Additional Residential Moorings - Oxford

[Proper Job]

I have just obtained a copy of an email about a CRT proposal to turn visitor moorings at the end of the Hythe Bridge Arm in to residential moorings:

 

Dear all,

 

The Canal & River Trust (the Trust) is proposing to submit a planning application to Oxford City Council. The application will seek planning permission for the change of use of an existing visitor mooring for use as a residential mooring on the Oxford Canal.

 

Please find attached the Community Engagement Statement, which has been prepared by the Trust. The statement is a short document explaining the proposal. It is hoped that the statement provides sufficient information to encourage feedback from the local community upon the acceptability of the proposal ahead of the planning application being submitted.

 

I would be extremely grateful if you would provide me with any comments you wish to make by 12^th December 2014. I have provided my contact details in the attached document and they are also available below.

 

I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Regards

 

Nick Wild MA MRTPI

Delivery Planner (north and north wales)

 

Canal & River Trust

Fearns Wharf, Neptune Street, Leeds. LS9 8PB

T 0113 281 6800 F 0113 2 81 6 886

M 07795 354 689 DD 0113 2 005 723

E nick.wild@canalrivertrust.org.uk

 

 

 

I only have a pdf attachment of the proposal, but if you want a copy, let me have an email address and I'll send it to you

 

[RLWP]

I would have thought that the last thing needed there is less visitor moorings. There are precious few as it is

 

Richard

[Proper Job]

The justification is that:

• Their location, at a "dead end" of the Oxford Canal results in under-use of the moorings:
• Since May 2013 there have been only 25 recorded uses;
• There are existing designated residential moorings adjeacent to the site

 

My answer to that is:

• Very few people know that they exist.
• They are not sign posted as being down the arm.
• Generally to get to them, you need to reverse down or back
• The residential boats along the arm 'discourage' people from going down there - I know that for a fact
• It's quite shallow

[billS]

I think that is very short sighted. - these moorings are under-utilised because there is no indication to the casual visitor that they exist.

 

I use them every time I visit Oxford. It does require a lengthy reversal, as there is no turning point at the end of the arm, but they are the closest moorings to the city centre and up to now I could almost guarantee that they would be clear.

[billS]

I think I must account for about 10 of the 25 recorded uses!

 

 

The residential boats along the arm 'discourage' people from going down there - I know that for a fact

 

I can honestly say that I have never exerienced that, despite reversing a 52 foot boat down the arm (the bowthruster is my friend). I have had some of the residents express surprise, and even encouragement.What happened?

[Proper Job]

Obviously CRT will have to get it through the planning process

 

It just doesn't seem to have been that widely publisised.

 

As far as I'm aware, it's only had very limited distribution.

[Proper Job]

I think I must account for about 10 of the 25 recorded uses!

 

 

I can honestly say that I have never exerienced that, despite reversing a 52 foot boat down the arm (the bowthruster is my friend). I have had some of the residents express surprise, and even encouragement.What happened?

 

A resident asked me what the F' I thought I was doing. That I wouldn't be able to get down there and that I was an F'in idiot for trying etc.

 

Up until that point, I also doubted that I would get down there due to the bottom being so close to the top. However from that point my resolve was strengthened

 

As it happened I didn't make it, but I had a bloody good try

[billS]

We have always been ok with a draught of 28 inches, but I can imagine anything more being a struggle.

[Proper Job]

36 is a problem

[billS]

36 is a problem

 

Ah - so the resident was perceptive. It was just his use of language that was a tad over expressive,

[Keeping Up]

One of the good things about its under use is that it has always been empty when I've gone down there. It would be frustrating to get all the way down to the end and find it to be full, having to reverse all the way out and start looking for somewhere else.

 

I've always found the residents to be very friendly, apart from one who screamed at me to "slow down past moored boats" as I reversed past.

[Albion]

Years ago the Oxford IWA Branch (of which I was a committee member with PJ's Dad) fought to clear the Hythe Bridge Arm of the rotting and sinking (in some cases) so called live aboard boats and get the area tidied up and for proper facilities to be provided so that those who wanted a live aboard lifestyle could do so but with facilities which they never had before. One of the conditions we fought for was that there had to be a/some visitor moorings on the arm as before that, the whole area, including the approach to Isis lock was occupied by permanent moorers and rotting/sinking boats. There was no hope of getting a visitor mooring anywhere near the city centre in those days. It would be a shame if the visitor mooring at the end were lost even if the situation with other visitor moorings on the approach to the centre has improved (and I have no knowledge if that is the case as I haven't visited for years now).

Roger

[Bettie Boo]

One of the good things about its under use is that it has always been empty when I've gone down there. It would be frustrating to get all the way down to the end and find it to be full, having to reverse all the way out and start looking for somewhere else.

 

I've always found the residents to be very friendly, apart from one who screamed at me to "slow down past moored boats" as I reversed past.

