Contact: Tony Clatworthy, tel 01489 576387

email: [email protected]

1. Introduction

1.1 This report briefs Members on the Moorings Count for the river, the reason for the limits and how these figures have been accounted for historically.

1.2 It also sets out the current situation and details the pressures that could affect safety of navigation. The report concludes with the current situation and a proposed way forward in allocating moorings not yet allocated within the established, current planning capacity of 3,261 vessels.

2. Summary

2.1 This report presents the results of a review and an up-to-date boat count of the river to allow the Committee to make necessary decisions regarding determining a fair method of allocating moorings not already allocated. It only considers the mooring capacity of moorings afloat and not the total number of vessels laid up ashore or vessels launched or recovered from slipways on a daily basis, including residential sailing dinghies.

3. Harbour Authority Responsibility

3.1 The Authority is responsible for the safety of navigation and the allocation of moorings, ensuring the total number of vessels moored in the river remains within the set, allowed number.

3.2 There have been a number of reviews of the mooring capacity of the river, that capacity being calculated as a product of the anticipated maximum vessel movements from the river through a 'pinch point' between Port Hamble and the Ferry Hard at Warsash.

3.3 In 1970 Mr D H E Hockley, the then Deputy County Planning Officer, reported that it would be feasible to increase the capacity from 3,000 to 4,000 vessels, if the fairway was to be extended to a width of some 150 feet (45.75 metres). That project was subsequently undertaken and, at this time, the narrowest section of the lower river was a line of moorings off the Harbour Master's jetty at Warsash and the line of 'B' piles, a channel width of 165 feet (50.325 metres). If the Authority had been willing to impose that, at certain times, yachts be required to proceed only under auxiliary power with sails furled, the Authority would have been permitted to increase capacity to 4,000 vessels. Following public consultation on the consultants' recommendations, the Harbour Authority accepted the recommendations to widen the fairway, but was not prepared to impose regulations. Consequently, it was decided to allow a modest increase of 250 moorings.

3.4 As a result of the 1980 review, it was agreed to increase the capacity by 50 vessels per year to 3,250, and in 1989 the current planning capacity was set at 3,261 vessels.

3.5 Whilst calculating the harbour capacity, consultants estimated that the maximum number of vessels moving off or onto berths or moorings, even at the peak of the season, was only 40% capacity per day. (The figure of 40% capacity movement is thought to reflect a true figure during the summer of 2003.)

3.6 A boat movement count was undertaken by the County Council's Traffic Monitoring Section on 20 June 1998 during the day of the 'Hoya - around the Island' race. The count indicated that between 6 pm and 7 pm (the period of maximum vessel movements) there was a maximum of 217 vessel movements (194 entered and 23 departed). It was estimated that some 800 vessels left the river without incident between 6 am and 7.30 am that morning, prior to the race start and before the boat movement count started.

3.7 From observations taken during the summer of 2003, it has been noted that only on bank holiday weekends and during special events in the Solent does the river traffic reach a high density. It has also been observed that further capacity remains available, even during periods of high density traffic.

3.8 Following investigations carried out during the summer of 2003, and the consultants' report from 1980, the Harbour Office would recommend that the minimum width of a main channel below Hamble Yacht Services should not be less than 55 metres, to accommodate safe traffic flows in both directions. The Harbour Office has confidence that the total number of moorings as set out in the Eastleigh Borough Local Plan could be achieved without endangering the safety of vessel traffic.

4. Moorings Figures (Historical)

4.1 In line with the figures in The River Hamble Local Plan, First Alteration (1992) the Eastleigh Borough Local Plan Review Second Deposit: May 2003 states that:

"9.29 The Harbour Authority, (Hampshire County Council), has determined that for reasons of navigational safety, the total number of craft berthed in the River Hamble should not exceed 3,261. There are currently 3,170 moorings.........."

4.2 Fareham Borough Council's 2000 update to the Local Plan states:

"New moorings will be permitted provided that:

(i) they are not located in the Mooring Restricted Areas:

(a) south of Warsash Sailing Club Jetty;

(b) between Warsash Ferry and Hamble Village;

(c) south of Crableck;

(d) south of Swanwick Public Hard; and

(e) the Upper Hamble and Curbridge Creek;

(ii) the River Hamble Harbour Authority's limit on the total number of moorings is not exceeded; and

(iii) there is no adverse impact on nature conservation and other environmental interests."

4.3 A survey completed in 1980 concluded that the capacity of the river could be increased by 250 vessels. The Plan, in place from 1992, states that there were 3,170 craft moored afloat on the river in January 1990. In 1990 the Harbour Authority agreed that an additional 91 moorings would be allowed, resulting in a maximum of 3,261 moorings afloat. This figure has been used as the acceptable upper limit of moorings on the River Hamble ever since.

