Do anybody know anything about a dispute between Pillings Lock Marina and C.A.R.T.?

Do anybody know anything about a dispute between Pillings Lock Marina and C.A.R.T.?

I can guess

There was an article about it in a recent edition of Towpath Talk

There was an article about it in a recent edition of Towpath Talk

That was about CRT allowing too many marinas being the reason the owner has only 70% and falling occupancy.

 

Are we sure this is the same dispute....

Just heard today that if not settled C.A.R.T. Will close the entrance/exit in April.

Having watched the owners of Pillings Lock sink into a very public slagging off on Facebook of some of their former moorers that they had fallen out with, I got the impression that it might be hard for anybody to try and deal with them (ever) without ending up involved in a dispute.

I have seldom seen anything less professional than what they managed to do, and when it trouble, they just kept digging even further.

I read about something between CRT and Pillings in the waterways press recently, although I can't remember exactly what it was about. I do seem to recall something about CRT presenting Pillings with an invoice, that if they pay will put them out of buisness. Or something like that anyway.

Oh, and are you looking to swap crew?

They owe CRT a substantial amount of dosh, it was an open email debate last year with the pilings guy copying in many on the email list, whilst erm, discussing it with a CRT employee.

Apparently CaRT have sent letters out to boat owners @ Pillings informing them of the impending blockade of the marina access in April

 

A

Paul Lillie, manager at Pillings Lock Marina is a member on here.

 

However he does not seem to have been on since April, so its anybody's guess if he will pop up in this thread eventually.

 

(Assuming it isn't locked first, of course!).

So IF it gets cut off from the system, what of the berth holders rights to cruise, the privately owned hire boats, the charity trip boat, new launch boats....and what of licenses, leaseholders, other businesses on the premises?

Does anyone actually have a right to cruise if they are on water disconnected from the system?

 

MtB

Here are a couple of articles about it:

http://www.narrowboatworld.com/index.php/news-flash/6293-marinas-failing

http://www.narrowboatworld.com/index.php/leatest/6300-marina-access-charges

Seems like a bit of a controversy over fees. I hope they get it sorted out.

Edited January 18, 201412 yr by Paul G.

Where will this leave boaters that have purchased leases of their moorings. 12 year leases are still for sale I believe.

Where will this leave boaters that have purchased leases of their moorings. 12 year leases are still for sale I believe.

The dispute between Pillings Lock and BW/CaRT is over Network Access Agreement (NAA) fees.

 

NAA's have dispute resolution provisions but these were exhausted some time back with CaRT now taking Pillings to Court over the disputed sum of £180,000.

 

CaRT have invoked a condition in the NAA that allows them to seal off a marina entrance in case of default and has given three months notice that it intends to do this on 14th April.

 

It seems that no thought has been given to CaRT's customers in this matter.

Where will this leave boaters that have purchased leases of their moorings. 12 year leases are still for sale I believe.

Needing a crane to go boating would be my guess......if they bund the entrance then the marina owners could raise the revenue by charging to crane you over.,...,feel that this could provide hours of fun for some lawyers.....

 

I must admit in my very limited dealings with the marina owners I felt they may not be the easiest people to get along with....

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

Edited January 18, 201412 yr by frangar

It seems that no thought has been given to CaRT's customers in this matter.

 

It seems no thought was given to the issue by people buying the leases, either.

 

MtB

There's nowhere by the entrance a crane could stand solidly.

I'm guessing the 13th April will see an exodus on to the water outside the marina, especially of hire and charity boats moored there, IF they don't resolve it beforehand.

I would think they will do everything they can to avoid such a situation, surely?

Edited January 18, 201412 yr by Ally

Time to get Nigel Moore on the job

 

Nobody has a Right to cruise the canals, you buy a licence to use CaRT's waters.

 

Perhaps affected licenced boaters in the marina might care to blockade the entrance to stop CaRT workboats' filling in the entrance. Get the Daily Wail involved to make a public outcry.

 

!! Power To The People !!

 

 

Is it still C&RT water if its closed off? Would Moorers have a right to claim their licence fees back?

Pillings Lock Marina is a business and it owes a CRT for the marina connection fee etc.

 

I know that innocent people (ie moorers in the Marina) will be effected but instead of yet again complaining of nasty CRT how about being concerned that a commercial company is failing to pay a charity valid charges for access to its assets?

 

So according to some on here CRT are the villain no matter what they do. They may not enforce licence terms not only on individuals but also businesses. If that sentiment prevails then CRT face anarchy and lose a 3rd of its income because no will feel the need to pay them for anything.

Is it still C&RT water if its closed off? Would Moorers have a right to claim their licence fees back?

 

I'd say yes, whatever provisions in the licence agreement for refund of unused licences would apply.

 

This would be the least of the boater's problems though, if the left their boats behind the sealed off entrance.

 

 

 

 

MtB

Is it still C&RT water if its closed off? Would Moorers have a right to claim their licence fees back?

I imagine only the unused portion of it. If it was me I would wait a while and see if it gets resolved but have a back up plan to take the boat out of the Marina in time before closure.

 

I would also claim from Pilling any unused time I had paid for to moor including if I had a long term lease.