NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BOAT OWNERS

Listening to boat owners, Speaking out for boat owners, Representing boat owners.

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Join NABO because together we boaters can use our knowledge and watchfulness to protect the UK's wonderful waterways lifestyle and heritage.  There is strength in numbers!

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Heritage and CRT

Heritage has not been a main stream campaign issue for NABO, but we do get worried when we see important canal heritage buildings or workshop sites go under the hammer in the name of 'improvement'. We have worked in the past on resisting some of the BW and CRT excesses, like Marsworth, Marple and Bulbourne. The current building at risk is the Stop House in Braunston. CRT have offered it for lease, but we suspect that the cost makes it non viable. Will this unsuccessful offer now provide the excuse for sale, or even demolition? Is this the right way for CRT to balance the budget? You can read the latest here. Our persistence has paid off in the past. Please come and help.

NABO Home

All NABO Members Urged To Complete EA Registration Consultation

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Environment Agency logoThe Environment Agency are consulting on their proposals relating to Boat registration. Charges are to apply from 1st January 2022. The web site link is: https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/environment-and-business/nav-boat-reg-charge/

The proposals apply to all navigable waterways managed by the Environment Agency i.e. principally the non-tidal Thames, Anglian Waterways and the Medway.

The proposals are wide ranging and, whilst providing for increased registration charges for 2022 to 2024, and also seek to make many changes to the current charging regimes regarding classes of craft, measurement of craft, registration periods, payment methods, and many other aspects of craft registration.

The Thames Recreational Powered Boating Organisations, which includes NABO, have many concerns about the proposals and have responded directly on behalf of their members.

However, to demonstrate our members concerns,  the Boating Organisations are urging all their members to respond individually. Please refer to the briefing note here.

NABO also has suggested appropriate responses to the consultation here.

The consultation closes on 16 September 2021

Mike Rodd

 

Thames moorings U turn for EA

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The Thames EA have issued an update regarding the Thames moorings management contract with District Enforcement.

The Environment Agency’s contract with District Enforcement, will be brought to an end from 30th September 2021. They say that this decision has been taken following a review that subsequently identified issues with our internal procurement processes, rather than as a result of any fault by District Enforcement.

District Enforcement will cease operations under the contract on 31st August 2021, with the following four weeks being spent removing their signage from our sites. We expect to look into options to retender for this work in the future but in the meantime moorings will be managed by the Environment Agency’s Waterways staff.

NABO with other boating organisations has been very active in criticism of the way in which this contract was awarded. EA have for a long time refused to acknowledge that there had been a problem. We are delighted that they have now seen some common sense. Our view is that enforement should always be carried out by Navigation Authorities alone.

West Midlands

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Peter Braybrook reports

Since the last Council meeting, I attended the WM Regional Forum on 25th May. I have commented to Matthew Symonds about the constant spin that boaters only pay a fifth of the cost of canal upkeep. I have noticed that there are more infrastructure failures than ever - Hillmorton locks and Factory locks are closed for unplanned gate repairs, apart from other repairs due to ‘bridge strikes’, ‘vandalism’ etc., and two lift-bridge failures so far this season.  Paddle defects are not being attended to in a timely fashion. Apparently it is OK to leave a lock with only one paddle working for months. The mowing trial on the Oxford canal is at option three (i.e. one cut from edge to hedge at the end of the season) and hence this is a typical towpath at the moment. I have spoken to two CCers and a leisure boater (a NABO member) who told me they have received no notice of the T&C consultation. They were surprised that display of their ‘KG’ logo was being proscribed without express consent in writing. I have been engaged as part of a BSS AC sub-group in supporting the interim review of the BSS examination checking procedures of 2015.

Read more: West Midlands

Time to cut the grass?

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Time to cut the grass?

Last year I wrote a long article about towpath mowing (‘One man went to mow’, Issue 4, July 2020). I write now with an update. CRT and the Navigation Advisory Group (NAG) have worked on the mowing regimes over the last 12 months to improve the mapping on the towpath maps. These are the instructions to Fountains on what to cut and where. The need is to accurately record the knowledge of where to cut at:

  • Approaches to structures, landings/moorings, winding holes
  • At sharp bends or obstructions for line of sight.
  • At visitor moorings
  • At remote mooring places, (a 100-metre length every 1 km to allow informal moorings.)

The national CRT team has carried out a desk review of these points and updated the mowing maps. Boaters from the NAG have assisted with this. The new maps are now available on the CRT website. Please have a look at the mowing as you are cruising and provide feedback to CRT via the web portal. Please provide locations. General comments are useless.

Read more: Time to cut the grass?
  1. Letter to members – CRT’s T&Cs