Boaters Update October 2007

Craft Licensing to move to Leeds
BW is to move its craft licensing department from its head office in Watford to its shared services operation in Leeds. The renamed boat licensing team will continue to focus on further improving processing times and levels of customer service.

The move will take place at the end of October 2007 and will retain best practice from the old department and improve the ways in which licence and mooring applications are processed.

“Business as usual for customers”

BW project manager Nick Weston who is responsible for the move says: “Working with improved processes and systems, including digital scanning of all paperwork, the new team in Leeds will soon be up to full speed. And, as far as customers are concerned, it should be business as usual.”

Boaters with a craft licensing enquiry should, in the first instance, continue to contact BW’s Customer Service Centre on 0845 6715530 or email: enquiries.hq@britishwaterways.co.uk. This customer service team is not changing and they are widely experienced in sorting out licensing enquiries and helping boaters who wish to renew their licences.

New waterways minister visits Birmingham
The newly appointed waterways minister, Jonathan Shaw, visited Birmingham in September to meet BW chief executive, Robin Evans, some of BW’s stakeholder groups and members of the ISIS property company team developing Icknield Port Loop.

The minister and Robin Evans were meeting for the first time since the minister’s appointment and their discussions were wide-ranging and constructive. The minister was taken on a tour around Birmingham by boat and saw examples of waterside regeneration and new sites like the Icknield Port Loop, Gas Street Basin and the Mailbox. The minister then met up for a brief meeting with waterway stakeholders representing NABO (National Association of Boat Owners), AWCC, (Association of Waterway Cruising Clubs), IWA (Inland Waterways Association), SWCS (Staffs & Worcs Canal Society) and the BCNS (Birmingham Canal Navigation Society).

Moorings tender trial – the finishing touches
British Waterways’ mooring tenders online system is now in the final stages of testing.

Local moorings staff have all been trained and they are putting finishing touches to the descriptions of more than 40 mooring vacancies which will be the first to be advertised for tender.

Almost 3,000 people have registered their interest in the mooring tenders trial. BW has sent out postal tender packs to just under 100 people who have registered for the postal option (for which there is a £10 fee).

As soon as the mooring tender system goes live, BW will email everyone who registered their email address online and direct them to waterscape.com – which has recently been redesigned and relaunched. Here, people will be able to see all mooring vacancies being advertised for tender, search them according to their preferences and submit a tender. BW will also send details of matching vacancies to people who have registered their mooring preferences by post.

More about the mooring tenders

Boat Safety Scheme offers guidance over solid fuel stoves
The Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) is now working with the Solid Fuel Association (SFA) to offer advice for users of wood-burners, solid-fuel and multi-fuel stoves.

According to the BSS, solid fuel stoves are now back as popular heaters for inland waterways craft. Many owners find that their stoves provide homely warmth and in many cases hot water, with few or no problems. However, BSS records show solid fuel stoves are also a growth area for incidents of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and fires.

The good news is that most incidents are preventable.

More about safety and solid fuel stoves

Licence Fees 2008 – 2011- new consultation document
On 8 October, BW published a public consultation paper outlining the need for licence fee increases over the three years beginning April 2008. The consultation is open until 7 January 2008.

Read more
Read the consultation paper

Judge orders boater to remove boat from waterways
BW successfully obtained a Court Order allowing it to remove a boat from the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal after the owner of the boat unsuccessfully claimed he was continuously cruising.

Patrol officers closely monitored and recorded the boat’s movements which presented a strong case against the boater.

The defendant has also received an injunction, preventing him from entering, navigating or mooring the boat or any other vessel on the canals. Additionally, the boater was ordered to pay BW’s costs of £1,760.

BW's marketing and customer services director Simon Salem said: “BW will not tolerate disregard of the licensing law. It is unfair on the vast majority of law abiding boaters, who diligently pay their licence fees, that some try to flout the continuous cruising requirements. I commend the diligence, patience and professionalism of the BW patrol officers concerned in this case.”

More about this story

‘Yours to enjoy anytime’ a new campaign
BW has launched a new marketing campaign to help encourage more people to enjoy its canals and rivers as part of their everyday life. The reasons why BW wants to do this are:

1. greater use of canals and rivers means greater appreciation of waterways as a national asset
2. the more people make use of canals and rivers, the stronger the case for adequate public funding and
3. a greater number of visitors creates greater business opportunities for BW and the private sector

Look out for a mix of billboard posters, press activity and booklets in the following five areas which have been chosen for pilot test activity because they have good stretches of waterway with a high-density population nearby and so offer good potential to increase visitor numbers.

1. Lancaster in the North West
2. Nottingham & Leicester and surrounding area in the East Midlands
3. Birmingham (plus Hatton & Fradley) in the West Midlands
4. Milton Keynes and surrounding area in the South East
5. Paddington to Camden in London

The campaign also includes the re-launch of waterscape.com, which has been redesigned to make it easier for people to find out where their local waterway is and what they can do there. The site is now easier to navigate and includes an improved search capability, including a ‘quick search’, to help people find activities, services and listings in their area. The waterscape team welcomes any feedback on the re-launched site (email feedback@waterscape.com) and will continue to make improvements over the coming months.

Read on for more details of the new marketing campaign

BW boat auction
BW held a second on-line auction of surplus craft on 26 September, conducted by Go Industry Limited. The list of vessels had already been sifted for heritage craft and these will be disposed of separately through the agreed procedure to canal trusts and other bodies who have registered an interest.

Sixty craft were be auctioned and, of these, three had been seized under Section 8 rules.

More about the boat auction

Help make the Falkirk Wheel Scotland's most treasured place
As part of its centenary celebrations, The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) has launched a public vote to find Scotland’s favourite piece of built heritage.

One hundred photographs, including one of The Wheel, have been selected for the RCAHMS Treasured Places: Scotland’s Favourite Archive Images project.
You can help The Falkirk Wheel secure its place at the top of the list by visiting the treasured places website and placing your vote.

Carole Keltie, manager of The Falkirk Wheel, said: "It is an honour to be chosen as one of the 100 most treasured images of Scotland. Over a million people have visited The Wheel since it opened in 2002 and we would be delighted if every one of them voted – which would surely see us crowned Scotland’s most Treasured Place."

Read more

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