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Ruthless Eviction of Liveaboards from Fens Marina


Roger Gunkel

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One of the main problems is that, around here, there are simply no alternatives. The next closest marina, Upware, is pretty full. There might be a little space in Ely marina or in St Ives, but not for 60 boats. There's nothing available in Cambridge without waiting 2-5 years on a waiting list, or with a widebeam, 20+ years.

 

There are also a limited number of moorings locally. There's about 10 boats that hop from mooring to mooring around the Ely area, and already that means that, at peak times, it's very hard to get a mooring.

 

 

 

All the boaters there must have been aware of this and presumably of he risk when electing not to pay the extra to live aboard. Unfortunately looks like the marina owners called their bluff.

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Apart from all the genuine folk living on boats there are a lot of work shy layabouts living on them too who are often the first to start moaning about any price increases ''these increases can seriously affect some of these folks booze and d--g habits'', these folk need to get back in touch with the real world with all the responsibilities of real living costs like renting or owning a house ect. :mellow:

  • Greenie 2
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I would guess from what I've read so far that this is the end of a continuing saga since the daughter took over. If she's seemingly difficult to deal with perhaps the liveaboards saw this eviction coming and didn't fancy further lining her pockets in advance? I wouldn't be at all surprised if she's even warned them of her right and intention to do just this. It does sound as if she wants rid to develop the place and has been making life hard in the hope they'd get pee'd off and go to save her the bother.

 

I rent a workshop from someone who sounds very similar (daughter of owner) and she likes nothing better than to tell you about all her property in Spain and Cambridge, remind you of the fact we have no contracts and can be booted out with a month notice etc etc. When people hand in their notice world war three breaks out every time. Tis cheap as chips though...

 

Some folk just live in such different circumstances they really couldn't give a flying... for anyone else.

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:angry: to be honest I was quite speechless when I read this thread but very angry. If this was happening to me, then I would set about organising a support group, contact my local MP ecterea and also go to the papers, local and national.

 

I would just resort to terrorism... :ninja:

 

Edit: Seriously though, I can understand this from both points of view. On one hand a sudden (or even expected) significant price hike in rent is something most people would feel aggrieved by, but on the other hand sometimes people need to wake up to the real world as bizzard says.

 

It seems to me like the marina owners have imposed this surcharge on the liveaboards without them actually receiving official residential status. That might seem a bit unfair, until you consider that a change of mooring status is not a simple process and will involve the local council too who may not have approved it. I daresay not all of those liveaboards would even have wanted proper residential status when you consider the extra expense of things like council tax that would entail. So what the marina owners seemed to be saying was "We'll continue to turn a blind eye to unofficial liveaboards if they pay an extra surcharge." In that sense perhaps it's not that unreasonable?

 

Anyway, the boaters tried to call the marina owners' bluff by not paying the surcharges and then the marina owners called the boaters' bluff by kicking them out.

 

All the other stuff about the marina operating company that Roger posted may make interesting (though one-sided) background reading, but as far as this case goes it's completely irrelevant. If the company was really that bad then how would it have been possible for these boaters to have formed such an apparently idyllic and sustainable community as described?

Edited by blackrose
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On a practical level the Great Ouse in winter is not a great place to be without a flood proof mooring.The water levels between Hermitage and Denver are more controlled but there aren't enough moorings or facilities to support that number of boats.Being realistic if I was one of the boaters affected I would be looking to move towards the Nene/GU before stoppages and weather removes the option.Is the Northampton arm actually open for navigation at the moment?

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On a practical level the Great Ouse in winter is not a great place to be without a flood proof mooring.The water levels between Hermitage and Denver are more controlled but there aren't enough moorings or facilities to support that number of boats.Being realistic if I was one of the boaters affected I would be looking to move towards the Nene/GU before stoppages and weather removes the option.Is the Northampton arm actually open for navigation at the moment?

Yes as of 12.30 today. We are now in Northampton and its raining

  • Greenie 1
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On a practical level the Great Ouse in winter is not a great place to be without a flood proof mooring.The water levels between Hermitage and Denver are more controlled but there aren't enough moorings or facilities to support that number of boats.Being realistic if I was one of the boaters affected I would be looking to move towards the Nene/GU before stoppages and weather removes the option.Is the Northampton arm actually open for navigation at the moment?

 

Quite a few of the boat there won't go through the middle levels so a lift out would be necessary. Given the choice I would rather be on the Gt. Ouse in flood than the Nene.

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I don't think The Dog House was being argumentative at all- I fully agree that the scenario he describes is the case in the majority of marinas that let people live aboard unofficially and surcharge for it. It's a backhander, they don't get any rights with it.

 

 

If the owners are that wealthy I can't see 60 x £550 (£33,000) "back handers" would be of much interest. Given that at least 40% of that will be taxed if its not re-invested in the marina.

 

In defence and purely from a passing and looking perspective the place looks a lot tidyier since they have been there.

 

I really would like to know how much the moorings are there. Anyone?

Edited by Biggles
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If the owners are that wealthy I can't see 60 x £550 (£33,000) "back handers" would be of much interest. Given that at least 40% of that will be taxed if its not re-invested in the marina.

 

In defence and purely from a passing and looking perspective the place looks a lot tidyier since they have been there.

 

I really would like to know how much the moorings are there. Anyone?

It's a lot of cash if daddy has said no more hand-outs, make your pocket money from this marina... Edited by boathunter
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Not enough to risk the rest of your business model on IMO

Pocket money/hobby. New hubby is a property developer. It's a short term risk that they wouldn't take if they couldn't afford to.

