Forth and Clyde Closure

[Up-Side-Down]

Yesterday Scottish Canals published their Asset Management Strategy 2018-2030 and the broadsheets picked up on it today big time. In a nutshell, the strategy is to progressively close sections of the Scottish Canals, with the Lowland Canals in the van, as the money progressively runs out.

 

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16306896.Cash_crisis_to_see_parts_of_Scotland_s_historic_canal_network_closed_to_boats/

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/scottish-canals-may-stop-boats-using-network-js9rh6z2s?shareToken=ddd64775b3bf31414b0c49186df732ad

 

https://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/restrictions-threat-to-union-canal-boaters-if-no-extra-funding-1-4758189/amp?__twitter_impression=true

 

A copy of the Asset Management Strategy can be downloaded at: 

 

https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/assets/asset-management-strategy-2018-30/

[Alan de Enfield]

6 minutes ago, Up-Side-Down said:

Yesterday Scottish Canals published their Asset Management Strategy 2018-2030 and the broadsheets picked up on it today big time. In a nutshell, the strategy is to progressively close sections of the Scottish Canals, with the Lowland Canals in the van, as the money progressively runs out.

 

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16306896.Cash_crisis_to_see_parts_of_Scotland_s_historic_canal_network_closed_to_boats/

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/scottish-canals-may-stop-boats-using-network-js9rh6z2s?shareToken=ddd64775b3bf31414b0c49186df732ad

 

https://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/restrictions-threat-to-union-canal-boaters-if-no-extra-funding-1-4758189/amp?__twitter_impression=true

 

A copy of the Asset Management Strategy can be downloaded at: 

 

https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/assets/asset-management-strategy-2018-30/

At least they are being honest about their plans (unlike their Southern counterparts)

[ronnietucker]

And their loss of money is only going to get worse as they can't possibly charge a navigation fee now. Even if the broken bridges do get fixed no one will pay a navigation fee in the knowledge that, probably within a few years, they'd be limited in their movement.

 

Having only had my boat a year (next month) I'm pretty disgusted.  

[Iain_S]

Having looked at the "strategy" (Up-Side-Down's final link), I must say it's the best example of bean counting "officespeak" I've seen for a while. One has to wonder why, in view of this growing maintenance backlog, a higher proportion of the Grant in Aid wasn't spent on maintenance?

[Up-Side-Down]

3 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

At least they are being honest about their plans (unlike their Southern counterparts)

SC – disingenuous to the last!

 

Grant in Aid (GIA) is £11.6m in this financial year matched by a similar amount of earned income (see graph attached). Only the entire Asset Management Strategy is based on an income from GIA alone and totally ignores another £12m odd that is generated by their property dealings.

 

In 30 years of dealing with navigational authorities throughout Britain, as part of my day job, I've always been of the understanding that income from a waterway's capital assets is to be used in the upkeep of said waterway.

 

When challenged as to when SC's earned income will be ploughed back into waterway maintenance, the Board's Chairman – Andrew Thin – states that he is not, at this time, able to identify a date.

 

This is against a backdrop of declining spend on navigation and maintenance, now down from 60% of gross income to a tad below 40%. Indeed, for the past five years or so the actual figure spent on navigation is less than GIA, the balance having obviously been absorbed within their property development activities. I believe that a recent calculation shows that had all the GIA actually been spent on what the Scottish Government intended it to be spent on, another £17.3m would have gone into the operation of the waterways – a sum that would have taken care of a considerable amount of the maintenance shortfall.

 

Graph of SC income v. expenditure copy 2.docx

 

 

Edited June 22, 2018 by Up-Side-Down

[dmr]

Reading their document  does ring some alarm bells    "re imagined the canals beyond navigation...."    "active travel (cycling????) and health".

 

Is this the direction that CaRT are heading in?????

 

.............Dave

[ronnietucker]

Work starts on fourth [housing] phase at Maryhill Locks

http://www.scottishhousingnews.com/22069/work-starts-on-fourth-phase-at-maryhill-locks/

"Developer Bigg Regeneration – a partnership between Scottish Canals and Places for People – has started work on the next phase of its ‘Maryhill Locks’ development in Glasgow."

