upper River Lee Navigation into new riverside residences for water voles. This programme will ensure a clear navigation channel for boats this summer as well as having a unique benefit for waterway wildlife.
Rather than dump the sludge-like silt brought out of the river, it will be recycled into a series of new water vole habitats. The new residences will be installed along the banks of the upper River Lee Navigation between Cheshunt and Waltham Town.

BW’s ecologist, Leela O’Dea explains: "The dredged silt from the Lee Navigation is just the right sort of material that’s needed to create a soft bank, which is the best environment for burrowing animals like the water vole to make a nest in. These new habitats will help support the local vole population and encourage more of these shy little creatures to make the river their home."
Just over a year ago, in February 2008, Government announced full legal protection for water voles, better known as 'Ratty' from Wind in the Willows. The water vole is the UK's fastest declining mammal, with habitat destruction and predators, notably mink (an invasive species), decimating the population over the past thirty years.
By creating new soft banked areas along the riverside, BW is reclaiming land for the voles and returning it to a more natural state for them to thrive in.

Read more about the water voles new homes online

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Last updated: 12/03/2009