Problems At Gifford Park

[haggis]

 

 

If he doesn't like boaters he shouldn't have moved next to a bloody canal.

But did he start out not liking boaters? I get the impression that it is the anti social boaters he doesn't care for. From some of the comments on here, I get the impression that some boaters are taking delight in annoying him as much as possible. What nice people they must be!

Drunken Donkey said he didn't respond well to a friendly greeting but I think if I had been subjected to some of the behaviour being suggested by some boaters on here (and applauded by others) I don't think I would feel very kindly to any boaters either.

I have seen just how some boaters can quickly change a "live and let live" situation to one where the two sides are antagonistic.

 

haggis

[jenlyn]

But did he start out not liking boaters? I get the impression that it is the anti social boaters he doesn't care for. From some of the comments on here, I get the impression that some boaters are taking delight in annoying him as much as possible. What nice people they must be!

Drunken Donkey said he didn't respond well to a friendly greeting but I think if I had been subjected to some of the behaviour being suggested by some boaters on here (and applauded by others) I don't think I would feel very kindly to any boaters either.

I have seen just how some boaters can quickly change a "live and let live" situation to one where the two sides are antagonistic.

 

haggis

He does not like any boats, even shiny ones.

[haggis]

He does not like any boats, even shiny ones.

Probably not now but that may not always have been the case.

 

haggis

[Victor Vectis]

It's not a question of 'live & let live'. It's about a householder trying to annex the section of the towpath next to their house. They have no right to do that.

 

My boat is insured, it has a licence and a BSS certificate, thus it is the canal equivalent of 'street legal'. I have the right to moor it on the towpath where and when I please, subject to local conditions and limits of course.

 

It doesn't matter that there may be plenty of moorings in that area. If this pillock can get his own way here then other people who think they own the towpath, such as between Lapworth Top Lock and the first lift bridge, will try it on too and quote precedent.

Edited February 5, 2016 by Victor Vectis

[haggis]

It's not a question of 'live & let live'. It's about a householder trying to annex the section of the towpath next to their house. They have no right to do that.

 

My boat is insured, it has a licence and a BSS certificate, thus it is the canal equivalent of 'street legal'. I have the right to moor it on the towpath where and when I please, subject to local conditions and limits of course.

 

If this pillock can get his own way here then other people who think they own the towpath, such as between Lapworth Top Lock and the first lift bridge, will try it on too and quote precedent.

Do you not think his antagonism to boaters which resulted in him attempting to annex the towpath might have been partly caused by the attitude of some boaters? What I read on here doesn't show some boaters up in a very good light.

 

haggis

[jenlyn]

Probably not now but that may not always have been the case.

 

haggis

He stated when I spoke to him last year that HE DOES NOT LIKE ANY BOATS OUTSIDE HIS PROPERTY.

I should also add that he also stated, the estate agent did not tell him boats would moor outside his property when he viewed it.

Edited February 5, 2016 by jenlyn

[haggis]

He stated when I spoke to him last year that HE DOES NOT LIKE ANY BOATS OUTSIDE HIS PROPERTY.

I should also add that he also stated, the estate agent did not tell him boats would moor outside his property when he viewed it.

yet, his letter quoted above said he had no objection to short term moorings outside his house. So, his written word to C&RT is at odds with what you say he said to you.

 

haggis

[jenlyn]

yet, his letter quoted above said he had no objection to short term moorings outside his house. So, his written word to C&RT is at odds with what you say he said to you.

 

haggis

Yes. He's very good at playing his little game.

[Tony Brooks]

Copy of letter sent to CRT

 

Quote

with the towpath 40 feet from my lounge window. My neighbour and I have had the quality of our lives

completely destroyed by the mooring of 'live aboard' boats outside of our house.during the last 3/4years. In 2013, 281 days out of

365 we had boats moored, some double parked. Smoking chimneys (We live in a smoke free zone !!) generators on the towpath,

washing lines, barking dogs, and lots of foul language. many days we cannot use our garden. We have had meetings with the

canal trust manager - Mr Whyatt who has refused to do anything to restrict the mooring. we have requested, for about 100yds,

24/48 hr mooring so that holiday boats are not affected, but stops the 'live aboards'. There are hundreds of yards of mooring that

does not affect anybody in Giffard Park. Surely this is not too much to ask, just 100yds restricted. Please, please help, we pay

£XXXX/ year house tax and the value of our houses has been reduced due to the constant mooring of these boats and their

disregard to the house holders. I have invited Mr Whyatt to visit me to see for himself, but he has never bothered to accept my

invite.

 

End of quote

Copy of this was also emailed to Hanna last year

 

 

Maybe Mr boathater could be offered no mooring signs, to be renewed annually at the rate of local moorings. Mr boathater gets no boats outside his property, boaters only loose a few yards of moorings and for 300 ft of "no mooring" CaRT gets additional income of £10,000 ish per annum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flaw in that plan is Mr boathater would not be willing to pay for his desires.

