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Fresh battle brewing over marina scheme


Josher

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Each berth has a water point and electric point. The pontoons are very well maintained..paths ..entry gate...

 

The CCTV makes for a safe environment to keep a boat...

I guess its a case of horse for coarse.

- I feel far more at home with slightly more 'weathered' jetties, not real made maths, and using a nice long hose/lead when i want some elec.

- The marina manager live on his boat, next door to ours, and is a sound boat person and mechanic. Thats good enough surveillance for me!

 

Daniel

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  • 6 months later...

Update: Swindon marina plan moves a step closer

 

Wednesday 24th November 2010, 11:30AM GMT. Express and Star

 

WD3842427SWINDON-MARINA-G.jpg

 

Controversial plans to flood part of the South Staffordshire green belt to create a 200-boat marina have been recommended for approval by council officers, it emerged today. Plans for the complex near Swindon prompted objections from more than 200 residents, but are now just one step from full approval after winning the backing of South Staffordshire Council’s planning officers. Villagers fear the marina will hit local independent traders and leave the small settlement swamped by thousands of boaters and visitors.

 

Gordon Fanthom, of Hinksford Gardens, Swindon, has been co-coordinating objections on behalf of various groups, including Swindon Civic Society, Marina Action Alliance and the Marina Action Group. The 50-year-old, who owns a car repair garage in Wombourne, said today: “Next week’s meeting has become judgment day for the village of Swindon. It would effectively be the end of the village. There would be 1,000 people coming and going continuously, not to mention fumes from the boats.”

 

An Environment Agency report requested by campaigners also revealed that the proposed marina is so large it is covered by the Reservoirs Act. Original proposals for a 252-boat marina were scaled down earlier this year. Revised plans were submitted for 226 narrowboats before the latest plans for 199 boats. A visitor centre on the site has also been scaled down. South Staffordshire Council’s regulatory committee will meet on Tuesday from 6.30pm to vote on the plans.

 

Paul Turner, planning agent for applicants Timothy and Joanna Munday, said the recommendation followed more than two years of work to address issues raised. “We feel the recommendation is justified and agree with the conclusion,” he added.

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  • 1 month later...

No battle then.

 

Marina battle hopes are sunk by decision

 

Friday 21st January 2011, 11:30AM GMT. Express and Star

 

Hopes of throwing out controversial plans for a 199-boat marina in the South Staffordshire green belt were today dashed after the Government announced it would not intervene in the case. Campaigners who have been fighting against the the plans in Swindon today said they were “stunned” by the Government’s decision not to call in the proposals for a final review. Plans to flood acres of green belt to create the marina have sparked objections from more than 300 residents. This week four out of 10 parish councillors resigned from their posts over South Staffordshire Council’s decision to approve the project, claiming their concerns had been ignored. Now the Government Office for the West Midlands has opted not to review or overturn the council’s decision, giving developers Timothy and Joanna Munday the green light to start work. They couple have already scaled back the size of the proposed marina from 252 berths, as well as excluding proposed boat hire and repair facilities, in response to public anger.

 

The government’s decision not to review the approval of the plans appears to reinforce Tory claims that local authorities will have planning decisions. But some residents today revealed they plan to challenge the decision by seeking a judicial review. South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson, who wrote to secretary of state for local government Eric Pickles calling for the government to intervene, said: “I’m absolutely stunned. A development of this size and significance on green belt land should be called in and opened up to greater scrutiny. I think there should have been a full planning inquiry.” Campaigner Terry Carvin, who has co-ordinated efforts of residents’ groups including the Swindon Civic Society, Civic Alliance, and the Marina Action Group, said: “We are now in the process of starting a the case for a judicial review and will be seeking advice from a specialist.”

 

Approval for the development was given with a number of conditions, including that the developers must advertise job opportunities locally, provide public access and share the 130-space car park with Swindon High Street visitors. Campaigners fear the village will be swallowed up by the development, but the provision of a new car park and the likelihood of increased footfall for village businesses has split opinion. Professional gardeners Lynn and Derek Turton, of nearby Trysull, said they understood both sides of the debate. Mr Turton, 54, said: “Businesses like the post office and the pubs will do well out of it because there’s going to be more people around. But there have been concerns raised about security.” Janine Clark, ­co-owner of Amathus hair salon on Swindon High Street, said customers were divided but added: “Most people who live in the village itself don’t want the development because they moved to a little village and they want it to remain a little village.” Retired resident Lillian Owen said: “People have had concerns about diesel fumes, traffic problems and flooding. But I personally think it will be a very good thing for the village.”

 

Mr and Mrs Munday were unavailable for comment.

