Paddington basin ... Not impressed

[alan_fincher]

No winter moorings in Paddington this year, they are beyond the LV visitor moorings, this time.

 

 

The CRT website is quite clear that there are no winter moorings in Paddington basin. So someone is telling porkies??

 

"

Central London Winter Mooring Sites explained

We have designated four separate lengths of towpath (none of which are visitor moorings) as winter moorings. The sites are:

• West: Paddington – Harrow Road to Formosa Street footbridge (western end of the Little Venice visitor moorings)
• Central: Lower Islington – Wharf Road to Packington Street
• East 1: Broadway Market - Broadway Market to Mare Street
• East 2: Victoria Park - Mare Street to Bonner Hall Bridge

Narrowboats will be moored two-abreast at each site. Boats wider than 2.2m will be allocated two berths and charged double. Capacity is limited at these sites and berths will be allocated in order of bookings made. Five month permits went on sale from 3 October. Three month permits go on sale from 15 October and one month permits from 1 November, subject to availability."

 

 

 

A bloke was down tying numbered 'winter mooring' tickets to many of the mooring cleats here in the basin today and 'winter mooring visitor mooring' to others.

So there are winter and some visitor moorings but how it all works I don't know as we're out of here tomorrow.

 

 

I deffinately saw winter mooring signs cable tied to rings etc in Paddington Basin yesterday.

 

Hello by the way, it was me that asked you yesterday if you could give me a hand mooring in the wind. Only I never got there as someone guzumped me (the OP of this thread I think) for the last space as I was walking back to get my boat.

 

Paddington Basin is one of the areas specifically listed where there will be designated Winter Moorings at a fixed location, (as in the past), rather than the new arrangements of a permit that allows you to pick your own spot away from VMs.

 

The places where the old arrangements apply are listed here

 

Using the same measure as I just used for other locations, 5 months with an 18 metre, (59 foot) narrow boat, (and I think it can only be a narrow booat) will cost you about £2,146.

 

(Quite a lot then!....)

Edited November 1, 2013 by alan_fincher

[Duchess Omnium]

I agree with those who think the Paddington Basin moorings are a wonderful facility. You can moor there for 7 days completely FOC. A hotel in central London is a couple of hundred quid a night... What's to complain about? I've loved the two times I've been there, and both sets of my North American visitors/crew have been really impressed. Pangolin is mostly a country mouse, but she has her city mouse side...

[Lady Muck]

thanks for clarification Alan

[mark99]

So................ if I go to Paddington Basin in the next couple of weeks can I still moor in there as a visitor?

[matty40s]

yes, and if/when (usually happens within an hour of mooring up) an officious CRT bod comes along and tells you it's a booked winter mooring, say you will move when the vessel appears and enjoy your 7 day stay.

[Wanted]

Grim indeed. Far too many boats in those pictures for my liking.....

Proper boats yer mean?

[Phoenix_V]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paddington Basin is one of the areas specifically listed where there will be designated Winter Moorings at a fixed location, (as in the past), rather than the new arrangements of a permit that allows you to pick your own spot away from VMs.

 

The places where the old arrangements apply are listed here.

 

Using the same measure as I just used for other locations, 5 months with an 18 metre, (59 foot) narrow boat, (and I think it can only be a narrow booat) will cost you about £2,146.

 

(Quite a lot then!....)

link doesnt work

[alan_fincher]

link doesnt work

 

Yes, sorry - don't know what happened there.

 

Corrected in original posting now, but also here.

[Phoenix_V]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paddington Basin is one of the areas specifically listed where there will be designated Winter Moorings at a fixed location, (as in the past), rather than the new arrangements of a permit that allows you to pick your own spot away from VMs.

 

The places where the old arrangements apply are listed here

 

Using the same measure as I just used for other locations, 5 months with an 18 metre, (59 foot) narrow boat, (and I think it can only be a narrow booat) will cost you about £2,146.

 

(Quite a lot then!....)