 

I'll bet their houses don't fall into disrepair...

 

BIGG REGENERATION LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/SL011649

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/company/SL011649

 

BIGG REGENERATION (GENERAL PARTNER) LIMITED

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/SC433313

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/company/SC433313

 

^--- two entries? Probably a tax fiddle  

[Up-Side-Down]

4 minutes ago, dmr said:

Reading their document  does ring some alarm bells    "re imagined the canals beyond navigation...."    "active travel (cycling????) and health".

 

Is this the direction that CaRT are heading in?????

 

.............Dave

That "Wellbeing" word in fact ..........!

 

"We look to Scotland for all our ideas of well-being" : (with apologies to Voltaire and Iain S)

[Up-Side-Down]

9 minutes ago, ronnietucker said:

Work starts on fourth [housing] phase at Maryhill Locks

http://www.scottishhousingnews.com/22069/work-starts-on-fourth-phase-at-maryhill-locks/

"Developer Bigg Regeneration – a partnership between Scottish Canals and Places for People – has started work on the next phase of its ‘Maryhill Locks’ development in Glasgow."

 

I'll bet their houses don't fall into disrepair...

 

BIGG REGENERATION LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/SL011649

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/company/SL011649

 

BIGG REGENERATION (GENERAL PARTNER) LIMITED

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/SC433313

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/company/SC433313

 

^--- two entries? Probably a tax fiddle  

And, if you want to start digging Ronnie, you might just spot the Registered address as SC HQ in Glasgow; the Igloo link and the fact that at least 3 current SC personnel (two of whom are directors) and the ex-CEO are listed under 'People'.

 

The link between these development companies and SC's core role as a navigation authority is, I feel, somewhat tenuous. But then maybe there's a 'Wellbeing' element in there somewhere which I haven't yet spotted!

[ronnietucker]

12 minutes ago, Up-Side-Down said:

And, if you want to start digging Ronnie, you might just spot the Registered address as SC HQ in Glasgow; the Igloo link and the fact that at least 3 current SC personnel (two of whom are directors) and the ex-CEO are listed under 'People'.

Yes, I noticed that. The article mentioned BIGG as being a partnership between SC and 'Places For People'.

Crazy that they (SC) have the money for these projects, but not for the canal. Which should be their priority.

Makes me wonder if the outgoing CEO knew this was coming. Probably. God help the incoming CEO. He/she will be in for pelters.

 

[Up-Side-Down]

16 hours ago, Up-Side-Down said:

Yesterday Scottish Canals published their Asset Management Strategy 2018-2030 and the broadsheets picked up on it today big time. In a nutshell, the strategy is to progressively close sections of the Scottish Canals, with the Lowland Canals in the van, as the money progressively runs out.

 

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16306896.Cash_crisis_to_see_parts_of_Scotland_s_historic_canal_network_closed_to_boats/

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/scottish-canals-may-stop-boats-using-network-js9rh6z2s?shareToken=ddd64775b3bf31414b0c49186df732ad

 

https://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/restrictions-threat-to-union-canal-boaters-if-no-extra-funding-1-4758189/amp?__twitter_impression=true

 

A copy of the Asset Management Strategy can be downloaded at: 

 

https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/assets/asset-management-strategy-2018-30/

And the Glasgow Herald are on the warpath again today:

 

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16309794.Transport_bosses_vow_to___39_explore__39__extra_funding_for_cash-strapped_canals/

[LadyG]

This is not "news" to those who have been kept up to date by posters on here. 

I remember the Clyde canals of the 1950's and we don't want to go back there, I can only suggest that the CEO and senior management ring fence their pension funds, increasing their own salaries to ensure these funds are stuffed to the max.

Then:-

1] Forget about navigation [box already ticked]

2] ] Open  the Iron Bru heritage trail from Bowling to Grangemouth [boxes part ticked]

4] Liquidise assets over a ten year period [boxes part ticked]

3] Re-brand, a well known diversionary strategy.

4] When re-branding fails to generate more funding demand the Scottish Government bail them out, or resign.

5] Resign.  Take redundancy package and big fat pension fund.

