Doesn’t look too good does it?
Just as we are being encouraged to turn our gaze towards the ‘beautiful’ river than runs through our city, and to develop its banks for business and leisure, the sight of sunken boats doesn’t exactly raise the spirits.
David Stubbs writes:
“I walked along the river recently and was appalled at the number of boats permanently moored below Pulteney Weir and on down towards the K & A entrance. Some have sunk and many are in a very poor state of repair.
The BANES website says : ‘Visitor moorings on the River Avon between Widcombe Lock and Pulteney Weir below Pulteney Bridge are now permanently closed due to safety concerns during flood events. Anyone who continues to choose to moor there is not authorised to do so, and moors at their own risk’.
A contact of mine in the Canal & Rivers Trust confirms that BANES are indeed responsible for this stretch of moorings.
To me this is a visitor experience issue and I wondered if you who on the cabinet would be responsible.
I feel a mini lobbying campaign coming on!”
Well David, l went right to the top to get a comment.
The Leader of B&NES, Cllr Kevin Guy told me:
“Visitor moorings on the River Avon between Widcombe Lock and Pulteney Weir below Pulteney Bridge are now permanently closed due to safety concerns during flood events. Anyone who continues to choose to moor there is not authorised to do so, and moors at their own risk.
Recent flooding has increased the number of sunken boats in Bath, which is detrimental to the ecology of the area and present a hazard to other river users.
The boats are the owners’ responsibility, and we are working to identify them and arrange recovery, so we would urge anyone who has any information to contact us at riveravon@bathnes.gov.uk.
Recovery requires the permission of the landowner, and we are liaising with HM Land Registry to establish who the landowner is.
“In recognition of the dangers that sunken boats pose, the council has recently appointed a dedicated Better Moorings Project Manager to work with partners on addressing a wide range of mooring concerns.
We will be reviewing all waterway mooring provision in Bath and working to minimise further submergences in future.
We appeal to all boat owners navigating the River Avon to ensure their boat is fit for the water, safely moored at a recognised site, and fully insured inclusive of salvage.”
Hope that helps, David.
B&NES well and truly passing the buck.
They’re permanently closed, so it’s at owners risk…
Just say “Not us guv”. At least it’s honest.
If they’re permanently closed take them out. It’s no different to flytipping at thst point if the boats aren’t traceable.
Abandoned boats seems to be a problem wherever you go. One problem is that there does not seem to be any viable pathway for disposing of boats that have reached the end of their lives. While they contain some materials of value that can be recycled, the vast majority is of no use. As far as I am aware there is no market for old fibreglass.
Bath has successfully curated a pleasant and inviting experience for visitors through the centuries. It has brought wealth here but let’s remember that wealth is very unevenly distributed. The boats you refer to are often people’s homes – they are driven to the edges in poor accomodation because they are often the lowest paid and cannot afford more permanent or durable housing. Our attitudes to what is and what is not an ‘eye sore’ cement these inequalities and push people living in precarity even further away from amenities we who have warm homes here take for granted. The wealth we have in our City can also be measured in the wealth of our compassion.
Those sunken boats have been abandoned for years. The council clearly hasn’t bothered to get involved until now (if indeed they do).