Ok

CRT announce winter mooring locations allowing visitor moorings to remain free - presumably for visitors

then in a separate list advertise Paddington Basin as winter mooring.

Left hand not knowing what right hand is doing or conspiracy???

[Lady Muck]

Confusing at least!

[Guest]

Confusing at least!

 

Doesn't it just mean not all of it has been given over to Winter moorings? and there is still space for some visitors?

 

(Sorry if that's covered further up)

Edited November 1, 2013 by The Dog House

[Phoenix_V]

Confusing at least!

I am sure there was a "consultation" about the central London winter moorings and there was no mention of Paddington Basin being included in that

[Lady Muck]

If there was a *cough* consultation about winter moorings I never heard about it!

[Phoenix_V]

If there was a *cough* consultation about winter moorings I never heard about it!

Found it

"PROPOSALS

17 June 2013

1. Introduction

This document has been produced for discussion with the Better Relations on the Waterways in London Group (BRG), a network of waterways users, supporters and stakeholders.

The document is intended to provide some background about the Canal & River Trust’s intention to change the way winter moorings are managed for this forthcoming winter.

The changes are intended to improve the way winter moorings are managed, so that customers receive a better service.

We’d like to hear your views on these proposals, to help us design a winter moorings scheme in London that meets your needs, provides a good service, and respects the needs of other canal users and stakeholders. Please let us have any views by Friday 5th July.

2. Background

This document reflects the proposals published on the Canal & River Trust website here:

http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/mooring/winter-moorings

We offer winter mooring permits between November and March. We intend to change the way we manage winter mooring permits this year so that we can offer a better service.

So far we’ve discussed out ideas with the Navigation Advisory Group (licensing & mooring) and canvassed opinions at a few boater meetings around the country over the past few months and these have helped to shape the plan for this coming autumn.

Marinas and commercial moorings operators are an obvious place to start for continuous cruisers wanting to stay put during winter, but we recognise that these don’t suit everyone. Our previous offerings involved assigning about half of the space at many visitor moorings for winter permits between November and March. This has not been universally popular, particularly when those buying the permits find that in practice, there’s no guarantee of space at the chosen site because we are unable to monitor site use sufficiently often. We don’t think we’d have won any prizes on the value for money stakes either.

We were tempted to exit the winter mooring market and leave all provision to private operators, but the message we’ve picked up is that there would be demand for a cheaper permit from continuous

Page 2 of 4

cruisers who wouldn’t consider taking a marina berth. So, for the coming winter, we’re planning on offering just two types of permit – one for central London and the other for the rest of the country.

3. The Central London Proposals

Due to the density of boats and degree of congestion along the Regents Canal, and the fact that we have a more frequent patrolling regime, we’ll continue to offer fixed location winter moorings.

Locations:

We have provisionally identified three separate lengths, none of which are visitor moorings, where winter moorings could be concentrated. This would enable us to provide identified berths for individual permit holders, and to ensure that measures can be put in place to provide better security. Anyone without a winter permit would be charged a daily rate for mooring in these locations.

The lengths we are proposing are:

 East of Bonner Hall Bridge to Broadway Market (see map 1 attached)

 Lower Islington: Packington Street to Wharf Road (see map 2)

 Paddington: Chichester Road (the western end of the Little Venice visitor moorings) to Harrow Road (see map 3)

Together these provide capacity for around 130 boats, in most cases, double-moored.

Prices:

Five months permits: £50 per metre , three months, £39 per metre; one month, £16 per metre. All prices include VAT. The price would be doubled for widebeams.

Management:

Berths will be allocated on a first come first served basis, with preference given to those booking for 5 months.

We’ll provide boat name tags to fix to the mooring ring which reserves your berth even when you leave for short periods.

We intend to use some of the anticipated income from permit sales to improve security arrangements in known risky areas.

Sorwar Ahmed, our London boater liaison manager, will discuss the plans with boater representatives over the coming weeks before details are finalised.

