Mooring consultation changes
CANAL & River Trust has altered its consultation document on visitor moorings in its South East Region, writes Allan Richards.
The consultation document has been altered but the changes from the original document are not shown in the new document.Clarification
It was a narrowboatworld reader, Mike Jones, who found that the document had been altered saying 'CaRT's consultation was launched on 24th January 2013 but the consultation document is not the original having been altered some three weeks later on the 14th February'.
Mike Annan, who is the chairman of the Licencing and Mooring sub group of CaRT's Navigation Advisory Group, has stated that clarification of the consultation document would be provided. This follows condemnation from boaters who failed to understand why further restrictions need to be imposed at visitor moorings when CaRT are unable to quantify the extent of any existing problems and do not police current mooring restrictions rigidly. They also query if CaRT will enforce the new restrictions.
However, the new document fails to provide any clarification or justification for the proposals.
Additional restrictions?
Indeed, it is difficult to say how the new document differs from the old as nothing in it says where changes have been made!
One is left with the uneasy feeling that CaRT have sneaked through some additional restrictions after some boaters have already responded to the consultation.
Head of Boating Sally Ash, has confirmed that CaRT are under pressure from the IWA and 'the trade' to make the changes to deal with the 'continuous moorer' problem.
Unconvinced
Boaters however, remain unconvinced with a petition to scrap the consultation now having attracted almost 600 signatures.