EA To Close Some Navigations

[Alan de Enfield]

From Narrowboat World

 

THE Environmental Agency has stated that it is closing parts of its navigable waterways due to lack of funding.

It was a Freedom of Information request that brought to light that the Agency is preparing to make long term closures of its navigations in the Anglian region that includes the River Great Ouse and the Nene, Alan Tilbury reports.

It is stated that this is the consequence of underfunding of the waterways and their assets over many years

[Phil Ambrose]

Work of fiction? Strange that EA sent a pusher tug and a mahoosive work flat through to check the Ouse was still in good shape for navigation, the vessel carried a huge sign to that effect.

Phil

[Alan de Enfield]

More :

 

The Agency has decided that some navigations will have to be closed to navigation on health and safety grounds, due to this lack of funding to keep assets in a safe condition.

The Environmental Agency admits that three locks have already been closed in the region, preventing navigation, but the Freedom of Information request does not state which they are.

The Inland Waterways Association has pointed out that the Anglian Water Act 1977 provides a Right of Navigation on most of these waterways and it believes the Environmental Association cannot simply ignore its legal duties.

[Peter X]

So has this Alan Tilbury shown anyone the actual document he bases these assertions of EA's intentions on? We're always being told that some politician or government official, quango or company is preparing to do some dastardly deed, but only because some activist wants us to think so. I like to judge these people more upon what they say themselves about their intentions, and even more upon what they actually do.

[BEngo]

And the IWA still wants them dumped on CART??

 

(Assuming the NBW claim is substantiable)

 

N

[NilesMI]

So has this Alan Tilbury shown anyone the actual document he bases these assertions of EA's intentions on?

 

The IWA cites minutes of a meeting between EA and CRT, obtained following an FoI request.

 

https://www.waterways.org.uk/news_campaigns/bulletins/iwa_bulletin_20170124

[Chertsey]

Scary if true. But possibly an argument *for* transfer to CRT, who are at least primarily interested in navigation and arguably less obsessed with pointless health and safety.

 

Can people on here identify the locks which have been closed? That might or might not lend credence to the claims.

[Naughty Cal]

Is one of them Fulney Lock on the River Glen?

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fulney-lock-spalding

Edited January 27, 2017 by Naughty Cal

[NilesMI]

Can people on here identify the locks which have been closed? That might or might not lend credence to the claims.

 

The claims might be verified if we could see the minutes of the meeting to which the IWA refer, but haven't published, presumably for reasons of copyright.

 

One of the curious things about FoI is that it doesn't actually make information public, it just puts it into the hands of the person making the application for it.

[magpie patrick]

Welches Dam has been closed for years, the EA acknowledge there is a right of navigation through it, but they haven't the funds to repair it (and the works needed are substantial, not just new gates. It is very difficult to justify restoring a lock that almost no one will use, and part of the reasoning behind the Fenland Waterways Link is to give these navigations a purpose

 

Edited to Add, I suspect Horseways is also closed.

 

It is worth noting that City Mills Lock (BW), on the Bow Back Rivers, was closed for years even though it has a right of navigation through it (that's why it was built in the 30's, because of the right of navigation, it's not certain anyone ever used it until the 1960's)

 

The statement is guilty of conflation, the EA may have to close navigations, they are the navigation authority for the Ouse and Nene, but that doesn't mean it is the Ouse and Nene that will be closing.

 

That said, if there isn't action, we stand to lose some waterways, CRT. EA and other authorities are all short of cash

Edited January 27, 2017 by magpie patrick

[Keeping Up]

One comment I read suggested that the EA were aiming to get around the legal rights of navigation by neglecting the maintenance to an extent that the locks were regarded as unsafe, and then using Health & Safety laws as an excuse to close them.

 

My first reaction was that this would be crazy until I remembered the EA's previous statement that they will no longer be reversing the Nene locks to prevent flooding because H&S said it wasn't safe for their workers to go near the locks if the river was flooding.

[Athy]

From Narrowboat World

 

THE Environmental Agency has stated that it is closing parts of its navigable waterways due to lack of funding.

It was a Freedom of Information request that brought to light that the Agency is preparing to make long term closures of its navigations in the Anglian region that includes the River Great Ouse and the Nene, Alan Tilbury reports.

It is stated that this is the consequence of underfunding of the waterways and their assets over many years

This is shocking: it means that there will be no route from the canal system to East Anglia, and that the only part of East Anglia open to boats will be the Middle Level.

Has it not occurred to the E.A. how very inconvenient for how very many people this action will be?

 

Do they mention any time scale, e.g. straight away or in two years' time, to give boaters the chance to get their craft off these rivers before they are closed to navigation?

 

A final thought: has April 1st come early this year? I hope it's a HOAX.

Edited January 27, 2017 by Athy

[Traveller]

One comment I read suggested that the EA were aiming to get around the legal rights of navigation by neglecting the maintenance to an extent that the locks were regarded as unsafe, and then using Health & Safety laws as an excuse to close them.

 

My first reaction was that this would be crazy until I remembered the EA's previous statement that they will no longer be reversing the Nene locks to prevent flooding because H&S said it wasn't safe for their workers to go near the locks if the river was flooding.

Great Yarmouth was close to flooding badly just recently (along with other bits of East Anglia) - thank heaven Health & Safety has not said it would be unsafe for those working on flood defence and rescue to go near the sea.

