Getting a residential mooring on our land?

[Tasemu]

Hi again! My dad owns a little lock keepers cottage called Cobblers Lock along the kennet and avon canal (just outside hungerford). He owns the house and the land alongside the canal which stretches a good 50m or so away from the lock. I am wondering if it is possible to somehow get permission for a mooring on there. Has anyone had any experience or have some advice for this?

 

Cheers in advance for any help!

 

Also a side note, if you ever see us sitting on the table drinking a cold one out the front, do shout out and come say hello, we love sharing a glass or two with the boaters who cruise past and would be happy to meet more of you.

[Robbo]

Try contacting CRT to see if you can get a EoG (End of Garden) mooring.  

[TheBiscuits]

There is a specific rule for no more offside moorings on the K&A.

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/library/631.pdf

 

Quote

 

3. Exceptions for the Kennet & Avon Canal
On the Kennet & Avon Canal we will not permit the creation of any further offside moorings
against residential property. This underlines our commitment to delivering the policies within the
Kennet & Avon Canal Conservation Plan (second edition, October 2000):

Policy H10: There will be a general presumption for the offside bank to remain nonaccessible.

Policy H10.2 There is a presumption against the creation of moorings, paths and access
on the offside canal bank, although a case may be made for this in some
urban locations.

Please note that although we may consider applications for the ‘urban’ areas of Bath, Bradford
on Avon and Devizes, we will not grant any new moorings east of Lock 28 (the foot of the Caen
Hill lock flight).

 

 

[Tasemu]

1 minute ago, TheBiscuits said:

There is a specific rule for no more offside moorings on the K&A.

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/library/631.pdf

 

 

Hrm... I wonder why. They just say no huh.

[Boater Sam]

There was a blanket country wide ruling in 1998 that there would be no new linear moorings allowed.

We ignored it and set up our moorings for 12 boats on the farm.

After 2 years of arguing, being told we were "illegal" being photographed every week and being refused licences we were accepted in 2010.

Stick it out

[Alan de Enfield]

17 minutes ago, Tasemu said:

Hrm... I wonder why. They just say no huh.

Appeal to the Gubbermint to repeal their policies (its not the C&RT policy)

 

19 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

Kennet & Avon Canal Conservation Plan (second edition, October 2000):

Policy H10: There will be a general presumption for the offside bank to remain nonaccessible.

Policy H10.2 There is a presumption against the creation of moorings, paths and access
on the offside canal bank, although a case may be made for this in some
urban locations. 

 

End Of garden Policies :

 

 

eogmooring.pdf

Edited August 1, 2018 by Alan de Enfield

[dmr]

We have been off the K&A for a year or so now, is this lovely little cottage finally getting sorted out?  We have watched it going slowly downhill for a number of years since it was sold.

 

The no more offside mooring rule on the K&A will make it very difficult for you, plus the building of the Hungerford marina will not help (has this gone ahead yet?). There are CaRT moorings in Hungerford and they sometimes become available. An EoG mooring is not free, I think they are half the cost of the equivalent local CaRT mooring.

 

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

[TheBiscuits]

Actually, check the deeds to the cottage.  Some of the old waterways cottages were sold with legacy mooring rights, so it would not be a new mooring under the development plan.

[Tasemu]

59 minutes ago, dmr said:

We have been off the K&A for a year or so now, is this lovely little cottage finally getting sorted out?  We have watched it going slowly downhill for a number of years since it was sold.

 

The no more offside mooring rule on the K&A will make it very difficult for you, plus the building of the Hungerford marina will not help (has this gone ahead yet?). There are CaRT moorings in Hungerford and they sometimes become available. An EoG mooring is not free, I think they are half the cost of the equivalent local CaRT mooring.

 

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

Yup we're doing it up and living there (well i visit every weekend anyway), dad lives there full time and is slowly working on it, there is a LOT to fix. I don't know who owned it previously, but it was in a hell of a state when dad managed to score it.

51 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

Actually, check the deeds to the cottage.  Some of the old waterways cottages were sold with legacy mooring rights, so it would not be a new mooring under the development plan.

I'll take a look thanks!

Edited August 1, 2018 by Tasemu

[Tim Lewis]

1 hour ago, Robbo said:

Try contacting CRT to see if you can get a EoG (End of Garden) mooring.  

The OP is after a residential mooring. Am not an expert but a residential mooring will require you to obtain planing permission and to accept any conditions that go with it. Try talking to the local authority as to whether an application is worth while however with the CRT ban on offside moorings you may be in a double whammy!

1 hour ago, Tasemu said:

Hrm... I wonder why. They just say no huh.

Try reading the document, it clearly states why.