[Dave Payne]

I dont see the difference though between short and long term moorings, you can make a mess/noise in 24 hours....

[Victor Vectis]

Do you not think his antagonism to boaters which resulted in him attempting to annex the towpath might have been partly caused by the attitude of some boaters?

No, I don't.

 

A couple of years ago we pulled up for a rest after coming up the Lapworth flight.

 

We moored outside one of the houses there with a 'No Mooring' sign outside. The bloke popped out like a jack in the box and asked us to move on.

 

I find that attitude antognistic.

 

As has been said before, why do people buy houses by the canal if they don't like boats. Do they see it as some kind of decorative water feture?

[furnessvale]

If CRT ban mooring where a householder has complained you're looking at setting a presedent and a large number of mooring places removed from the system ( unlawfully).

 

That can't be even considered as an option.

That horse bolted a long time ago.

 

No mooring outside a new build block of flats at Hinkley on the Ashby.

 

Water point moved and no running of engines on moorings at Macclesfield, outside new build houses.

 

STRICTLY no mooring outside a councillors house at Ansty on the North Oxford.

 

I know there are plenty more but no doubt others can add to the list.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

Edited February 5, 2016 by furnessvale

[DrunkenDonkey]

Haggis,

 

With all due respect...

 

You are making a story up in your head regarding what this man is/was/could have been like if... etc. based on an obviously bias letter written by himself or one of the other homeowners.

 

If you had moored in the area and managed to get on his bad side, you would NOT be so kind, I'm sure.

 

I spoke to friends (with two very young children) today to see if they had any direct experience with him and they told me they had avoided mooring there as they were worried about what he might do to their boat if left unattended. That's the kind of guy we're talking about here. Others have had worse personal experiences such as outbursts of anger, so please don't be so quick to judge those of us who are happy CRT may now be doing something about it.

 

And please don't deny me a little schadenfreude!

[waterworks]

That horse bolted a long time ago.

 

No mooring outside a new build block of flats at Hinkley on the Ashby.

 

Water point moved and no running of engines on moorings at Macclesfield, outside new build houses.

 

STRICTLY no mooring outside a councillors house at Ansty on the North Oxford.

 

I know there are plenty more but no doubt others can add to the list.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

Isnt that unlawful ?

 

If its an official CRT sign do they have the authority to move you on without a reasonable reason ?

 

Legal experts to aisle 4 please....

[haggis]

No, I don't.

 

A couple of years ago we pulled up for a rest after coming up the Lapworth flight.

 

We moored outside one of the houses there with a 'No Mooring' sign outside. The bloke popped out like a jack in the box and asked us to move on.

 

I find that attitude antognistic.

 

As has been said before, why do people buy houses by the canal if they don't like boats. Do they see it as some kind of decorative water feture?

Do you not think you might have been just a teenie bit antagonistic when you moored at a no mooring sign :-) I don't remember the top of Lapworth being short of space to moor so why pick on a space with such a sign? OK it may not have been an official sign (you didn't say if it was or not) but why pick that spot if it wasn't just to annoy someone?

 

I agree with your sentiment about not buying houses beside canal if you don't like boats but I have witnessed a good example of why folk in houses might come to not like boats. In Ratho near Edinburgh boaters moored behind the back gardens of a row of houses and all was well with a lot of chat and pleasantness back and forward. Then a couple of boaters moved there and started burning damp wood on their fires, sitting on the roofs of their boats having loud drinking sessions accompanied by loud canned music. storing piles of stuff on the banking against folks back garden fences and generally being inconsiderate. Approaches to the boaters by householders and other boaters fell on deaf ears and eventually the moorings were made non liveaboard. A couple of selfish sods changed the attitude of the householders to the canal and boats and it took years to restore harmony.

 

haggis

haggis

[jenlyn]

Do you not think you might have been just a teenie bit antagonistic when you moored at a no mooring sign :-) I don't remember the top of Lapworth being short of space to moor so why pick on a space with such a sign? OK it may not have been an official sign (you didn't say if it was or not) but why pick that spot if it wasn't just to annoy someone?

 

I agree with your sentiment about not buying houses beside canal if you don't like boats but I have witnessed a good example of why folk in houses might come to not like boats. In Ratho near Edinburgh boaters moored behind the back gardens of a row of houses and all was well with a lot of chat and pleasantness back and forward. Then a couple of boaters moved there and started burning damp wood on their fires, sitting on the roofs of their boats having loud drinking sessions accompanied by loud canned music. storing piles of stuff on the banking against folks back garden fences and generally being inconsiderate. Approaches to the boaters by householders and other boaters fell on deaf ears and eventually the moorings were made non liveaboard. A couple of selfish sods changed the attitude of the householders to the canal and boats and it took years to restore harmony.

