College Cruisers scuppered

THE boat hire company, College Cruisers, that has been operating from its yard at the bottom of the Oxford Canal for 40 years has had to give up two thirds of its premises in the middle of its season.

The company has been in business for 40 years, taken over by Charlie and Carys Bruns in 1996, but they have lost a huge chunk of their premises, including a boathouse and car park when their lease came to an end on Saturday, Mick Fitzgibbons tells us.

No planning permission

This means about two thirds of the property will be lost to the Castle Mill Boatyard development, even though it has not yet been granted planning permission.

With no work on the development, an extension was asked for, to allow the company to continue to the the end of the season but this was refused by Cordatus Partners Limited, with the boathouse and car park being boarded up and remaining empty.

Cary Bruns told the Oxford Mail:

"To expect a small family company like mine to up roots in the middle of the season is very difficult. It's incredibly sad that it's come to this."

The new development is for housing and will include a community centre, housing and a small boat yard, and is the latest in the very long running saga of the Jericho boatyard. It was owned by Spring Residential Limited, but the company went into liquidation during the downturn. (Castlemill Boatyard developer goes bust.)