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MRUA Page 4 River News
Notices to Mariners on this page
are reproduced by kind permission of the Environment Agency. The MRUA can accept
no liability for errors or omissions contained therein. Further information is
available on 01732 838868
Our website is now at www.mrua.co.uk. This site will not be updated as of 12th August 2006
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The World Walking The Plank Championships will be held at Queenborough Harbour on Sunday 13th August 2006. The Sheppey Pirates, aboard the Pirate Ship White Dolphin, will fight it out with water and flour bombs with the Sheppey Zulu's. Come along and join in the fun from about 2.30 onwards. Dare Ye Be a Planker?
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The MRUA has been offered website hosting by a local group maidstone.org.uk. The new website is being tested now and the main advantage will be no advertising pop ups or spyware that we get from our present host. There will be no visible changes apart from no ads, to the website, only the address will change. Please feel free to log on to the new site www.mrua.co.uk and let me know if there are any problems, by using the Email link at the foot of this page. Put the new address in your "Favourites" or "Bookmark" for future use. Please give any support you can to our advertisers on page 6 along with our new web hosts www.maidstone.org.uk
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We are informed by the Environment
Agency that the dredger is out of service and therefore any maintenance which
needs
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There
is an obstruction to the opening of Porters Lock Tail Gate. The obstruction
reduces the entrance to the Lock to approximately 5 metres.
The
obstruction will be removed as soon as possible.
Mariners
are advised to proceed with extra caution in the Lock until we can remove the
obstruction.
Tom
McManus
Team
Leader Navigation
21
July 2006
The Mayor of Tonbridge and Malling’s River Cruise
will take place on Saturday,12 August 2006. The cruise will commence at 0900
hours from the cut at Yalding and should conclude at 1700 hours approximately in
Tonbridge.
Other river users are requested to give precedence to
the Mayor’s cruise boats whilst locking.
Tom McManus
Team
Leader Navigation
13
July 2006
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B & M McHugh LTD are to start works on
the Railway Bridge over the River Medway, 1200metres downstream of Sluice Weir
Lock. The works are being carried out for Network Rail and will start on the 5
June 2006 and will be completed by the 31 August 2006, with no works on Sundays.
The works to the underside of the bridge will be
carried out from a barge located beneath. Lookouts will be located on the
approaches to the bridge to warn river traffic and to give the barge operator
sufficient notice to move and let the river traffic through.
Mariners are to wait to be called through by the
lookouts and to proceed with extra caution in this area for the duration of the
works.
For further information on these works please phone
the Contracts Manager on 07790 593279.
Tom
McManus
Team
Leader Medway Navigation
11 May 2006
At the monthly committee meeting of the MRUA on 18th April there was a long discussion with John Morgan, Waterways Manager for the River Medway about the intention to raise license fees by up to 14 per cent per annum for the next three and possibly six years. The committee had divided opinions but they asked Mr. Morgan to voice their objection to such high increases when he next meets with the charges committee.
IWA
Press Release - 13th April 2006
IWA
REJECTS THE ENVIRONMENT AGENCY'S PROPOSALS TO DRAMATICALLY INCREASE BOAT
REGISTRATION FEES.
The
Inland Waterways Association (IWA) has criticised proposals made by the
Environment Agency to increase the cost of boat registration on waterways for
which it is the navigation authority by about 48% over the next three years.
The Environment Agency outlined its proposals in a paper circulated to
waterway user groups earlier this month. The
Agency says that it is under pressure from the Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs to increase the proportion of its revenue raised from waterway
users. It intends to raise this
income by annually increasing registration fees (a) in line with the increase in
the cost of maintaining the waterways (which the Environment Agency estimates
will be about 5.1%). (b) By a further 7% to fund the backlog of maintenance work
on its waterways and (c) a further 2% to fund local waterway improvements.
Neil
Edwards, IWA chief executive, said,
"Whilst
The Inland Waterways Association appreciates the need for major investment in
the Environment Agency's waterways, and welcomes the additional funding promised
from central government, this is not a justification for massive price increases
for boaters. Registration fees for
boat owners need to reflect what is fair and reasonable, and what people can
afford to pay. Waterway users are
drawn from a wide cross-section of society, and whilst there are some with
well-appointed vessels who will not be deterred by whatever fees the Agency
might set, there are very many more, particularly young families and pensioners,
who struggle to keep afloat. Whilst the Agency might not care if these people
are priced off its waterways, The Inland Waterways Association does.
The nation's waterways should remain accessible to all sectors of society
and we will not accept the Agency's current proposals."
Neil
Edwards added,
"Many
of Agency's waterways, in East Anglia in particular, are under-used, and the
Agency should be doing much more to attract new users to its navigations.
Rather than just keep increasing its fees, the Agency needs to extend its
work in being more creative to attract new forms of income and to encourage
greater contributions from regional and local government.
The Agency has made good progress with its Thames Ahead initiative, and
has been rewarded with a modest revival of boating numbers on the Thames."
The
Environment Agency's proposals will affect boaters on the rivers Thames, Medway
and Wye and many East Anglian waterways including the rivers Nene and Great
Ouse. The proposed fee increases
would affect private waterway users and commercial vessels and hire boat
companies. Concerns have been raised
that the Agency's proposals would have a detrimental affect on the waterside
economy with fewer boaters spending in boatyards, shops, pubs and other
businesses along the waterway corridors.
