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Your Letters Jam Tomorrow or Log Jam?
01 Feb 2005
Our family are the owners of a 104 berth marina on the Lancaster canal. We dug out the first basin twelve years ago and a second basin five years ago which was completed just as the foot and mouth outbreak hit this part of the country. We had an empty basin for nearly a year as boats were not allowed to move. Apart from the digging out of the basin all the jettys, car parking, paths tree planting required by the planners was done by ourselves. It took us two and a half years to get planning permission and over a year to agree a contract with British Waterways who did not seem able to recognise that we owned the land. We were therefore very interested in your paragraph regarding British Waterways 9% connection charge. We have being paying well over this amount for the past twelve years and the rolling contract is due for renewal shortly so we wondered if this a standard charge across the country or are we all still negotiating a figure they seem to pluck out of the air depending on who from BW you happen to see.
We also applied for and got planning permission for an extension through the largest basin for another 35 berths and workshop twelve months ago but as yet have to decide if we have the financial means to proceed and reading about all the regulations it is going to be practically impossible to do so.
My daughter and son-in-law joined us in the business just over a year ago as my husband and I are both over retirement age and would like to take things easier but the business will have to support them and their three children as a viable project.
We were also interested in the Rating Valuation Office, we were never informed that there was a special body who dealt with rates for marina's, the business rates were set after a visit from a rating official from Manchester who knew nothing about marina's and reduced the rate very slightly after appeal.
British Waterways Marinas Ltd are supposed to be independent from BW but when speaking to the manager of BWML White Bear on the Leeds & Liverpool he will not say if they pay business rates or the connection charge but they are spending money there as if it was going out of fashion.
Oh that we could do the same!
It is getting harder and harder to make a living. We work seven days a week for little reward and it is time people realised that it is not the cushy number everyone thinks it is and articles like yours which are fighting for the little man, thank you.
We would be grateful if you could find the time to provide us with the information regarding BW connection charge and the address of the Rating Valuation Office.
Thanking you in anticipation.
Yours sincerely, P A Jackson (Mrs) Moons Bridge Marina