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As ever the views of the few un-informed get the headlines?

 

I'm no expert on planning / impact measurement, but the "nimbies" clearly wear blinkers there and dont recognise the obvious..

 

A quick look on googleearth satelite shows that the "attractive " village has its own quarry / earth pile, and approx 1/2 north has a large industrial factorty area.. So no intrusion of traffic or any other pollution nearby??? hardly.

 

I would fully accept that there may be significant local disruption whilst the marina is dug out (hoepfully the soil/gravel is used locally) and that once up and running ther will be @200 boats maximum,

 

So in typical terms would 20 boaters turn up each weekend? so 20 car journeys in / 20 out,

even doubled,, 40 cars arriving through a friday afternoon evening,,, other than the actual road into the site i wouldnt think many would notice..

 

The local garage/shop/pub would no doubt see some increase in business..

 

and as for diesel fumes from boats... to that will be the 20 boaters all going at the same time,(unlikely) even then, after 15 mmins they will be out the village and long gone.. no difference to the locals going shopping me thinks..

 

 

clearly the Nimbies there are scarred by any intrusion without thinking out true impact..

I feel sorry for them

 

Charles 123 - let us know where you live and well see if we can get a devlopement going specially for you to get stuck into!

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Where do you think boats should be moored?

Perhaps in the vacant spaces in existing glitzy white elephant marinas, before building yet more new ones. It is taken as read that more capacity is needed, but existing capacity is not yet fully taken up.

 

A significant problem with creating a 250 plus berth marina on the canal system, (or several in the same area that give that or more bertts in total), is that if even a very small percentage of the boats the contained all decided to go boating on the same sunny weekend, there would be gridlock.

 

That thought certainly struck me passing Pyrford Marina on the Wey.

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I don't moor in a marina and I hope to be able to continue to moor online indefinitely, but the marinas I am most familiar with, Aqueduct and Overwater are remarkably unobtrusive and not a blot on the landscape at all, only visible as you pass them by boat and invisible from the road. Aqueduct is a little way from Church Minshull village and I'm sure has absolutely no impact on the village, Overwater is very close to Audlem but a visitor to Audlem wouldn't know it is there - and it is quite a big marina. I bet the pubs and shops in Audlem have noticed a difference though. Additionally, marinas are water storage reservoirs.

  • Greenie 1
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The CCTV makes for a safe environment to keep a boat,

 

Now when has CCTV been proven to create a 'safe' environment? CCTV does not make something safe it only acts as a deterrent.

 

The might be seen as picking flies but it does annoy when the 'safety' argument is rolled out as a justification to introduce CCTV (which by the way is rareyt if ever accepted as evidence in a court of law) :glare:

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Now when has CCTV been proven to create a 'safe' environment? CCTV does not make something safe it only acts as a deterrent.

 

The might be seen as picking flies but it does annoy when the 'safety' argument is rolled out as a justification to introduce CCTV (which by the way is rareyt if ever accepted as evidence in a court of law) :glare:

 

If someone was considering robbing boats at a marina but was then put off by the cctv then surely it is safer to have cctv than not...

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  • 5 years later...

As ever the views of the few un-informed get the headlines?

 

I'm no expert on planning / impact measurement, but the "nimbies" clearly wear blinkers there and dont recognise the obvious..

 

A quick look on googleearth satelite shows that the "attractive " village has its own quarry / earth pile, and approx 1/2 north has a large industrial factorty area.. So no intrusion of traffic or any other pollution nearby??? hardly.

 

I would fully accept that there may be significant local disruption whilst the marina is dug out (hoepfully the soil/gravel is used locally) and that once up and running ther will be @200 boats maximum,

 

So in typical terms would 20 boaters turn up each weekend? so 20 car journeys in / 20 out,

even doubled,, 40 cars arriving through a friday afternoon evening,,, other than the actual road into the site i wouldnt think many would notice..

 

The local garage/shop/pub would no doubt see some increase in business..

 

and as for diesel fumes from boats... to that will be the 20 boaters all going at the same time,(unlikely) even then, after 15 mmins they will be out the village and long gone.. no difference to the locals going shopping me thinks..

 

 

clearly the Nimbies there are scarred by any intrusion without thinking out true impact..

I feel sorry for them

 

Charles 123 - let us know where you live and well see if we can get a devlopement going specially for you to get stuck into!

The protests are laughable. Its not that many years ago that the centre of Swindon was dominated by Richard Thomas and Baldwins, aka RagTag and Bobtail, steelworks.

The industrial estates of nearby Wombourne almost touch it anyway and it has 2 supergrid power lines installed in 1968 going over it.

 

Having said all that I would consider mooring there as well.

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