Archived decisions

Contact: David Evans, tel 01489 576387 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report makes Members of the River Hamble Harbour Board aware of a number of current issues.

2. Reason

2.1 This report does not directly support any of the priorities of the Corporate Strategy but has been prepared as part of the continuing good management of the River Hamble.

3. Ports Policy Review

3.1 The Harbour Authority's response to the Department for Transport (DfT) Ports Policy Review consultation has now been completed. The views of Members of the River Hamble Harbour Management Committee and River Hamble Harbour Board were taken into account and the final document was submitted to the DfT prior to the 1 September 2006 deadline.

4. Crown Estate Response to Marine Bill Consultation

4.1 The Crown Estate has published its response to the recent Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Marine Bill consultation in the form of a `glossy' booklet. A copy is available for viewing at the Harbour Office.

5. Environment Department - Management of Harbour Office Functions

5.1 Merrick Denton-Thompson (Assistant Director of Environment Department at Hampshire County Council) retired from Hampshire County Council on 30 September 2006. He had long been associated with the management of the River Hamble and played a key role in the establishment of the current governance arrangements. Following his departure, management of the Harbour Office and its staff remains with the Environment Department, with immediate responsibility transferring to Linda Tartaglia-Kershaw, acting Assistant Director.

6. Finance and Visitors

6.1 Expenditure is in line with expectations at this stage of the financial year. There have been no significant unbudgeted expenses. However, visitor income is slightly lower than anticipated - the Hamble is not seen as a popular visitor destination when compared with other harbours in the Solent, due to the lack of toilets, showers and laundry facilities, and the lack of eating places and shops ashore (particularly in Warsash).

6.2 If a true visitor is defined as one who sleeps on board whilst moored in the River, the numbers are even lower, since many of the boats on Harbour Authority visitor moorings are left unmanned (often for quite long periods). Many of those visitors who want to sleep on board will choose to use the marinas, where all the necessary facilities are provided. Marinas in the River are also reporting that levels of visitor income are slightly down compared with last year. Of note is the fact that four of the major marinas offer free visitor berthing for vessels normally berthed elsewhere in marinas under the same ownership, so there are still substantial numbers of boats visiting the Hamble but paying nothing locally for the privilege.

7. Freedom of Information Act Requests

7.1 Since the Freedom of Information Act came into force on 1 January 2005 the Harbour Office has received five requests for information. In summary, the information requested was as follows:

(i) All internal memoranda and papers relating to the report to the River Hamble Harbour Board on 21 October 2005 (Item 10), entitled "River Hamble Harbour Dues", including any notes of meetings, formal or informal, with stakeholders or their representatives. Calculations of income from all the different categories of vessel affected should be provided.

(ii) Details of the powers and duties being exercised when the Harbour Authority supervises mid-stream moorings and details of the calculations of costs which justify differential charging of Harbour Dues.

(iii) Details of information provided by the Marine Director to the Harbour Dues/Supervision Charges Working Group; the amount of money collected from sailing dinghies since January 2006; the basis of the calculation of loss of income from exempting canoes and rowing boats; and an estimate of the loss of income if sailing dinghies were exempt.

(iv) Details of Risk Assessments for the Fishermen's Jetty, Warsash and the Harbour Master's Jetty, Warsash.

(v) The legal advice on which the statement that the powers and duties exercised by the Harbour Authority when supervising river moorings are common-law powers is based.

All five requests were made by the same individual.

9. Impact Assessments

9.1 This report is a position statement only, therefore an impact assessment in terms of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act has not been undertaken.

Recommendation

That this report be noted by the River Hamble Harbour Board.

1038/DE