In the Onley 'yes' camp

JOINING the controversy over the proposed 550 berths marina at Onley, I'm squarely in the 'yes' camp, writes James Henry.

More so after David Hymers telling us that this summer he noticed that a lot of formerly crowded linear moorings are now almost empty—which surely must mean many have gone into marinas.  That alone, which was an original plan of the then British Waterways, can only be a good thing, as most boaters must agree.

Doubting the whole campaign

And it is this that leaves me doubting the whole campaign mounted against the marina, with its detractors inferring that 500 boaters have signed a petition against it being built.  Pull the other one!

If Onley takes in more linear moorers so much the better for boaters cruising the Oxford, and as Victor pointed out, 550 new boats ain't going to appear as if by magic!  People are not going to suddenly take their boats to the Oxford Canal if living any distance away, as like me, they want them near at hand.

In favour

And the local papers show that the residents of the area and the two councils are in favour of the marina, so I hope they get their way, for again like Victor, the more marinas the less likelihood of ever increasing prices as they compete for the limited number of boats.

But what really did it for me was cruising up the Grand Union onto the Oxford a fortnight ago I called in Braunston Marina for diesel, and it was the most expensive I have ever bought on the waterways, and a couple of phone calls soon had me realising that it is also rather expensive to moor there.

And it is the boss of Braunston Marina who is heading the fight to prevent the new one being built, calling it the 'Monster Marina' on Braunston's website.  Enough said!