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Middle Level for a month


rasputin

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6 hours ago, matty40s said:

The Middle Level commisioners shoud resort to Middle Age solutions - seize the boats and auction, taking their tithe from the proceeds.

Although they are rarely used, I think CART have the powers to do that.

If boats are overstaying, for example at the public staithe in March, this suggests inefficiency or sluggishness on the part of the local council. In practical terms, surely such boats create no problems, as during the winter there is very little through traffic on the ML and there are no hire boats until about Easter. Even after that, there's ample space to moor in the town, for example on the other side of the river from the staithe. We are not talking about a congested system here.

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37 minutes ago, Athy said:

Although they are rarely used, I think CART have the powers to do that.

If boats are overstaying, for example at the public staithe in March, this suggests inefficiency or sluggishness on the part of the local council. In practical terms, surely such boats create no problems, as during the winter there is very little through traffic on the ML and there are no hire boats until about Easter. Even after that, there's ample space to moor in the town, for example on the other side of the river from the staithe. We are not talking about a congested system here.

If the current legal powers are sufficient for an appropriate degree of control on the ML, I would have expected Parliament to have thrown out the Bill at committee stages - despite popular opinion I don't think they generally like unnecessary new laws, there are enough of them left over from ancient history as it is.

 

I had thought that the problems on the ML were not dissimilar to those on other navigations in that the legal process is deliberately difficult for landlords to obtain possession of something that is someone's home. Of course, if you are a landlord (and there are plenty of perfectly good ones with small portfolios, perhaps just the one house being rented out whilst the owner is living elsewhere for the time being) the picture can look very different if you have a tenant that never pays any rent after having moved in and all but trashes the place. At the same time, the move to largely shorthold tenancies creates its own social problems - specifically with credit and almost all transactions these days involve having a good credit score! (unless under the counter . . .)

 

The new Act, as I understand it, gives the MLC powers to introduce a registration scheme and to make some matters consequent upon that. as with CaRT, removing a licence can be seen as the simplest route towards removing an unwanted boat - proving that it is not licensed/registered is much the simplest administrative action. (Of course, that draws a veil over the process by which the licence /registration is withdrawn, usually by enforcing conditions such as insurance and safety)

 

Much was said in Parliament during the passage of the Bill that MLC needed new powers but that these were in exchange for stronger duties to maintain and provide an adequate level of boater services, funded in part from the registration fees revenue.

 

My impression was that Parliament sought to enable a genuinely nomadic way of life on the ML, subject to the lightest regulatory touch that was reasonable, whilst making it much harder for unreasonable situations to remain 'under the radar' or even when known, unremoveable. Anything based on a 'reasonableness' test will always be, on the one hand, better for the application of justice suited to specific cases but, on the other hand, open to suspicion that it is used partially.

 

Nigel M may know more as he is, I suspect, still in touch with the folk on the ground, but I don't think that MLC have yet announced any action consequent on the passage the Act.

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1 hour ago, Athy said:

 Even after that, there's ample space to moor in the town, for example on the other side of the river from the staithe. We are not talking about a congested system here.

Last time I stopped in March the Town Mooring was completely empty so presume everyone has finally moved on. There are now signs on the opposite side stopping all mooring. Which could be a pain if its busy (having stopped overnight there before in the past when its busy)

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1 minute ago, PaulJ said:

Last time I stopped in March the Town Mooring was completely empty so presume everyone has finally moved on. There are now signs on the opposite side stopping all mooring. Which could be a pain if its busy (having stopped overnight there before in the past when its busy)

I went over the town bridge last week and didn't see any boats moored at the staithe; I think there was one tied up in the park, opposite and just beyond the sanny station.

I wonder why the council have banned mooring opposite the staithe. The river is not particularly narrow there, and it's a useful "overspill" when the moorings are full, as well being (so one local boater tells me) a bit quieter in the evenings (there is a pub directly up the bank from the staithe).

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17 minutes ago, Athy said:

I went over the town bridge last week and didn't see any boats moored at the staithe; I think there was one tied up in the park, opposite and just beyond the sanny station.

I wonder why the council have banned mooring opposite the staithe. The river is not particularly narrow there, and it's a useful "overspill" when the moorings are full, as well being (so one local boater tells me) a bit quieter in the evenings (there is a pub directly up the bank from the staithe).

Maybe something to do with the little cruiser that was sunk there for a while ? Perhaps it cost the council to either remove it or they just dont want a repeat of it. I dont know -all pure speculation on my part.

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3 hours ago, PaulJ said:

Last time I stopped in March the Town Mooring was completely empty so presume everyone has finally moved on. There are now signs on the opposite side stopping all mooring. Which could be a pain if its busy (having stopped overnight there before in the past when its busy)

Access to the opposite side is down a difficult slope and I would have expected that the Council would have to post such signs to cover themselves, regardless of what action they might or might not take. People going up and down, especially in quantity, would not do the bank much good either?

