Archived decisions

Contact: Richard Exley, tel: 01489 576387

1. Summary

1.1 This report seeks the consent of the Executive Member for Environment to an application by the Royal Southern Yacht Club, Hamble (the Club) to connect two off-shore pontoons with electricity and water via undersea connections.

1.2 The application has now been circulated to the other agencies and authorities for approval, either Eastleigh Borough Council or the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) being considered to be the lead Authority at this time. The recommendation is that consent be granted, subject to resolution of the mooring method statement being agreed.

2. Report

2.1 The Club offers moorings to Club members on two pontoons immediately adjacent to the Club House on the foreshore at Hamble-le-Rice.

2.2 On 12 January 2000 the Club obtained the Harbour Authority's consent to link the inshore pontoon to the shore by permanent walkway, thus enhancing safe access for Club members and competitors and denying access to tender via this mooring channel, an exercise considered by an appropriate risk assessment to be an unsafe practice. This consent continues to be debated by legal representatives of both the Club and the Borough Council and currently the link is only established for major events.

2.3 The responsibility for river safety is endorsed within Eastleigh Borough Council's Local Plan. However, with an enhanced safety role clarified by the introduction of the Port Marine Safety Code, negotiations continue to modify the statement within the Plan's proposed First Alteration to reflect the Harbour Authority's statutory responsibilities for harbour safety.

2.4 The Club is now seeking to connect both off-shore pontoons to the shore for the supply of electricity and potable water via sub-sea connection. The current proposal is to utilise concrete sinkers. However, the Harbour Master is of the opinion that the use of a continuous chain sinker is more appropriate and less intrusive than sinkers. The supply will only cross the two intermediate mooring access channels and will not impinge on the main navigation channel.

2.5 In this application, the initial application has been made to the DEFRA/Department of Transport Marine Consents and Environment Unit under the Coast Protection Act 1949 and the Harbour Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 1999.

Recommendation

That the Executive Member for Environment be advised that Harbour Authority Consent be granted under Section 10 of the Southampton Harbour Act 1924 and Section 48 of the Southampton Harbour Act 1949 to the Royal Southern Yacht Club to install sub-sea electrical and water supply/connection to two off-shore pontoons, subject to the following conditions:

(i) That the Club agree an appropriate method statement with the Harbour Master, in consultation with an independent, appropriately qualified surveyor, to minimise the impact of the installation on safety and the safe navigation within the mooring access channels;

1. Anchoring the supplies to the river bed.

2. Sheathing both water and electricity supply.

3. Method for providing for tidal variation.

4. Requirement to bury pipe, cabling and mooring.

5. That the Club's contractors install and test approved anti-siphon devices to the water supply and appropriate earthing/protection devices as will be required by the appropriate Authorties.

(ii) Prior to commissioning, a survey be undertaken by an independent, appropriately qualified surveyor to undertake all statutory tests and a subsurface survey undertaken.

(iii) That the appropriate warning notices be secured prominently both upstream and downstream of the sub-sea connections;

(iv) That the contractors supply a set of `as built' drawings and agreed method statement on completion.

(v) That a sub-surface survey be undertaken I month after installation to ensure the cable are correctly and safely moored and bedded in to the river bed.

(vi) That the Club instigate annual inspections of the installation, to include a sub surface survey reporting to the Harbour Authority.

7698/RE