Archived decisions

AT A MEETING of the RIVER HAMBLE HARBOUR MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE of the COUNTY COUNCIL held at Warsash Sailing Club, Shore Road, Warsash on Friday, 26 June 2009.

PRESENT

Chairman:

p Councillor S.D.T. Woodward

Vice-Chairman:

p Councillor Dr. R.J. Ellis

Councillors:

Eastleigh Borough Council

p Councillor Mrs. S. Ingram

Fareham Borough Council

p Councillor T.M. Cartwright

Winchester City Council

Councillor J. Cooper

Royal Yachting Association

p Mrs. P. Dorothy

Association of River Hamble Yacht Clubs

p P.S. Middleton

British Marine Federation

M. Glanville

Associated British Ports

R. Blair

Hamble River Boatyard and Marina Operators Association

p R. Boissier

Berth and Mooring Holders Representative

p D. Jobson

1. APOLOGIES

Apologies were received from Councillors A. Broadhurst, A.D.G. Evans and A.W. Rice and Councillor Mrs. V. Weston (Winchester City Council),

J. Eads (British Marine Federation) and Capt. P. Holiday (Associated British Ports)

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members were mindful that, where they believed that they had a personal or personal prejudicial interest any matter to be considered at the meeting, they should normally, at the time of the debate, declare their interest, and having regard to the circumstances described in paragraphs 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the County Council's Code of Conduct, consider whether to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 12 of the Code .

The following members declared a personal prejudicial interest on the item relating to Harbour Dues:

Councillor S.D.T. Woodward - River Hamble Mooring/Berth holder

Councillor Mrs. C.A. Bailey - River Hamble Mooring/Berth holder

Councillor T. Cartwright - River Hamble Mooring/Berth holder and Member of Warsash Sailing Club

Mrs. P. Dorothy - River Hamble Mooring/Berth holder and Member of Hamble River Sailing Club

P. Middleton - River Hamble Mooring/Berth holder and Member of RAF Yacht Club

D. Jobson - River Hamble Mooring/Berth holder

and M. Glanville declared a personal interest - Employee of Marina Developments Ltd.

3. MINUTES

The Minutes of the two Meetings of the Committee held on 3 April 2009 were confirmed as a correct record, and signed by the Chairman.

4. CHAIRMAN'S COMMUNICATION

a. River Hamble Board

The Chairman reported that Councillor Keith Evans had been appointed

Chairman of the River Hamble Board.

b. Membership

The Chairman reported that the were to be some changes to the

membership of the Committee which would happen in the near future.

c. Final Accounts

The Chairman reported that he had received a letter from Mr. Michael Sterne relating to his objection to the 2007/08 final accounts. He had agreed to meet with Mr. Sterne to discuss his concerns.

5. DEPUTATIONS

There were no deputations to this meeting

6. HARBOUR MASTER'S REPORT

The Harbour Master presented a report summarising the activities and events in the Harbour since 1 May 2009 (Item 6 in the Minute Book). He outlined the incidents that had taken place, patrol activity which had included a number of incidents involving young people jumping into and swimming in the Harbour. In association with the Youth Service an exclusion zone for boats, financed by the Youth Service, will be set up around the areas where young people jumped into the Harbour in an effort to prevent them from any additional risk. Concern was expressed about young people jumping into the Harbour and ways were being investigated to warn them of the dangers. The annual River Hamble gig race had taken place on 9 May which had been well attended and the Harbour Master's Charity Pursuit Race had taken place on 6 June raising funds for McMillan nurses. A memorial service had been held on 6 June at the Commando War Memorial, Warsash to commemorate the 65^th Anniversary of D-Day.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

7. ENVIRONMENT UPDATE

The Director of Culture, Communities and Rural Affairs presented a report summarising the key aspects relating to the environment management of the Harbour (Item 7 in the Minute Book). Details were given about:

· Port Waste Management Plan

· Maintenance Dredging

· Associated British Ports proposal for Capital Dredge of Southampton Approach Channel