Availability of winter permits:

 Permits will be sold only to continuous cruisers registered with us as at 15th June 2013. Not available to boaters already in our enforcement process in receipt of CC2 or CC3 letters.

 CC monitoring will recommence on expiry of the permit. You must move on from the place you have been located – no additional 14 days allowed.

4. Your views

We’d like your views on these proposals. Please feel free to give us any feedback you think is appropriate. In particular, we would like to know:

Page 3 of 4

i) Do you support the idea of concentrating winter moorings in three areas (west, central and east)? Why, or why not?

ii) Do you have any views on the suitability of the three locations provisionally identified?

iii) Do you think we have got the proposed management arrangements, pricing and eligibility about right?

iv) What suggestions do you have for how the Canal & River Trust, boaters and other stakeholders can work together to make the winter moorings scheme work effectively?

v) Do you have any other comments about these proposals?

Your comments and views will help us design the winter mooring scheme and put in place effective management arrangements.

Please submit any views or comments by Friday 5th July 2013 to Sorwar Ahmed, boater liaison manager, at Sorwar.ahmed@canalrivertrust.org.uk or write to him at:

The Toll House, Delamere Terrace, Little Venice, London W2 6ND."

[homer2911]

To escape the Neanderthal thought processes of some people in the provinces?

But yes, London boating is grim and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, look at the state of it...

Lovely - now let's have a picture of Little Venice - passed through there in August - double-moored new-age ghetto IMHO.

[matty40s]

The second bottom photo shows little venice.

[alan_fincher]

The second bottom photo shows little venice.

 

It seems if you boat about the place looking for the New Age ghettos to "tut tut" at, you may fail to spot some of the obvious attractions!

[blackrose]

First of all there is no where to moor in little Venice spaces taken up by business boats and 6 cart work boats

Padding ton basin has been redeveloped and looks great initially . However after a couple of days here I get the impression we are just tolerated. Moorings are minimal area further east not accessible. There could be poss another 50 berths here

Also from 1 nov there no visitor moorings as they become winter moorings at (so I was told) £1700.

So my first impression of London is not good. What does my licence allow me to do !

Shaun

Oh and there is no water in the basin or refuge points

 

So what you're saying is that you couldn't find a mooring at a popular spot so as a result you're slagging off the whole of London?

 

Your licence allows you to keep your boat on CRT waters where in many places demand for visitor moorings exceeds supply. Like anywhere else on the system, moorings at popular places are available on a first come, first served basis. Wake up and smell the coffee!

 

Oh and unless the facilities have been removed in the last few years there most definitely is a water point and refuse bins nearby because I've used both.

 

Edit: A miserable mooring in the basin...

Edited November 2, 2013 by blackrose

[Wanted]

Trouble is people think they see the problem but seldom believe they are part of the problem.

[Starcoaster]

"You're not in the traffic jam, you are the traffic jam..."

[Wanted]

"You're not in the traffic jam, you are the traffic jam..."

Zackly

[mrsmelly]

 

So what you're saying is that you couldn't find a mooring at a popular spot so as a result you're slagging off the whole of London?

 

Your licence allows you to keep your boat on CRT waters where in many places demand for visitor moorings exceeds supply. Like anywhere else on the system, moorings at popular places are available on a first come, first served basis. Wake up and smell the coffee!

 

Oh and unless the facilities have been removed in the last few years there most definitely is a water point and refuse bins nearby because I've used both.

 

Edit: A miserable mooring in the basin...

 

Nice boat. Do you keep a narrowboat in one corner of yours to use as a toilet? they do have their uses.

 

Tim

[Naughty Cal]

Proper boats yer mean?

No just boats per se!

[blackrose]

 

Nice boat. Do you keep a narrowboat in one corner of yours to use as a toilet? they do have their uses.

 

Tim

 

[Wanted]

No just boats per se!

Coo, you're slowing up! That took ages to bite