Edited June 23, 2018 by LadyG

[Jokar]

Im transiting the Crinan just now and it's very obvious  money and maintenance  has been heavily withdrawn. An awful lot of lock beams are showing rot, which isn't a problem if they are still strong, but would regular painting not be cheaper than letting them rot? We are on the pontoon at Dunardry locks, the pontoon has been covered with chicken wire, which is so rotten that it's now a trip hazard, I know I tripped on it last night luckily my boat stopped me falling into the canal, I'll mention  it to the staff when they come in, the pontoon has a section of herris fencing but it's still in use. The shower curtain is covered with mould, I don't care if the toilets and showers are old, as long as they are clean which they are, other than for the sake of  a £10 shower curtain, it would then look as if it was looked after. 

 

Another note for anyone thinking about coming through  the Crinan, the Ardrishaig sealock phone number has been changed, and it's not the number in the guides etc, staff at the sealock didn't believe I'd been calling them for 5 hrs on Friday till they tried the number and realised it's been changed. The new one is 01546 606995 the old 602458 number rings out?

 

[LadyG]

3 hours ago, Jokar said:

Im transiting the Crinan just now and it's very obvious  money and maintenance  has been heavily withdrawn. An awful lot of lock beams are showing rot, which isn't a problem if they are still strong, but would regular painting not be cheaper than letting them rot? We are on the pontoon at Dunardry locks, the pontoon has been covered with chicken wire, which is so rotten that it's now a trip hazard, I know I tripped on it last night luckily my boat stopped me falling into the canal, I'll mention  it to the staff when they come in, the pontoon has a section of herris fencing but it's still in use. The shower curtain is covered with mould, I don't care if the toilets and showers are old, as long as they are clean which they are, other than for the sake of  a £10 shower curtain, it would then look as if it was looked after. 

 

Another note for anyone thinking about coming through  the Crinan, the Ardrishaig sealock phone number has been changed, and it's not the number in the guides etc, staff at the sealock didn't believe I'd been calling them for 5 hrs on Friday till they tried the number and realised it's been changed. The new one is 01546 606995 the old 602458 number rings out?

 

That's really sad, and its a massively popular transit route for families and others in spite of the cost. If they can't make this pay, there is no hope for the F&C.

In my younger days the lock keepers used to partake of a wee dram. Theirs was a short life, but a merry one.  I have a B&W photo, somewhere, of Hughie helping Kittiwake [1929]  through Ardrishaig in 1961. Stuart Turner handstart engine, no batteries, no running water.

Edited June 24, 2018 by LadyG

[Dr Bob]

50 minutes ago, LadyG said:

That's really sad, and its a massively popular transit route for families and others in spite of the cost.

 

 

It really is sad.

Many peeps on here who dont know the Crinan canal will not realise how important it is. It is a short stretch of canal which enables sea going yachts get from the Clyde area out to the west coast without going a very long way around the Campbeltown peninsular which can be tricky in bad weather and spring tides so isnt novice sailing. Surely the Scottish government wouldn't allow it to fail?

Apart from the Union canal, the canals in Scotland seem to be geared to providing transits from A to B. We did the forth clyde from Grangemouth to Bowling in a sea going yacht ...just.... the draught was 1.6M which I think is the max so it is sad to see that canal also suffering. We used the Cally canal to transit east to west and west to east many times in our 40 footer and saw a lot of commercial traffic using it so surely that cannot end up like the others. I always preferred the route around the top though, via Stornaway, Kirkwall and Ratray head.

[ronnietucker]

Shock horror! I saw a BOAT on the canal today. 25/06/2018, 16:00HRS @ Maryhill locks.

 

It was named as Peccadillo (Glasgow). Which I think is a hire boat from Applecross Street?

 

I was waiting to see it go through the locks, but I waited until about quarter past and it just sat there (at the new cafe bit I hadn't noticed before). No sign of Scottish Canal personnel.

 

Well... bump that yearly figure up to 201 now!  

[haggis]

Peccadillo is owned by Bev and it moors at Applecross Street. It is a sort of commercial boat 

Haggis 

[Iain_S]

44 minutes ago, haggis said:

Peccadillo is owned by Bev and it moors at Applecross Street. It is a sort of commercial boat 

Haggis 

And a liveaboard. 