· Streamlined Consents meeting

· Water Framework Directive Update

· Solent Harbours Environment Officers meeting

· Solent Forum

· Botley Bark Stoke Slipway Wall

· Upper Hamble Access

· Solent Seal Tagging Project

· Crabbing Competition

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

8. MARINE DIRECTOR'S CURRENT ISSUES

The Marine Director presented a report providing an update on the current issues relating to the River Hamble ( Item 8 in the Minute Book). He said that the Marine and Costal Access Bill was progressing through Parliament and had currently progressed through the House of Lords. With effect from 1 May 2009, on a trial basis, the grass verge to the west of Passage Lane, Warsash had been designated as a trailer only parking area in addition to the trailer only bays in the tarmac area. The Warsash Sailing Club's Section 31 objection to Harbour Dues had now been considered by the Department of Transport and it had been decided that the outcome would be determined by a Public Inquiry to be held in the autumn. The cost of the Inspector would be borne by the Department of Transport but there was a question as to where other costs would fall.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

9. RIVER HAMBLE FINAL ACCOUNTS 2008/09

The County Treasurer and Director of Culture, Communities and Rural Affairs presented the final accounts for 2008/09 (Item 9 in the Minute Book). The Harbour Undertaking budget had made a surplus of £7,041 which would be added to reserves. The overall expenditure had exceeded the budget by £9,653 which had been offset by additional income of £13,194 which ensured that a draw on reserves would not be required. Concerns were raised as to the District Auditor's estimated fee being excessive. Questions were asked about the overall operational costs and how the Harbour Authority could improve its efficiency and effectiveness. To this end it was agreed that a working party should be established to review working costs and to mitigate costs and maximise revenue.

RESOLVED:

That:

a. It be a RECOMMENDATION to the River Hamble Harbour Board that the Final Accounts for 2008/09 be approved.

b. A working group, consisting of Mr. D. Jobson, Mr. R. Boissier and

Councillor T. Cartwright be established to review working costs and to mitigate costs and maximise revenue, reporting back to the Committee in October 2009.

10 . RIVER HAMBLE DUES FOR CANOES, KAYAKS ETC.

The Director of Culture, Heritage and Rural Affairs presented a report to consider initiating a review of the current policy of exempting vessels using the River Hamble without engines or sails that were being rowed or paddled from the requirement to pay Harbour Dues (Item 10 in the Minute Book). Observations over the past three years suggested that the volume of activity on the River by vessels that are being rowed or paddled (i.e. canoes, kayaks, gigs, skiffs and tenders) has not changed significantly. In 2006, it was estimated that charging Harbour Dues for these types of boat would generate an annual income of about £1,500. Since the annual rate (£5.00 per metre) has not changed and the daily rate (typically £3.50 per day) had actually reduced slightly, this estimate remains broadly valid. The arguments put forward at the time were that such vessels for the most part, use the upper Hamble, have little detrimental effect on the environment, make little, if any, use of the facilities directly provided by the Harbour Authority, are a cheap and convenient way of allowing young people to participate in water activities and that charging for this type of activity runs counter to current national initiatives to encourage a healthy Britain. On the other hand Harbour Dues were the means by which the activities of the Harbour Authority as a whole were funded and that without the controlling influence of the Harbour Authority, the harbour would quickly become a much more dangerous place for rowers and paddlers to operate. In addition, policing events such as organised gig racing imposed a considerable demand on the time and resources of the Harbour Authority, effectively free of charge. A strong case could, therefore, be made against the argument that such vessels make little, if any, use of the facilities directly provided by the Harbour Authority. The determining factor in this review was the difficulty of collecting Harbour Dues from this type of craft, and of monitoring compliance. There was nothing to suggest that this was likely to become any easier. It was recommended that existing arrangements should be maintained, with another review after a further three years (or sooner if other factors so require).

RESOLVED:

That it be a RECOMMENDATION to the River Hamble Harbour Board that the current policy of exempting vessels using the River Hamble without engines or sails that were being rowed or paddled from the requirement to pay Harbour Dues should continue and that the policy be reviewed again in three years.

11. CAR AND TRAILER PARKING ADJACENT TO THE RIVER HAMBLE

The Director of Culture, Heritage and Rural Affairs presented a report providing data on car and trailer car parking adjacent to the River Hamble (Item 11 in the Minute Book). Facilities for car parking on both sides of the River were stretched to the limit on both sides of the River at peak times, availability of parking spaces for river users depended on the time of arrival. Although some users park in private facilities others rely entirely on public parking and long term parking for yachtsmen was a significant issue, particularly for those going afloat. The Committee noted that, although there were parking problems on both sides of the River, there were particular issues in Eastleigh. Councillor Mrs. Ingram said that Eastleigh Borough Council had established a working group to look at car parking in the Borough and that she would report the concerns of the Committee to the working group with a view to increasing riverside parking in Eastleigh. The Director agreed to consult riparian landowners including the County Council, with a view to securing some riverside car parking during peak times.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted and a further report be presented to the next meeting of the Committee on the outcomes of the discussions with riparian landowners and local authorities.