 

This was meant to be a reply to the previous post - #53

Edited by Mike Todd
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12 hours ago, matty40s said:

The Middle Level commisioners shoud resort to Middle Age solutions - seize the boats and auction, taking their tithe from the proceeds.

Didn't they do that about a year, maybe two back?

5 hours ago, Athy said:

 . Even after that, there's ample space to moor in the town, for example on the other side of the river from the staithe. We are not talking about a congested system here.

I thought they had made that No Mooring now

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1 hour ago, Athy said:

According to post 53, yes.

 

That is the problem with replying when you get to the posting in question. Sorry, no way am I going to sit and read 60 posts and then work my way backwards to the one I want to reply to. I expect others do the same and comment as soon as they feel they have something to add to a post. 

Also I have turned up in March and there have been no mooring spots on the visitor moorings so moored on the offside, where you cant now.

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On 13/03/2019 at 09:34, Athy said:

I went over the town bridge last week and didn't see any boats moored at the staithe; I think there was one tied up in the park, opposite and just beyond the sanny station.

I wonder why the council have banned mooring opposite the staithe. The river is not particularly narrow there, and it's a useful "overspill" when the moorings are full, as well being (so one local boater tells me) a bit quieter in the evenings (there is a pub directly up the bank from the staithe).

It alway has been no mooring on that side of the river. It is for use of  fisherman (As displayed on the gate) , the local club paid for the no mooring signs.

Fishing gate.jpg

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The boat in question was classed as abandon so the MLC were able to remove it, The owner was away on a mail bag repair course at the time. There is a problem with overstaying boats hence the new mooring rules, Common complaint with hirers not being able to stop and stock up on supplies. The same boats not moving for weeks. This green 70ft spent more than 36 weeks on a 36 hour mooring until after a long legal battle he was removed. The springer in WestEnd Park has not moved since 22nd June 2018, it soon be a case of 48 weeks on 48 hour mooring.  

70ft Green narrowboat March riverside.jpg

WP_20180908_16_43_07_Pro.jpg

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From information that a Middle Level wok crew just gave me, if you're thinking of doing your Middle Level visit, do it soon: according to them, it will cost £50 for a visitor's licence, whethertwo wander around or just to go through from Pbo to Denver once the Act comes into force.

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43 minutes ago, Athy said:

From information that a Middle Level wok crew just gave me, if you're thinking of doing your Middle Level visit, do it soon: according to them, it will cost £50 for a visitor's licence, whethertwo wander around or just to go through from Pbo to Denver once the Act comes into force.

Blimey-thats going to be an expensive day /overnight stop passing through..

 

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3 minutes ago, PaulJ said:

Blimey-thats going to be an expensive day /overnight stop passing through..

 

I did say "according to them"; these were rude mechanicals, not admin staff, so it may just be the rumour that they heard from their mate in the pub who heard it off his girlfriend whose sister knows someone who works for the ML, that sort of thing.

What do temp. licences for the Thames cost?

 

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I can't remember the exact figure for the Thames. but i think a typical modern narrow boat costs about £35 for a one day licence (effectively you get two days, just enough to do the Oxford-Reading transit in spring or summer), or £60 for a week. Of course, for that you get to be on a Very Posh River, and the scenery is quite magnificent.

As Athy says, what he was told could be very second hand and unreliable, but £50 for a short transit through the Middle Level does seem very steep. If anything in such a flat area can really be described as steep.

  • Haha 1
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1 hour ago, Athy said:

From information that a Middle Level wok crew just gave me, if you're thinking of doing your Middle Level visit, do it soon: according to them, it will cost £50 for a visitor's licence, whethertwo wander around or just to go through from Pbo to Denver once the Act comes into force.

Do a wok crew do stir fries?

 

More seriously, £50 is what the Avon Navigation Trust charge for a through transit licence, so it's not impossible the rumours are correct.

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Just now, TheBiscuits said:

Do a wok crew do stir fries?

 

More seriously, £50 is what the Avon Navigation Trust charge for a through transit licence, so it's not impossible the rumours are correct.

Tee-hee, The famed Athy Typo is alive and weel.

 

To be fair I'm Derbyshire-born, and "wok" is the usual pronunciation for work in that area. "Ah'm joost off t'wok, Dook".

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Every thing is still in the planning stage as regards licences. Acorrding to David Thomas CEO MLC at the meeting of the March Society last Wedesday at March libarby where he gave a talk on the work of the Middle Level Commissioners and the Middle Level Act. One of the things being looked at, Is the arrangment that CRT and the Bridgewater have with access to each others waterways. The MLC are discussing with the EA for a similar arrangement with the EA.      

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

We are off out the other end tomorrow :(

 

If you haven't done it before, go down steam and turn, then come back into the lock if the tide is againt you, i crashed, the boat behind me crashed, I assumed there was no right way as nobody had told me, the tidal flow was not expected 

Edited by rasputin
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