 

I'm guessing/discussing. I don't know this woman but I do know people who appear to be just like her. My industrial estate manager (daughter of owner) is filling it with rescued chickens and pigs and a second hand furniture shop. It makes no sense to me but it's her dream and she can afford it. She also bases her decisions on the lining up of planets as dictated by a crazy woman in the US that she PAYS for advice via the internet. So long as she can ride her naughty horse and have coffee with her equally vaccuous friends she's happy. There's no accounting for folk. :lol:

Edited by boathunter
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I believe there have been a lot of improvements , unlike the GU there are not that many marinas in the area I suspect they will be able to attract new moorers.

Spot on but even so, I think the basic mistake people often make is to expect others to behave logically. Perhaps they're being logical, perhaps not. Whichever way, it's her Marina and she could fill it in and build a golf course if that were here bag.

 

I think I might take a wlk that way tomorrow if the weather's nice and try and talk to a few people.

Edited by boathunter
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Spot on but even so, I think the basic mistake people often make is to expect others to behave logically. Perhaps they're being logical, perhaps not. Whichever way, it's her Marina and she could fill it in and build a golf course if that were here bag.

 

Last year up the Fossdyke went looking for a boatyard/marina shown on my very out of date map, went miles up a maze of little dykes. Finally spoke to a man fishing who told me it had been filled in and turned into a caravan park

(True story near Bardney lock)

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I don't think The Dog House was being argumentative at all- I fully agree that the scenario he describes is the case in the majority of marinas that let people live aboard unofficially and surcharge for it. It's a backhander, they don't get any rights with it.

 

Well two points here:

 

1) it is not within the gift of the marina owner to grant residential rights. They are entitled to charge extra in my view to cover the extra wear and tear full of time off-the-record resi occupants. If I were a marina owner I'd far rather have 60 genuine leisure moorers who visit once every six weeks than 60 unofficial residential moorers.

 

2) Best not to demand rights. If you get them, they will come with a hefty price tag.

 

If proper formal resi moorings were made widely available by the local councils (by them granting resi PP to marinas), those same councils would be would be enforcing leisure moorings to be just that. And then the resi moorings will double in price, as once the council are enforcing leisure moorings as leisure, resi peeps will be over a barrel, forced to rent resi moorings only.

 

 

(Edited to clarify a couple of sentences.)

Edited by Mike the Boilerman
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Been out all day since I posted earlier and only just got back.

 

A number of points have been raised, some of which I can probably answer and some I can't. There was a comment from Biggles I think, that it was surprising that none of the affected people have responded here. I don't think that is surprising at all, as I have never seen anyone from the affected marina posting here and have never spoken to anyone from that marina who is a member. While I was at Upware marina, I was one of only two people who belonged to this forum although there were about 30 residential boats.

 

As regards official residential status, I can't answer that, although as the Shropshires are major landowners and business people in the area, the local authorities must be in regular contact with them. There have been permanent liveaboards at Popes Corner for far longer than the 8 years that I have been in the area. I can't imagine that the Shropshires, who like to do things properly would have flouted planning regs for so long. Also Upware marina had residention permission for boats so I would be surprised if Popes Corner didn't.

 

At no point did I suggest that Gs are a bad company, infact as I said, they like to promote an image of an environmentally friendly and family run business. They are respected in the area, but it is the actions of the daughter in this instance that is creating the current situation.

 

The issue is not specifically following the attempted imposition of a £550 residential surcharge, but the fact that this surcharge was imposed at the same time as a unilateral increase of 25% on the previous charge. The pre rise cost of the moorings was in line with the other middle of nowhere marinas in the area, and the increase will put it in the same category as the bigger more upmarket marinas such as Hartford and Ely Cathedral marinas. These are both town centre marinas, with full maintenance, workshop, lift out and servicing facilities. They also have easy access to bus and rail routes, plus the expected leisure, shopping and medical centres. None of these are available to Popes Corner which is why the rates have previously matched the smaller more rural marinas. I wonder whether those commenting on the right of the marina owner to add these increases and surcharges would have the same opinion if it was their own moorings, rent or mortgages that were suddenly increased by the same percentage. The addition of the surcharge would add about another 25% to the cost of a 40-45ft boat. Do people really think it is fair to be expected to pay the best part of up to 50% more than last years moorings?

 

There may well be dropout, alchoholic, drug dependent benefit scroungers on boats and marinas around the country, just as there are in the housing sector. Those that I know and have seen at Popes Corner seem to be normal hard working or retired people, with the occasional unemployed , who have chosen to live on boats. I fail to see how taking responsibility for your life means buying or renting a house. If that is the case then my decision to live on a boat instead of committing myself to more years of misery and debt is a sure sign of me giving up my responsibilities.

 

Roger

  • Greenie 1
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The website press release talks about the marina closing for a period of three months for redevelopment and then reopening in the spring. I am sure when reopening they will be looking to charge similar prices as the nearest Marinas like Ely that offer similar facilities, this is the same as most marinas in the canal system. Are we sure that the marina has closed just to get rid of the current moorers? Would they be welcomed back if they were to pay the revised mooring fees?

 

I expect the Marina would say that they are bringing the marina upto the standard required/offered by the latest marinas and will charge a competitive mooring fee in line with that. Closing a marina to redevelop like this is an expensive gamble unless you are confident of filling it afterwards.

 

No doubt there are two sides to this story.

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