12. FUTURE MANAGEMENT OF HARBOUR AUTHORITY PATROL BOATS

The Director of Culture, Communities and Rural affairs presented a report detailing the long term costs and other factors to be taken into account before deciding whether to replace or refit the current Harbour patrol boats (Item 12 in the Minute Book). In order to establish the relevant factors, a thorough investigation had been carried out by the Harbour Master and Patrol Officers into the tasks carried out by the present boats, set against an examination of the characteristics of a number of generic design types. The opinions of other members of the Harbour Authority staff were sought, along with advice from other sources within the marine industry and the County Treasurer. Various types of patrol craft used in similar harbours were also investigated and taken into consideration. The Harbour Authority currently owned two Cheetah catamaran patrol boats which were purchased in 1998 and 1999 at £29,000 per boat including modifications to ensure that they were capable of carrying out their tasks safely and efficiently. The boats had a planned life of ten to twelve years from purchase date without a comprehensive refit. Without a refit, they have been valued by a competent authority at about £10,000 each (including engines) on the second hand boat market at today's prices.

Three distinct options had been identified and subjected to a cost-benefit analysis:

a. Sell the current boats and replace with new, on a ten-year cycle.

b. Extend the life of the current boats for a further ten years by carrying out a thorough mid-life refit, and then continue with replacement boats on a twenty year cycle with refits at the ten year point.

c. Replace one boat now and refit the second to extend its life to about twenty years, then continue with a cycle of replacing the oldest boat every ten years and refitting the newest every ten years.

The Harbour Master gave details of the operational requirements and the cost benefit analysis for each of the options. He also highlighted other considerations and factors which might serve to make other options more attractive which were:

a. The existing boats were very versatile but more modern designs might be able to offer an even closer match to the wide variety of tasks carried out on a regular basis by the Harbour Authority.

b. The existing boats were already looking shabby after a hard ten-year life; they would doubtless be considerably worse after twenty years and may not match the modern, efficient image which the Harbour Authority seeks to convey.

c. The option of changing just one boat at a time will mean that the Harbour Authority will never again own two identical boats because designs and specifications change considerably over a ten year period. Thus, the Harbour Authority would risk losing the considerable advantages of inter-operability and common handling characteristics associated with operating two identical boats.

d. Buying either one or two new boats at this stage would mean that they would be used for some tasks which might cause their condition to deteriorate quite quickly. These tasks include providing a platform for painting piles, removing debris and overhanging branches from the river, and responding to oil spills. If it was decided that both boats should be replaced now, this problem could be largely overcome by retaining one of the existing boats as a working platform with less powerful engines (and without the benefit of a mid-life refit or annual engine replacement) at minimal cost (apart from loss of residual value).

After considering all of the options it was agreed that, based on cost consideration, the most appropriate option would be to adopt a policy of purchasing new boats approximately every twenty years and carrying out a planned mid-life refit for each boat with the first refit taking place in 2009/10.

RESOLVED:

That it be a RECOMMENDATION to the River Hamble Harbour Board that it should adopt a policy of purchasing new boats approximately every twenty years and carrying out a planned mid-life refit for each boat with the first refit taking place in 2009/10.

13. ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING

It was agreed that the agenda for the next meeting of the Committee should include:

· The report of the working party reviewing working costs to mitigate costs and maximise revenue

· Car Parking

· Harbour Works Consent Applications

· Business Plan 2009/10

· 3 Year navigation safety review

The Chairman and other Members declared a personal prejudicial interest and left the meeting for consideration of Harbour Dues.

____________________________________

COUNCILLOR DR. R. ELLIS IN THE CHAIR

14. HARBOUR DUES 2010

Following consideration of the Financial accounts for 2008/09 earlier on the agenda the Committee gave consideration to the level of Harbour Dues for 2010. The previous policy for Harbour Dues was based on the Retail Price Index figure for May of the current year. The Retail Price Index for May 2009 was minus 1.1% and as a result it was recommended that there should be no change in the basic rate of Harbour Dues for 2010.

RESOLVED:

That it be a RECOMMENDATION to the River Hamble Harbour Board that there be no change in the basic rate of Harbour Dues for 2010.