5. Mooring Figures (Current)

5.1 A survey of all moorings on the river was completed during the summer of 2003 by the Harbour Office, detailing all moorings currently in use. The figures for the survey are shown in full in the attached tables and are based on the categories set out in the River Hamble Local Plan, First Alteration:

(i) Table 1:

Number of craft berthed on the river, based on a standard boat length of 11 metres = 36 feet.

(ii) Table 2:

Number of craft berthed on the river, totals for each category for each year.

6. The Categories and Calculations

6.1 The categories used for the assessment are based on Table 3: Number of Craft Berthed on the River Hamble, in the River Hamble Local Plan, First Alteration. This has been replicated in Table 2. The categories are:

(i) Moorings included in the count:

Marinas (alongside)

Yards (alongside)

Mudberths

Pile Moorings

Buoy Moorings

Visitors' Pile Moorings (allowances)

Working Berths, etc (after 1990 included within the appropriate mooring category)

Reg-Fishing Boats.

(ii) Moorings not included in the count:

Residential Sailing Dinghies

Yards (Dry Berths)

Vessels Launched from Slipways.

Dry Sailing (counted as Yards - dry berths)

6.2 These are keelboats, such as 707s, that are lifted into the water on demand, allowing the owners to take part in a specific race. These races mainly take place at the weekend and the vessel is returned to its shore-based berth immediately by the Yard. Not all of these vessels are launched every week. Currently, Stone Pier Yard, Hamble Yacht Services and The Royal Southern Yacht Club are licensed to operate a total of 170 dry-sailing berths.

Marinas and Yards (alongside), and Visitors' Pile Moorings

6.3 This category has been calculated taking the total meterage used to charge the marinas and yards and dividing by the average length of vessel using the river in 2003.

Average Boat Length

6.4 In the past the difficulty in reaching a sensible boat count has been achieved by counting moorings. That is no longer a feasible way of counting vessels, owing to the type of moorings now in use. With the current situation of long lengths of pontooning in use with various size vessels moored along the length, numbers of moorings are accounted for by using the formula given below. The average boat length during the early years of record keeping has increased from 20 feet to 30 feet and now to 36 feet (36 feet = 11 metres). Therefore when calculating boat lengths

11 metres has been used as the average boat length. Eleven metres may not be the average boat length on a private mooring but is normal for vessels operating from marinas in the river.

6.5 The meterage for charging marinas and yards for harbour dues is calculated as follows, and has also been used to calculate the figures achieved in Table 1:

6.6 If a pontoon is six metres long then the chargeable length will be 7.999 metres (x 1.3333). This is because vessels can overhang on a pontoon by an average of 33% safely in this category. Therefore a marina can get a longer boat on a piece of shorter pontoon.

6.7 The same principles apply for the next category, but the overhang will be less, hence the reduction in the applied percentage.

6.8 The last category covers longer lengths of pontoon. These lengths can take many boats alongside. In this case though there will be gaps left between vessels, hence only 80% of the pontoon will be occupied when at full capacity.

6.9 Once all the calculations have been applied, a total meterage is calculated, and this is the figure used to charge the marinas and yards and is also the figure used for the calculation of the number of craft berthed in marinas and yards.

Allocation of Moorings

6.10 Calculations taken from Table 2 show that 3,062 berths have been taken up, leaving 199 berths to be allocated to achieve the agreed total of 3,261 berths.

6.11 There is likely to be a huge demand for any moorings that the Harbour Authority may be able to allocate. The Authority must act strategically, allocating the moorings from conflicting demands likely to arise from commercial operators, yacht clubs and the public waiting list. The Authority must balance the needs and interests of the marinas, boatyards, yacht clubs and public moorings. Requests for moorings initiated from proposed developments must be managed between the larger marinas, the smaller operator and the added value given by the yacht clubs to their moorings for members.

7. Conclusions

7.1 Members are therefore invited to discuss how apportionment between these various sectors should be strategically allocated. Balancing the interests of the marine-based industries with clubs and public moorings will not be an easy task, and the following is proposed as a focus for discussion:

(i) 50% to commercial operators;

(ii) 25% to yacht clubs; and

(iii) 25% to public moorings.

7.2 It is suggested that the next step, after the above has been decided, should be to approach the two Borough Councils, as the local planning authorities, and seek their endorsement of the proposed allocation and underlying rational, so that it will become a joint policy statement. This will give it greater weight when dealing with any future proposals.

Recommendation

That this report be noted.

8421A/TC