 

See it's young whippersnappers like you racing in reverse past moored boats that give the rest of us a bad name Allan

[Proper Job]

Years ago the Oxford IWA Branch (of which I was a committee member with PJ's Dad) fought to clear the Hythe Bridge Arm of the rotting and sinking (in some cases) so called live aboard boats and get the area tidied up and for proper facilities to be provided so that those who wanted a live aboard lifestyle could do so but with facilities which they never had before. One of the conditions we fought for was that there had to be a/some visitor moorings on the arm as before that, the whole area, including the approach to Isis lock was occupied by permanent moorers and rotting/sinking boats. There was no hope of getting a visitor mooring anywhere near the city centre in those days. It would be a shame if the visitor mooring at the end were lost even if the situation with other visitor moorings on the approach to the centre has improved (and I have no knowledge if that is the case as I haven't visited for years now).

Roger

 

I doubt very much if Nick Wild or any other remaining members of CRT have any knowledge of the arm and who cleared it out

 

I don't know if the Oxford branch of the IWA is aware of the proposal

[billS]

if the proposal does go ahead, they might as well fill in the arm with concrete.It will have ceased to have any function as a navigation.

[Albion]

 

I doubt very much if Nick Wild or any other remaining members of CRT have any knowledge of the arm and who cleared it out

 

I don't know if the Oxford branch of the IWA is aware of the proposal

It was September 1985 that the Oxford IWA did the tidy up and started pressing Oxford City Council about the problems of alcoholics living under the bridge just above Isis Lock, frequenting the windlass style seat that used to be near the end of the arm near Hythe Bridge and the condition of the moorings down there. It was definitely an unwelcoming/uncomfortable location back then.

I still have a press cutting from the Oxford mail that shows a youthful self and another even more youthful branch member strimming the grass.

Roger

PS PM sent PJ

[OldGoat]

In the summer someone attempted to run a water taxi service to Wolvecote.

He used the visitor mooring

 

I thought it was a potty idea - however if it succeeded it should be a good tourist attraction.

 

[ditchcrawler]

 

The justification is that:

• Their location, at a "dead end" of the Oxford Canal results in under-use of the moorings:
• Since May 2013 there have been only 25 recorded uses;
• There are existing designated residential moorings adjeacent to the site

 

My answer to that is:

• Very few people know that they exist.
• They are not sign posted as being down the arm.
• Generally to get to them, you need to reverse down or back
• The residential boats along the arm 'discourage' people from going down there - I know that for a fact
• It's quite shallow

 

I am not in the area now, but always moored there if I wanted to overnight in Oxford. I only once saw another boat down there. I must say I found the locals quite friendly, the very few that I saw, I guess most of them were at work when I passed. I think its only people in the know who use it as it doesn't look very inviting with the notice saying about residential and limited turning. Probably a majority of boaters will never notice.

[ValandPete]

We are in Oxford at the moment and those VMs are empty however I think the need to reverse in or out is very off putting, unless the boat has bow thrusters.

Why can't the residential moorings be moved down to the far end to create a 2 boat VM by Isis Lock?

 

I will respond to the consultation and suggest just that.

 

Val

[BD3Bill]

It's sounds rather like CRT have realised the potential for earning another few grand ( or more?) per year from the moorings if they make them residential ?

We are in Oxford at the moment and those VMs are empty however I think the need to reverse in or out is very off putting, unless the boat has bow thrusters.
Why can't the residential moorings be moved down to the far end to create a 2 boat VM by Isis Lock?

I will respond to the consultation and suggest just that.

Val

 

I was thinking that but didn't like to say so...

[Proper Job]

It's sounds rather like CRT have realised the potential for earning another few grand ( or more?) per year from the moorings if they make them residential ?

 

 

I'd value each mooring at around £5K per annum based on it's location

 

Moving everyone down would be a very sensible, much better option, but I think CRT are looking at income generation rather than making them more accessable to visitors

[Black Ibis]

That mooring is one of only three places we've been let off in the middle of the night (the others being Wolverhampton and St Neots). Doubt we'd get Willow down there (at 3ft deep) but it's a nice spot apart from that.

[Proper Job]

That mooring is one of only three places we've been let off in the middle of the night (the others being Wolverhampton and St Neots). Doubt we'd get Willow down there (at 3ft deep) but it's a nice spot apart from that.

 

At least you wouldn't have gone far

Edited December 9, 2014 by Proper Job

[Proper Job]

My old old boat moored there a few years back (2005 I think)

 

 

 

They're really nice moorings - just that very few people know they're there

[MoominPapa]

Since there's a huge shortage of VMs in Oxford, and the ones at the end of the Hythe Bridge arm are not much good as VMs because of the lack of winding facilities, the obvious solution is to make new VMs north of Isis lock, by removing long-term moorings there, and replace those long-term moorings with new ones a Hythe Bridge. Problem solved. Next.

 

MP.