sianimelyn

Dear Boat Licence Customer I wrote to many of you on the 16th and 23rd January and I writing this to update you on the situation from the perspective of the Canal & River Trust (CRT). My first letter informed you that Quorn Marina Properties Limited (QMP) had built up a large debt to CRT and that on 6 December 2013 we obtained Judgment against QMP for that debt and subsequently had no option but to revoke our agreement with QMP which previously allowed them to maintain a connection between the Marina and our waterways. Many of you have been in touch and I have where possible answered your specific questions. I am also aware that Mr Paul Lillie wrote yesterday by email to his customers at the Marina regarding both QMP and a new company called “No.750 Leicester Limited”. The current position is that QMP is now in liquidation following the meeting of the directors and subsequent meeting of the creditors which took place on 3 February 2014. As such the company continues to exist but is now in the control of the liquidator Mr D. A. Nelson. As liquidator Mr Nelson is now obliged to realise the assets of QMP to achieve the best outcome for the benefit of the unsecured creditors of which CRT is one. CRT is in correspondence with Mr Nelson regarding various matters including the way in which QMP was managed and is seeking clarification as to why QMP has such substantial debts to connected companies being Quorn Marina Holdings Limited (QMP’s parent company) and with Pillings Lock Marina Limited (which has historically operated the Marina on a day to day basis). A new company called No.750 Leicester Limited (company no.08874871) was incorporated at Companies House on 4 February 2014. The sole Director of that company is Mr Roy David Frank Rollings. CRT has no other information about this company except that I can confirm that a letter was received from it today indicating that it expects to become the new owner of the Marina and is intending to purchase the land upon which the Marina operates and would be prepared, in principle, to enter into a new Network Access Agreement with CRT. At present however the land remains owned by QMP and it would be inappropriate for CRT to comment further regarding a speculative potential request from a new company which as yet has no legal interest in the Marina. CRT will however be writing shortly to the liquidator to set out the basis upon which CRT would be prepared to enter into a new agreement with any new owner of the Marina. As a charity regulated by the Charity Commission and as custodian of the inland waterway network, the Trust has a duty to protect its assets and manage the waterways responsibly and therefore needs to be satisfied that any new owner of the Marina can meet the requisite financial obligations which all Marina owners which hold connection agreements with CRT are obliged to comply. At present it remains QMP (in liquidation)’s legal obligation under the terms of the agreement which it had with CRT to sever the connection with the waterway by 14 April 2014 and that as previously advised, if QMP does not honour its legal obligation in this regard, CRT intends to take steps after that date to sever the connection. I hope this helps clarify matters for you. I regret that the circumstances in which CRT finds itself does not allow us to remove the threat of disconnection of the marina from the waterway but I hope you will understand that this unfortunate state of affairs has been forced upon us. If you wish to contact me then once again my details are below. Yours sincerely Phil Spencer Head of Business Boating Mob: 07710 175342 Email: phil.spencer@canalrivertrust.org.uk

just received this Further to the Meeting on Monday 3rd February 2014 to Liquidate the Company that operated as landlord at Pilling’s Lock Marina – the company called Quorn Marina Properties Ltd – the closure of that company has been executed, it no longer exists. A new company “No.750 @ Leicester Ltd” has been incorporated on 4th February 2014 to undertake the operations as Landlord to the Marina. I have been informed that this new company has today written to the New Marinas Unit at Canal & Rivers Trust stating that it agrees in principle to starting a new Canal Access Agreement with the Canal & Rivers Trust to maintain the connection of the Marina Basin to the Canal. I’m sure many of you will understand that in this ‘limbo’ period, there are no payments whatsoever being made to Canal & Rivers Trust so I hope that Canal & Rivers Trust do embark on the task of rectifying this matter promptly so that payments for access can start as soon as possible, obviously to the financial benefit of the Canal & Rivers Trust. Indeed, one would sincerely hope that the Canal & Rivers Trust would not want to undertake a very costly exercise of Blockading the Marina Entrance and inconveniencing it’s Boat License Holders only to have the Blockade removed within days or weeks. With many other pressing matters on the Canal Maintenance task list including bank subsidence in this local area, its certain they do have far more important matters to resolve, but if I do hear to the contrary I will inform you personally. Customers should not be alarmed if seeing Canal & Rivers Trust workboats in this immediate area as a reported matter of a weakened culvert at the north east side of the site (between the marina entrance and the Winding Hole) should be getting some attention very soon as it was reported to Will Burnish at CRT Maintenance many months ago by me personally and is an urgent matter. A CRT engineer did visit the site last summer & inform me at the time that there would be a temporary wooden bank built in to protect the subsided area above the culvert as should this bank give way then the Canal would drain into the River Soar at the level beneath the Weir at Pilling’s Flood Lock. If any customers have any further things they wish to discuss, or indeed have been in contact with Canal & Rivers Trust and want a further update, then please do not hesitate to contact Canal & Rivers Trust on 0303 040 4040 or our office on 01509 620990. You will see I have copied the man who wrote to you on the 16th January 2014 - Phil Spencer - into this email so he will now be aware that matters are certainly progressing to a commercially sensible conclusion and to an outcome that puts your best interests as boat owners to the forefront importance. Yours sincerely, Paul Lillie Managing Director

Thank you lone wolf. I will contact them

Hello all.. New here. We have a boat at PL . We knew absolutely nothing about all this until a friend who also keeps her boat there informed us. No letters or e-mails...nothing! So we have been trying to glean as much info as we can and found this website and topic.A lot to read through and quite frankly I`m lost! Can anyone spare the time to give a quick run down of the facts as they stand without the speculation? Any advice as to what we should do? My 1st instinct is to get out of there fast, but there are no moorings available locally, so wonder whether others have beaten us to it.I noticed on the PL FB page that someone mentioned that mooring fees will have to rise to compensate the company being in trouble..Are they serious when there is the threat of the access being closed to the river? Why would I pay more for a boat that I cannot use? I feel dreadfully sorry for all those who actually live down there..their worries far outway ours, as our boat is just for pleasure. Bit gutted about all this to be honest. I love it at the marina :/