Decision details

The Cabinet Member agrees to defer the decision to close the 14-day moorings for the following time period 1 November 2021 until 28 February 2022.

The Council has on-going concerns about winter safety issues at the Mead Lane stretch of the River Avon especially in time of flooding. A recently commenced judicial review claim by one boatowner of the Council’s decision to impose a seasonal prohibition on 14-day mooring at Mead Lane has raised a number of issues and arguments including representations about the impact of flooding. Consideration is to be given to the merits of these arguments and to whether they add anything of substance to the views expressed in the previous consultation and/or are representative of the views of other boatowners.

The Council ability to monitor the situation since Cabinet passed its resolutions and to obtain useful data over the 1 November 2020 to 28 February 2021 closure period was severely hampered by the national lockdown restrictions. The assumption is that these restrictions will not be repeated in the equivalent period in 2021/22.

Deferring the decision in this way will also enable the Council to consider it in the light of its broader policy initiatives progressed since the matter was before Cabinet which include the development of a mooring strategy; work with Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire Council in the West of England Combined Authority regarding a plan for the River Avon, and discussions with the Canal and River Trust which it is believed has in recent months issued a significant number of continuous cruising licences despite the lack of facilities, which appears to have led to increased pressure on the Kennett & Avon Canal and River Avon.

The Council could decide to close the 14-day moorings for the period 1 November 2021 until the end of February 2022. However, for the reasons outlined above, the proposed action is the preferred option.