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Middle Level Licencing arrangements


Scholar Gypsy

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FYI.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE Update on navigation licencing for Middle Level Waters The Navigation Advisory Committee have reviewed the position in relation to introduction of licences for Middle Level Waters which was due to take effect from 1st April this year. The committee agree that in light of the COVID-19 situation and reflecting on the impact this will have on the boating community, the date when boats will need to be licenced has been set back to 1 st September 2020. The licence fee will now also be further discounted so that it will be equivalent to 50% of the Environment Agency (EA) Anglian Waters charges. One other change is that the Middle Level will not be issuing EA visitor licences as agents for the EA this year and hence there will no longer be a 25% cap in place for this. Recognising that some applicants may find themselves in a financial hardship situation then it will be possible for such a vessel owner to request that arrangements be made to spread the cost of the licence over a four-month period, by making arrangements for direct debit payments as an example. Applications for licencing for vessels (for the period 1st September 2020 until 31st March 2021) can be made anytime between now and the end of October. Due to current government advice on social contact the application forms are only available via the navigation page of our website www.middlelevel.gov.uk (for powered vessels the application form is already available and for unpowered vessels this will be added shortly). Applications can only be accepted by post or email until further notice, with payments being made by: enclosing a cheque, by card over the phone by arrangement, or by filling in the card payment section of the application form.

Stay safe everyone.

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On 23/03/2020 at 20:28, nbfiresprite said:

You need to contact the Office between 9am and 10am by phone to arrange pump-out, fuel, and coal (Payment by card only). Post will be placed in your box or if package larger than box, it will be left in the old phone box at at set time that you arrange before hand. You can access your boat at the current time.  

I just emailed the office at Fox Narrowboats and got this auto response:
Thank you for your email. We are now observing Government Guidelines for COVID-19 Coronavirus.  The office, holiday boats and mooring facilities are now closed. We are monitoring government advice closely.  The directors of the company are checking e-mails regularly and responding in turn. We are currently dealing with holiday rescheduling and cancellation until 30th April 2020 and are not taking new bookings until 31st May 2020. Our 2021 holidays are of course open for booking.  The directors and staff all look forward to resuming normal business in the future.

Had I not sent an email I would not have known!

 

Edited by Traveller
Added some detail
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  • 2 months later...

Update on the Houseboat licence (Free) on private waters, Foxes have throw a spanner in the works by banned the use of the Houseboat licence in the marina. Foxes require that all boats moored at the marina have a standard navigation licence. This may well be a own goal as regards income.

 

Anyone know whats happen at Bill Fen?

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8 hours ago, nbfiresprite said:

Update on the Houseboat licence (Free) on private waters, Foxes have throw a spanner in the works by banned the use of the Houseboat licence in the marina. Foxes require that all boats moored at the marina have a standard navigation licence. This may well be a own goal as regards income.

 

Anyone know whats happen at Bill Fen?

It maybe to keep clear of the planning regulations 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 03/06/2020 at 02:26, nbfiresprite said:

Update on the Houseboat licence (Free) on private waters, Foxes have throw a spanner in the works by banned the use of the Houseboat licence in the marina. Foxes require that all boats moored at the marina have a standard navigation licence. This may well be a own goal as regards income.

 

Anyone know whats happen at Bill Fen?

I heard from someone who has a boat there, that's their plan to have no residential moorers at all.

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1 hour ago, wonderdust said:

I heard from someone who has a boat there, that's their plan to have no residential moorers at all.

That will be a huge shift. They have had resi boats there for what seems like ever.

Edited by Traveller
typo
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1 hour ago, Traveller said:

That will be a huge shift. They have has resi boats there for what seems like ever.

Didn't the Fish & Duck (or some similar name) do similar some years ago, threw everyone out and then after the 'refurbishment' didn't take residential moorers back.

 

Crikey - doesn't time fly 2012.

 

 

 

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Can anyone find the information given in the letter at the start of this thread on the ML website? I've looked and I can't.

 

The whole ML website is (and always has been) a pretty poor thing - you get the feeling they'd rather still be in the seventeenth century when they were founded, but you'd think that now they're taking money, they could manage something better than PDF form that has to be printed out and posted or emailed. Modern web browsers allow forms to filled out ON LINE, I believe :)

 

MP.

 

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22 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Didn't the Fish & Duck (or some similar name) do similar some years ago, threw everyone out and then after the 'refurbishment' didn't take residential moorers back.

 

Crikey - doesn't time fly 2012.

 

 

 

Fish & Duck on the Great Ouse navigation still seem to do resi.

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25 minutes ago, Traveller said:

Fish & Duck on the Great Ouse navigation still seem to do resi.

But not all the ones who were there I think. There was another thread about marinas being run buy the long term customers and not the management.

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As far as I am aware, the authority for the Middle Level Commissioners to impose ANY navigation registration charges does still not exist.  The authority to do so is contained within the ML Navigation Byelaws which require the approval of the Secretary of State.  I don't believe that approval has yet been given.

 

Anyone like to prove me wrong?

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Although I have no objection to the MLC making charges for registration (particularly in view of the undertaking they gave in the House of Lords that a proportion of receipts would be spent on maintaining and improving the navigation) the way they are dealing with the matter is an utter disgrace.

