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Several boats set to be removed from Bridgwater & Taunton Canal


Paul C

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Firstly, note this is the Bridgewater and Taunton canal, not the Bridgewater Canal.

 

From the article:

 

"AN unnamed man says several boats will be removed from the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal next week, which could make nine or 10 people homeless.

The boats are set to be moved to Bridgwater Marina. The action comes after the boaters received notices from the Canal and River Trust. 

The trust says all boats were asked to leave the docks when its lease of Bridgwater Docks expired in March 2021. 

The affected boats were temporarily allowed to stay for free under an ‘approved extended stay’ arrangement, which has now ended."

 

And:

 

"The Bridgwater & Taunton Canal is not suitable to meet the requirements of a 'continuous cruising' licence."

 

 

So, it seems that some boaters whose moorings agreement in Bridgewater Marina have been given notice to quit over two years ago, but they did naff-all about finding themselves new mooring during the 24 months of grace granted and now crunch time has arrived. The canal being short and unconnected to the rest of the system, is too small to CC on so they appear to have stuffed themselves up. 

 

 

 

 

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So, our charitable Lords, have finally decided that although they were charitable, andbtried their best to be charitable, even though they knew that this wasnt going to work, now decide to enforce and be uncharitable, because they can.

Problem is, they will probably dump these boats as far away from their owners as possible, until cranking fees and other fees are paid, or just auction the boats one by one to recover costs.

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8 minutes ago, MartynG said:

It seems they have had two years notice and two years free moorings but guess they could not afford to have their boats relocated ? 

 

 

 

They took compassion for weakness and just thought they'd get away with paying nothing but the pigeons are coming home to roost.

C&RT need the money and this is ...................................

 

 

 

Thin End Of The Wedge.jpg

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7 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

They took compassion for weakness and just thought they'd get away with paying nothing but the pigeons are coming home to roost.

 

Exactly. CRT is is its own worst enemy for doing this as boaters tend to take every forgiveness of the rules without even a 'thanks' and then play the 'hard done by' card when CRT eventually stop letting them freeload. 

 

I can't imagine why CRT (and BW previously) didn't learn this decades ago, but it appears they still haven't.

 

 

 

 

Edited by MtB
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Thanks, Captain Obvious.

 

It’s interesting here that the “pretty waterfront amenities” department in the local council is quite happy to remove the moorings, knowing the problem will eventually end up in the housing department of the same council.

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13 hours ago, matty40s said:

So, our charitable Lords, have finally decided that although they were charitable, andbtried their best to be charitable, even though they knew that this wasnt going to work, now decide to enforce and be uncharitable, because they can.

Problem is, they will probably dump these boats as far away from their owners as possible, until cranking fees and other fees are paid, or just auction the boats one by one to recover costs.

 

What are cranking fees?

 

Ah. Got it. Craneage fees.

 

I was thinking it was something to do with starting the engines !

One idly wonders where the lifting and mainenance facilities are located for these landlocked boats.

 

They must have got in somehow.

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2 hours ago, Paul C said:

Is there an entitlement to have moorings created (or not removed) if there is a demand?

 There is an obligation on public bodies to act in a reasonable manner. There  is obviously a debate as to what constitutes "reasonable" - if, for example, a mooring basin in the midlands was closed it might not be unreasonable to say "go and find another mooring", when the only marina on the canal, with over 50% of the moorings for that canal is closed, and the canal disconnected from any other canals or navigations, it is less reasonable. Whether it is unreasonable may need a court ruling. 

4 minutes ago, magnetman said:

 

What are cranking fees?

 

Ah. Got it. Craneage fees.

 

I was thinking it was something to do with starting the engines !

One idly wonders where the lifting and mainenance facilities are located for these landlocked boats.

 

They must have got in somehow.

 They have been lifted in over a period of years, they didn't arrive all at once, and many have changed hands since then

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6 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Problem is, they will probably dump these boats as far away from their owners as possible, until cranking fees and other fees are paid, or just auction the boats one by one to recover costs.

 

They will probably take them to that place in Chester, which always seems perverse and just plain spiteful of CRT to me.

 

On the other hand, the boaters have known for two years this was going to happen, and in the interim there has been nothing stopping them arranging their own craning-out and transport to another part of the system, then selling up or whatever. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by MtB
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8 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

 There is an obligation on public bodies to act in a reasonable manner.

 

Interestingly Mr Symonds of the CRT did mention on the K&A video posted a while ago that the CRT 'are not a public body'.

 

16m15s --

 

 

 

5 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

They will probably take them to that place in Chester, which always seems perverse and just plain spiteful to me.

 

On the other hand, the boaters have know for two years this was going to happen, and there has been nothing stopping them in the interim arranging their own craning-out and transport to another part of the system, then selling up or whatever. 

 

 

 

Except there might not be anywhere they can crane them out. I'm just wondering if the marina which has been closed is where the lifting in took place and that private individuals may not be allowed to arrange craneage there.

 

Could be a tricky situation.

Edited by magnetman
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Would it have been unreasonable to give them two years grace and allowed them to stay on the canal while they worked out other arrangements?  Or are they entitled to stay on the canal of their choice.

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1 minute ago, Peanut said:

Would it have been unreasonable to give them two years grace and allowed them to stay on the canal while they worked out other arrangements?  Or are they entitled to stay on the canal of their choice.

 The test would probably come down to what the alternative is - in this case as CR won't create moorings to replace those lost then the alternative is to crane out and go by road, the nearest alternative CRT canal is 43 miles away in Bath, and I'm sure CRT would love it if they all got craned in there... ;)

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8 minutes ago, Peanut said:

Would it have been unreasonable to give them two years grace and allowed them to stay on the canal while they worked out other arrangements?  

 

Yes. Two years seems an unreasonably long time to have been given to arrange to get your boat craned out and either sold or moved somewhere else. Yet another example of CRT bending over backwards to be helpful and co-operative to boaters, then getting criticised for it. 

 

 

 

 

Edited by MtB
Grammar
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6 minutes ago, Peanut said:

Would it have been unreasonable to give them two years grace and allowed them to stay on the canal while they worked out other arrangements?  Or are they entitled to stay on the canal of their choice.

2 years does seem needlessly long.

 

 

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11 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

 There is an obligation on public bodies to act in a reasonable manner.

 

But are they a public body ?

 

A public body is a formally established organisation that is, at least in part, publicly funded to deliver a public or government service, though not as a ministerial department.

 

Public bodies - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

 

Do C&RT offer a public service ?

They certainly do not seem to meet the definitions

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1 minute ago, magnetman said:

Also perhaps the fact the CRT are not a public body removes the requirement for reasonableness.

 

 

Which, obliquely, reminds me that sometimes I wonder why CRT goes to all the expense and delay of getting a court order to lift an unlicenced boat someone living on. It's hardly as though it comes as any sort of surprise, is it? 

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According to the man in the video the CRT are not a public body. They have some public functions such as being a navigation authority.

 

I don't think in reality the CRT have any duty regarding housing and I believe, although would welcome clarification, that they opt IN to the Equality Act rather than being bound by it.

 

This is as I understand it.

 

 

Edited by magnetman
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10 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

 The test would probably come down to what the alternative is - in this case as CR won't create moorings to replace those lost then the alternative is to crane out and go by road, the nearest alternative CRT canal is 43 miles away in Bath, and I'm sure CRT would love it if they all got craned in there... ;)

I’m not familiar with the canal at all.

Why can’t/won’t CRT create linear moorings?

Would that be an option?

Are there many boats down there?

 

sounds like CRT have ballsed something up somewhere

 

is there now an empty basin or have some boats gone back in?

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