 

Edited spelling

Edited January 27, 2017 by Traveller

[NilesMI]

Athy, why do you jump to the conclusion that because the Anglian region includes the Nene and Gt Ouse that the EA have any plans at all to close either of those waterways.

 

Clearly that is the fear that IWA want you to take away from reading their warning, but is there any basis for it?

[Traveller]

Wonder if GOBA have any info?

Edited January 27, 2017 by Traveller

[magpie patrick]

The EA website lists 22 locks on the GO system, four of which (Upware, Isleham, Brandon and Relief Channel) are not on the main route

 

In addition Welches Dam (already closed) Horseway (De Facto closed as it leads to Welches Dam) and Fulney Locks aren't on either river, nor are Surfleet Sluice, Old Bedford Sluice and Black Sluice (Boston)

[Scholar Gypsy]

I agree with Magpie Patrick's comment above. The politician's syllogism: "The EA may think they need to close some waterways. The EA are responsible for the Nene. Therefore the EA want to close the Nene."

 

To the list of closed locks, one could add Swaffham Lode.

Wonder if GOBA have any info?

 

I've asked, via a posting on their forum this morning. No reply yet.

[Traveller]

The EA website lists 22 locks on the GO system, four of which (Upware, Isleham, Brandon and Relief Channel) are not on the main route

 

In addition Welches Dam (already closed) Horseway (De Facto closed as it leads to Welches Dam) and Fulney Locks aren't on either river, nor are Surfleet Sluice, Old Bedford Sluice and Black Sluice (Boston)

Oh no, not Isleham - would that not leave you in a proverbial pickle, Phil...along with quite a lot of others :-)

[Alan de Enfield]

One comment I read suggested that the EA were aiming to get around the legal rights of navigation by neglecting the maintenance to an extent that the locks were regarded as unsafe, and then using Health & Safety laws as an excuse to close them.

 

My first reaction was that this would be crazy until I remembered the EA's previous statement that they will no longer be reversing the Nene locks to prevent flooding because H&S said it wasn't safe for their workers to go near the locks if the river was flooding.

 

The EA response to a similar question (in their FOI reply) was :

 

The obligations under the 1977 Act are set out in Section 8 which imposes

a legal obligation on the Environment Agency to;

 

“take steps as are reasonably practicable to maintain the main navigation

channels and navigation works of the waterways specified in Schedule 1 to

this Act to at least as good a standard for the purpose of navigation by

pleasure boats as that to which they were maintained in the period of nine

months immediately preceding 8^th December 1975”

 

And, elsewhere they have stated :

 

For your information, in deciding whether specific works are reasonably

practicable, we would consider the cost of the proposed works and the

impact on navigation. The Waterways team in Anglian Region has an annual

maintenance budget of approximately £1.1 million to spend over 568km of

waterways.

 

So, pretty much 'busy waterways' may be maintained navigable, but 'quiet ones' will not.

Edited January 27, 2017 by Alan de Enfield

[Murflynn]

This is shocking: it means that there will be no route from the canal system to East Anglia, and that the only part of East Anglia open to boats will be the Middle Level.

Has it not occurred to the E.A. how very inconvenient for how very many people this action will be?

 

Do they mention any time scale, e.g. straight away or in two years' time, to give boaters the chance to get their craft off these rivers before they are closed to navigation?

 

A final thought: has April 1st come early this year? I hope it's a HOAX.

was that post made with your moderating hat on or your alarming one?

[IanM]

 

 

The statement is guilty of conflation, the EA may have to close navigations, they are the navigation authority for the Ouse and Nene, but that doesn't mean it is the Ouse and Nene that will be closing.

 

 

 

That's how I interpreted it. That the EA's waterways include the Ouse and Nene, not that they are the ones to be closed.

[Athy]

was that post made with your moderating hat on or your alarming one?

I certainly had no desire to alarm anyone, sorry if I gave that impression. I was more alarmed against than alarming.

Perhaps it was my Serious Enquirin hat: I'm listening to the excellent Steve Wright programme as a reward to myself for sending in my Tax Return (Serious Submittin).

Edited January 27, 2017 by Athy

[magpie patrick]

 

That's how I interpreted it. That the EA's waterways include the Ouse and Nene, not that they are the ones to be closed.

 

Just realised they also include the Stour, which apparently has three navigable locks, I've seen the one at Great Cornard

[Captain Pegg]

So the situation is;-

 

- EA has finite funds for maintaining its river navigations

- it has to prioritise its activities

- it may not be able to complete all the things in the maintenance workbank

- that could lead the condition of some assets to deteriorate

- they may become unsafe

- in that event they are prepared to prevent use of those assets

 

You can substitute CRT and canals, Highways Agency and trunk roads, Local Authority and local roads, Network Rail and railways and others in place of EA and rivers. This is just the normal state of affairs for infrastructure managers.

 

It becomes news if the EA say "we cannot do immediately safety critical work and will be closing a navigation".

 

A bit of politics - maybe

The thin of the wedge for EA navigations - possibly

A whole lot of overstatement - definitely

 

JP

[Chertsey]

 

That's how I interpreted it. That the EA's waterways include the Ouse and Nene, not that they are the ones to be closed.

It did seem rather odd that they would be the first to go.