To give a date  for commencement of charges (1st April - later amended to 1st September allegedly because of Corona Virus!) before they have the statutory authority to do so is contemptible.

There are a number of other matters which they undertook to complete before introducing charges, none of which seem to have been dealt with. 

They undertook to publish the APPROVED Byelaws on their website but they are still there only in DRAFT form.

They undertook to annexe to the byelaws a procedure for removal of unlicensed vessels and to publish it on the website. No sign of that.

They undertook to publish details of how they would increase amenity/ availability of sites for residential boaters.  No sign of that.

And they gave an undertaking that any decisions/actions on registration matters would be published and included on their website.  No sign of that.

 

One sometimes has to ask if the laws of the land actually apply to navigation authorities or if this is yet another example of one of them doing exactly as it likes!

 

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Well I guess they either have the authority to make a charge or they do not. Likewise I do not mind such a charge if a) it is legal and b) it improves the boating infrastructure. If it falls down at a)  then presumably there is a questions as to wether one should pay. Either way I am hopeful I will be off the Middle Level this summer so with a bit of luck I will miss the Sept start date anyway.

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22 hours ago, erivers said:

Although I have no objection to the MLC making charges for registration (particularly in view of the undertaking they gave in the House of Lords that a proportion of receipts would be spent on maintaining and improving the navigation) the way they are dealing with the matter is an utter disgrace.

To give a date  for commencement of charges (1st April - later amended to 1st September allegedly because of Corona Virus!) before they have the statutory authority to do so is contemptible.

There are a number of other matters which they undertook to complete before introducing charges, none of which seem to have been dealt with. 

They undertook to publish the APPROVED Byelaws on their website but they are still there only in DRAFT form.

They undertook to annexe to the byelaws a procedure for removal of unlicensed vessels and to publish it on the website. No sign of that.

They undertook to publish details of how they would increase amenity/ availability of sites for residential boaters.  No sign of that.

And they gave an undertaking that any decisions/actions on registration matters would be published and included on their website.  No sign of that.

 

One sometimes has to ask if the laws of the land actually apply to navigation authorities or if this is yet another example of one of them doing exactly as it likes!

 

Do you know if Chris Howes, the IWA rep on the navigational advisory committee (I think that is the correct name) is aware of all this?  

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32 minutes ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

Do you know if Chris Howes, the IWA rep on the navigational advisory committee (I think that is the correct name) is aware of all this?  

I have no idea but I would have hoped that someone on a "navigation advisory committee" representing boaters when told of the date charging would commence would have asked the MLC a simple question or two - "Have you received approval of the byelaws from the Secretary of State and have you fully complied with the undertakings given to Lord Thomas".

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Hi erivers, I've just spoken to Chris Howes (who is now in a meeting) - He says that he believes the MLC are waiting to receive approval from the (probably currently pre-occupied) Government for the Bylaws.  New amenities are under active current discussion but no contributory income has been received yet.  The intent is to first provide amenities at Stanground and Salters Lode. Although there are current PCC and EA amenities past these locks, these are not always available because of river conditions.  MLC are doing their very best to enhance boating on their waters.  He adds that he personally applauds their endeavours.  My view is that knocking them isn't helpful and isn't going to make anything happen any more quickly.

 
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18 minutes ago, Christine Colbert said:

Hi erivers, I've just spoken to Chris Howes (who is now in a meeting) - He says that he believes the MLC are waiting to receive approval from the (probably currently pre-occupied) Government for the Bylaws.  New amenities are under active current discussion but no contributory income has been received yet.  The intent is to first provide amenities at Stanground and Salters Lode. Although there are current PCC and EA amenities past these locks, these are not always available because of river conditions.  MLC are doing their very best to enhance boating on their waters.  He adds that he personally applauds their endeavours.  My view is that knocking them isn't helpful and isn't going to make anything happen any more quickly.

 

Thank you, Christine.  You make some interesting and valid points and it is good to know that progress is being made.

 

However, I'm afraid that your description of "knocking" is inappropriate. All I seek to do is to ensure that the MLC act lawfully.  It may not "make anything happen more quickly" but it might just make the MLC think twice before applying charges and seeking to "make things happen more quickly" than their legal entitlement permits.

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10 minutes ago, erivers said:

Thank you, Christine.  You make some interesting and valid points and it is good to know that progress is being made.

 

However, I'm afraid that your description of "knocking" is inappropriate. All I seek to do is to ensure that the MLC act lawfully.  It may not "make anything happen more quickly" but it might just make the MLC think twice before applying charges and seeking to "make things happen more quickly" than their legal entitlement permits.

Please reread your comment again, and put yourself of someone working (in somewhat difficult circumstances) in the MLC. Would you feel well disposed to help, on reading those words?  I (just an ordinary boater, trying to improve communication channels) had a similar reaction on reading your note.

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40 minutes ago, erivers said:

However, I'm afraid that your description of "knocking" is inappropriate.

|Hmm....

 

On 15/06/2020 at 10:55, erivers said:

the way they are dealing with the matter is an utter disgrace.

 

On 15/06/2020 at 10:55, erivers said:

to do so is contemptible.

 

On 15/06/2020 at 10:55, erivers said:

One sometimes has to ask if the laws of the land actually apply to navigation authorities or if this is yet another example of one of them doing exactly as it likes!

 

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