Boaters' Update November 2007
This month we cover the launch of British Waterways' moorings tender trial, boat licence fees, the recent developments at Clarence Dock in Leeds plus news on who won the first BW Excellence Award.
Mooring tender trial site goes live
BW's mooring tender trial went live on Friday 26 October. In the first week, around 40 vacancies were uploaded onto the website: www.bwmooringvacancies.co.uk. These ranged from very simple towpath moorings to offline berths offering more facilities. You can search the website to find suitable moorings by waterway, county, mooring length and distance from your postcode.
Every mooring vacancy is listed on www.bwmooringvacancies.co.uk for 28 days, so, for example vacancies published on 26 October will close at 1pm on Friday 23 November. Anyone can browse the vacancies and – when the tenders have ended – view all prices tendered. By registering your details on the site, you can also receive email alerts as soon as new vacancies that match your preferences are published.
British Waterways welcomes feedback about the site, all comments logged via the feedback form will be analysed during the consultation period, the formal part of which will begin in May 2008. The consultation outcome will determine the method for allocating BW’s mooring vacancies after the end of the trial in late October 2008.
Licence fees
BW launched a public consultation on 8 October about licence fee increases over the next three years. To have your say, download a copy and send us your comments by Monday 7 January 2008. Chief executive Robin Evans and marketing & customer service director Simon Salem, have set aside four dates for hour-long, face to face discussions with waterway users on the subject: The dates and locations are:
Tuesday 4 Dec in Watford, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm
Thursday 13 Dec in Leeds, 5pm, 6pm or 7pm
Friday 14 Dec in Gloucester, 2pm. 3pm and 4pm
Sunday 16 Dec in Hatton (Warwickshire), 10am, 11am and 12 noon
BW licence holders and interested members of the public are invited. Find more information and booking arrangements.
BW Waterways Excellence Awards - first award goes to Yorkshire
A project to raise the height of Whitley Lock on the Aire & Calder Navigation to compensate for coal mining subsidence has won the first British Waterways 'Excellence Award'. Chief executive, Robin Evans, said: "The team in Yorkshire displayed excellence in almost every dimension: external funding, project management, customer liaison, use of in-house skills, contract management and sustainability".
The new award was introduced to take into account the move to functional rather than location based teams within British Waterways . Whitley Lock on the Aire & Calder Navigation is a vital part of one of the main commercial waterways in the UK and these works were a major engineering project that addressed the impact of mining subsidence.
British Waterways Status Review
British Waterways has published the terms of reference for its Status Review. The purpose of the Review is to identify whether a different institutional structure can secure a more effective sustainable long-term future for BW's inland waterways as valued national assets.
It is a requirement that any option must maintain the waterway assets in long-term public ownership in a manner that ensures their long-term financial security.
A joint team of KPMG and Merrill Lynch are advising British Waterways on the Review.
More about the British Waterways status review
Licence evasion update
British Waterways is continuing to crack down on licence fee evaders. Around £100,000 of licence fee income was recovered between July and September this year. Plus enforcement action (including Section 8 proceedings) was taken on 344 unlicensed boats.
Clarence Dock launching new moorings plan
Clarence Dock, a £250 million mixed development and home to the Royal Armouries in Leeds, is undergoing some major works to install new moorings for up to 44 boats in preparation for the re-opening of the waterspace early next year.
Construction work is currently underway in the dock which will see pontoons lifted in during the next few weeks to create a mix of commercial, long-term and visitor moorings.
More about moorings at Clarence Dock
Waterways Minister visits Loughborough
New waterways minister Jonathan Shaw attended the opening of the £13m regeneration of Loughborough Canal Basin on Tuesday 2 October. The minister was accompanied by BW chairman Tony Hales who then took him on a cruise along the Loughborough Arm of the Grand Union.
The development, which was started in Spring 2006, has seen the creation of a vibrant focal point for the town combining expanded water space with a reshaped canal basin to enable better boat access, public plaza, student accommodation, improved boater facilities, bar and restaurant units and space for the future development of 35 residential apartments.
Commenting on the site East Midlands Waterways, general manager, Caroline Killeavy said: "For many years access to enjoy the waterside in Loughborough was largely closed off but from our experience of waterside regeneration we knew the positive impact that developments of this type of development have, and felt very confident of the benefits that this development would bring to Loughborough. This site is in the heart of the town centre but now provides an everyday escape from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives."
British Waterways' Head Office is moving
British Waterways Head Office is moving. From 1 January 2008 the new office will be at 64 Clarendon Road, Watford, WD17 1DA. All phone and fax numbers will remain the same. The move is estimated to save BW around £250,000 a year.
As previously reported, Craft Licensing has moved to Leeds and changed its name to Boat Licensing.
All Boat Licensing documentation should be sent to:
The Boat Licensing Team
Fearns Wharf
Neptune Street
Leeds
LS9 8PB
All Boat Licensing phone and email enquiries should be directed to the Customer Services Centre in Watford
T: 0845 6715530
E: enquiries.hq@britishwaterways.co.uk
More details on the British Waterways Head Office move
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