Neil
Edwards concluded,
"IWA
strongly supports the Agency's work and there are great partnerships between the
Agency's staff and IWA volunteers in very many areas.
Now is exactly the wrong time for the Agency's senior management to
undermine this good work with such unsustainable fee increases."
For
more information please contact:
Jessica
Letters, IWA Project Officer, 01923 711 114 ex 24
The
Inland Waterways Association (IWA) is a registered charity, founded in 1946,
which advocates the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and development
of the inland waterways for public benefit.
IWA has over 17,000 members whose interests include boating, towing path
walking, industrial archaeology, nature conservation and many other activities
associated with the inland waterways. Information
provided by 188 corporate members with their own membership structures has
revealed that they, in themselves, have a combined membership of at least 59,500
in support of IWA's voice.
IWA
works closely with navigation authorities, other waterway bodies, a wide range
of national and local authorities, voluntary, private and public sector
organisations to raise funds, lobby for support and encourage public
participation. The Association also
supplies voluntary labour through its subsidiary Waterway Recovery Group.
More
than 500 miles of canals and navigable rivers have been re-opened to public use
since the Association was founded in 1946. Currently
another 500 miles of derelict inland waterways are now the subject of
restoration plans.
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The Medway Queen Preservation Society is hard at work restoring the only Estuary Paddle Steamer left in this country. They are based on the River Medway at Damhead Creek on the Hoo peninsular. They need help to keep the Medway Queen afloat and have a scheme whereby you can "sponsor a plate."
Please have a look at their website by following this link www.medwayqueen.co.uk
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If you are a boating member of the MRUA we would welcome your thoughts on this matter, after all should the lock become inoperable this would stop you using the full length of the navigation.
The next edition of The River Crier Is due for publication at the end of September and copies, not only, go to our loyal river users but it is also read by our President, Miss Anne Widdecombe MP. Committee members of the Royal Yachting Association, and Senior Management of the Environment Agency, who also receive The Crier.
I urge you to write and express your opinions on this matter because it may just be an inconvenience now but if the lock deteriorates we could be left with a navigation where Tonbridge would be cut off from the rest of the navigation.
Email to themrua@tiscali.co.uk
or Write to
The Editor
The River Crier
"Riverside"
College Avenue
Maidstone Kent
ME15 6YJ
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Notice 16 of 2005
Restricted use of Eldridges Lock from 1 April 2006
The operation of Eldridges Lock will be restricted to
Environment Agency Staff only, from the 1 April 2006.
Environment Agency Staff will attend Eldridges Lock
at 10.00, 13.00 and 15.30 hours daily to lock through waiting craft.
Boaters that require to lock through at times
different to the above should phone Allington Lock on 01622 752864 between 08.00
and 18.00 hours giving 24 hours notice of planned passage, arrangements can then
be made for Environment Agency Staff to attend the site.
In an emergency, boaters can phone the Incident
Hotline on 0800 807060 for assistance.
For further information please contact the Leigh
Office on 01732 703041.
Any inconvenience caused is regrettable.
Tom Mc Manus
Team Leader Medway Navigation
10 February 2006
We welcome our new members for 2006 who, so far, are;
Tony Blake and Amy Phillips from Tonbridge
Alan
and Nicki Burton of Swanley
Ray and Annette Chitty from Maidstone Ken and Brenda Colmer from Grays
Gill
and Mick Content from Cuxton
Barry and Janet
Coppins from Teynham
Terry
and Anna Cruton from Crawley
Matthew David and Elizabeth Barkwith from Bromley David and Mary Davies from New Barn
Alan and Janet Forrest from Walderslade Woods
Terry and Diane Green from Herstmonceux
Mike
and Penny Hills from Herne Bay
Derek
and June Holland from Mark Cross
Richard
and Angela Horton from Tonbridge
Ken
and Marilyn Ireland from Battle
Peter and Terry Lambournes from Eyensford
Chris
and Elizabeth Marshall from Bexley
Dennis and Elizabeth Mellor from Bearsted
Geoff
and Jennifer Miller from Yalding
Simon and Mandy Mowat from Chalk
Timothy
Rose and Tiamaria Lancaster from Maidstone
Nicole
and Svatek Russian from East Grinstead
Peter and Mary Tozer from Orpington
Tony Woodroffe from Hawkinge
Peter
Scoones from Hawkhurst
The MRUA is attracting more and more members who appreciate the value of a representative body of users, 2006 is continuing the upward trend in recruiting supporters which has been evident for the last 6 years. We obviously welcome them and thank them for their support. If any of you, and indeed our existing members, feel you can help the cause and join our committee, there is always something you can do to help. Whether it be admin or otherwise please give us a little of your time and help the MRUA to help keep the River Medway.
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The Medway River
Project is an organisation that works to maintain the beauty of the River Medway
Valley and every Thursday they organise working parties that maintain the river
and its banks. If you'd like to volunteer some time for this good cause
contact 01622 683695.
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MRUA
WE REALLY ARE,
WORKING FOR A BETTER RIVER
bravenet.com