 

haggis

haggis

That was not the case with this particular issue.

[Victor Vectis]

Do you not think you might have been just a teenie bit antagonistic when you moored at a no mooring sign :-) I don't remember the top of Lapworth being short of space to moor so why pick on a space with such a sign? OK it may not have been an official sign (you didn't say if it was or not) but why pick that spot if it wasn't just to annoy someone?

Again, no. That first time we didn't see the sign until after we had tied up, and I certainly wasn't going to untie and move on just 'cos that particular pillock wanted me to.

 

The signs there are unofficial, non CaRT signs. They are a red rag to a bull as far as I'm concerned. I don't run my engine out of hours, I don't use a generator, have a dog that barks loudly or kids that scream, leave junk on the towpath etc etc so if I want to moor there I bl00dy well will!

 

What you and certain others see as 'antagonism' I see as exercising our legitmate rights.

[ditchcrawler]

If CRT ban mooring where a householder has complained you're looking at setting a presedent and a large number of mooring places removed from the system ( unlawfully).

 

That can't be even considered as an option.

They already have, Ansty was the first one I knew about, I think it has been followed by others.

[bigcol]

Glynn has rang me back,

Gave me the impression he didn't know that this situation was going on for so long.

I gave him the info verbally, and have sent him all the emails that was sent and received last year.

 

Knowing that the resident and others apparently did have a meeting with Geoff whatt, at the time must have been a serious situation

That thankfully never went any where. his neighbors also supported him

There was a hope that all that mooring covering those houses would be mooring free.

Nothing happened apart he's taken maters into his own hands. His back filled the tow path.

 

CRT were unaware, and has been explained to me as there's so many diferent works being carried out, this was just another normal works sub contractors etc

And thought it was a legitimate work.

 

And still CRT haven't done anything, or even though emails were sent and received, no one has got round to do something!!

Hopefully Glyn can get it sorted,and have the revelent people prosecuted, but I fear not

 

I really do believe jenlyns right, not the right person who can do anything.

 

THIS IS THE REPLY I RECEIVED TODAY FROM GLYN CRT, TO MY LIST OF EMAILS SENT AND RECEIVED FROM CRT LAST YEAR

 

Colin-

Many thanks all forwarded to the appropriate people.

Regards

 

Glyn BUMFORD Enforcement officer

Canal and River Trust

M: 07826531026 Landline: 01908 681272

Glyn.bumford@canalrivertrust.org.uk

Edited February 5, 2016 by bigcol

[alan_fincher]

Not condoning his behaviour, but don't forget that when he bought the house 40 years ago there was one boat past a fortnight and hardly any live aboard CCers. For new builds, I would however agree with you.

 

From his rantings that I posted on here in a previous thread, I don't think he has owned the house very long at all. It would have been a very popular mooring spot when he decided to buy that house.

[Paul G2]

Literary pedant alert! It's about 40 years since I read Animal Farm, but wasn't it that all animals were declared to be equal before the pigs (all of them?) hi-jacked the revolution?

 

 

It's been a tad more than 40 years for me, but as I recall the pigs changed "All animals are equal." to "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

 

Ask me what I had for dinner last night and I couldn't tell you, yet I can remember quotes from a book I read 48 years ago. Go figure...

[Emerald Fox]

yet, his letter quoted above said he had no objection to short term moorings outside his house. So, his written word to C&RT is at odds with what you say he said to you.

 

Print his letter (copy and paste now) - and present it to him as evidence if he's awkward ???

 

Could someone make a map of the canal system with markings showing where all these awkward people live, as a warning to boaters? It would be nice to have such a map so we could stay out of trouble.

 

We've only had one bloke calling to us from his upstairs flat (ugly building - more like a prison) window in Mytholmroyd, that we may not park there. I replied "Says who?". We had already driven in but the bank was already silted up so moved on a bit as he suggested, but it's again the same old thing that they want to live next to a canal but don't want any smelly water gypsies tainting their 'private view'. I bet they wouldn't say it if it were Prince Harry driving a canal barge but would be on their hands and knees a-grovelling.

[Jerra]

That thankfully never went any where. his neighbors also supported him

 

If he is objectionable as many make out perhaps his neighbours supported him for a quiet life and to avoid being abused themselves.

[furnessvale]

Isnt that unlawful ?

 

If its an official CRT sign do they have the authority to move you on without a reasonable reason ?

 

Legal experts to aisle 4 please....

All my examples are official CRT restrictions following complaints from householders.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

[waterworks]

He is as they say " peeing in the wind".

 

Can anyone post a Google map marker to where this bit of towpath is ?