Edited August 1, 2018 by Tim Lewis

[Tasemu]

I'm not sure on the difference between EoG and residential, just hoping to make some use of the land for dad.

[MtB]

From the document, point 2 on page 1:

 

"All new end of garden moorings must, as a general rule, not be in close proximity to any canal structure, including locks and bridges."

 

 

So even on that parameter they won't grant it. 

 

EoG stands for "End Of Garden". To live on it requires planning permission for it to be a dwelling. The two are entirely unconnected other than the mooring has to exist in the first place to apply for PP.

 

You could however I suggest, 'live' in your dad's cottage but 'spend a lot of time' on your boat. Wink wink.

[howardang]

Do you not think that the best way to get the correct information, and also maybe some helpful advice, might  be to actually discuss the matter with CRT? I would explain all the details of what you would like to do - especially pointing out the relatively unusual point that your father owns Cobblers Lock cottage.  Even if they say it not possible to set up a residential or an EOG mooring in thast location,  they may be able to point you towards a solution to your specific requirements. so you can commute into Bristol each day.  There have been a number of very interesting and informative responses so far on this thread, but only CRT will be able to  give you the definitive answer. Unfortunately, you have chosen a particularly awkward waterway in the K&A because there are already many people already on the canal, trying to achieve what you would like to do - some more successfully than others, including some that have had a great deal of hassle.  The one thing, however, that CRT won't be able to help you with other than with very generalised advice, is anything to do with raising finance for a suitable boat.

 

Good luck with your quest.

 

Howard

 

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, Tasemu said:

I'm not sure on the difference between EoG and residential, just hoping to make some use of the land for dad.

Do you plan to keep a boat there that you will go cruising on from time to time or rent it out for someone to have a boat to live on full time?

[MtB]

2 hours ago, Tasemu said:

I'm not sure on the difference between EoG and residential, just hoping to make some use of the land for dad.

 

 

They are two different attributes of that thing called "a mooring". They are not mutually exclusive so there is no 'difference' to understand. 

 

An EoG mooring is at the end of your garden which backs onto the canal. A residential mooring has planning permission for someone to permanently live on it.  A mooring can be either, both or neither. 

[Momac]

This may help, but seems to confim what has been said = not pernissible.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/library/631.pdf

 

[TheBiscuits]

2 minutes ago, MartynG said:

This may help, but seems to confim what has been said = not pernissible.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/library/631.pdf

 

See post #3  

 

[Tasemu]

Thanks for all the feedback, i will have a chat with C&RT and report back, i'll also check the deed. Much obliged!

[MtB]

1 minute ago, TheBiscuits said:

See post #3  

 

 

 

Who reads threads anyway?  FAR too much trouble!

 

[Momac]

1 hour ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

 

Who reads threads anyway?  FAR too much trouble!

 

Not intended to precisely repeat earlier link but easily missed when looking on a phone screen

Better get two answers the same than none at all ?

[thebfg]

I  went passed late morning today.

 

I was wondering what was happening to it.

 

whilst it looks abandoned and sad there are signs of it being renovated. I wish you good luck.

 

lovelly cottage and the garden has massive potential to be wonderful.

[MtB]

24 minutes ago, thebfg said:

I  went passed late morning today.

 

I was wondering what was happening to it.

 

whilst it looks abandoned and sad there are signs of it being renovated. I wish you good luck.

 

lovelly cottage and the garden has massive potential to be wonderful.

 

I heard from another boater this cottage has the problem of being 'landlocked' with access only from the towpath over the lock. The surrounding landowners are refusing to allow passage over their land. Probably with the aim of pressuring the current owner into selling selling cheap to them, then arranging vehicle access to make a nice fat profit. 

 

Any truth in this? 

[ditchcrawler]

45 minutes ago, MartynG said:

Not intended to precisely repeat earlier link but easily missed when looking on a phone screen

Better get two answers the same than none at all ?

I often do this as I reply as I see things then get to the end of the thread and found out someone has already said it.

[MtB]

3 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I often do this as I reply as I see things then get to the end of the thread and found out someone has already said it.

 

Well stop doing it then, now you are aware of the problem!

[Tasemu]

13 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I heard from another boater this cottage has the problem of being 'landlocked' with access only from the towpath over the lock. The surrounding landowners are refusing to allow passage over their land. Probably with the aim of pressuring the current owner into selling selling cheap to them, then arranging vehicle access to make a nice fat profit. 

 

Any truth in this? 

Yup, we have had no end of trouble getting access. Currently it's parking up along the a4 and walking over. It's not bad unless you need to carry materials and stuff, that's one reason I go there so often. I try to lend a hand where possible.