 

Did you get a close look at the Celtic designs on the cabin sides?

[Up-Side-Down]

48 minutes ago, haggis said:

Peccadillo is owned by Bev and it moors at Applecross Street. It is a sort of commercial boat 

Haggis 

I understand that Bev has now sold Peccadillo and there are conflicting reports as to whether it will remain a commercial hospitality vessel.

[ronnietucker]

16 minutes ago, Iain_S said:

Did you get a close look at the Celtic designs on the cabin sides?

'Fraid not. I don't even remember seeing a Celtic design on the side. Just the name which, strangely, had a .biz URL on the side which I can't see in Google searches. I'm sure it was Peccadillo.biz. It was a mid-green colour and had 'Glasgow' on the stern.

 

14 minutes ago, Up-Side-Down said:

there are conflicting reports as to whether it will remain a commercial hospitality vessel

It was full of American (I'm assuming tourist) folk.

 

From what I can see on their site (http://www.peccadillobarge.co.uk/) it had no intention of going down Maryhill locks. It was a wee quick 2hr run. Although, I have the feeling their site is a bit out of date (ie: pub lunch at Lock 27).

 

Anyway, it was good to see a boat on the canal.

[Jokar]

Pickadildo is the only canal boat to be rescued by Helensbugh RNLI, twice I think it was lol, Bev was rather crazy when she decided to go through the Crinan from the Forth and Clyde

[ronnietucker]

7 hours ago, Jokar said:

Pickadildo

I see what you did there.  

 

7 hours ago, Jokar said:

Bev was rather crazy when she decided to go through the Crinan from the Forth and Clyde

So I have to ask: what did she do that required the RNLI?

[Jokar]

12/13 - Canal Barge Adrift! (Monday 25th June at 19:52 hrs)

At 19:45 hrs on Monday 25th June, Clyde Coastguard requested lifeboat launch as Coastguard Watch Officers could see from their Control Room at Navy Buildings, Greenock, that a 50' canal barge was adrift in the Clyde River channel opposite their location. The lifeboat was launched to investigate and proceeded to the area where, as reported, they found a canal barge, the 'Peccadillo', adrift with engine problems; the barge had been on passage from the Forth and Clyde Canal at Bowling to the Holy Loch. The lifeboat crew therefore took the barge in tow and proceeded across the river to the Holy Loch, the Peccadillo's original destination. After making the barge secure at Sandbank, the lifeboat returned to base, reporting ready for service again at 21:53 hrs.

This was the first time that Helensburgh lifeboat has been asked to go to the assistance of a canal barge since the lifeboat station was established in 1965!

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

18 minutes ago, Jokar said:

12/13 - Canal Barge Adrift! (Monday 25th June at 19:52 hrs)

At 19:45 hrs on Monday 25th June, Clyde Coastguard requested lifeboat launch as Coastguard Watch Officers could see from their Control Room at Navy Buildings, Greenock, that a 50' canal barge was adrift in the Clyde River channel opposite their location. The lifeboat was launched to investigate and proceeded to the area where, as reported, they found a canal barge, the 'Peccadillo', adrift with engine problems; the barge had been on passage from the Forth and Clyde Canal at Bowling to the Holy Loch. The lifeboat crew therefore took the barge in tow and proceeded across the river to the Holy Loch, the Peccadillo's original destination. After making the barge secure at Sandbank, the lifeboat returned to base, reporting ready for service again at 21:53 hrs.

This was the first time that Helensburgh lifeboat has been asked to go to the assistance of a canal barge since the lifeboat station was established in 1965!

 

 

 

That would suggest :

 

1) Canal barges can safely cross  / navigate the Clyde, or,

2) No other Canal barge Owners are daft enough to try and cross / navigate the Clyde

[Up-Side-Down]

5 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

That would suggest :

 

1) Canal barges can safely cross  / navigate the Clyde, or,

2) No other Canal barge Owners are daft enough to try and cross / navigate the Clyde

The words 'Mad', 'box' and 'Frogs' come to mind!