IWA Peterborough Branch www.iwapeterborough.org.uk

INLAND WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION: PETERBOROUGH BRANCH

THE MIDDLE LEVEL SYSTEM: NAVIGATION ISSUES: NOVEMBER 2004

This paper arises from the general invitation to boaters and the Peterborough branch of the IWA to comment on Health and Safety issues relating to navigation in the Middle Level system. The invitation was issued by Mr. Ian Smith, Clerk and Chief Executive of the Middle Level Commissioners in the early part of 2004. Peterborough branch has prepared this response after collecting together the experiences of local users of the system during the summer of 2004. The material received inevitably covered not only strictly Health and Safety issues but also the suggestions of users for maintenance or capital improvements to benefit navigation. So that this material is not lost we have prepared this paper in three parts: the First Part deals exclusively with Health and Safety issues, the Second Part with other capital issues which have arisen and the Third Part with maintenance issues. We hope that the paper will be found helpful. We have deliberately avoided mention of any major capital projects so that everything in this paper [whether of a Health and Safety nature or not] would not require major funding to implement. Given that much of the Middle Level system is within the area of Fenland District Council which fully supports the promotion of water-borne tourism in its area and given further that many of the towns in that Council’s area are economically deprived and therefore eligible for grants would it not be possible for the Commissioners and the Council jointly to seek funding for those low -cost project which are within Fenland’s area? Similar comments apply to those projects which would lie within the area of other District Councils although we recognise that the opportunity for grants is not so great in those other areas.

In order not to compromise the safety of those using locks it is important that landing stages for the use of lock users are provided above and below each lock. They should in all cases be properly sited and of adequate length recognising that boats of up to 70 feet in length can now navigate throughout most of the system. We will comment on the situation at each of the locks in the Middle Level in turn.

Stanground: the landing stage above the lock needs dredging. A deep draught boat has trouble tying up alongside the mooring. Behind the top landing stage the ground level is low and in the interests of safety needs to be built up level with the stage. In doing this the bollards need to be resited nearer to the water edge.

Ashline: the landing stage above the lock needs to be extended to 70 feet in length with additional metal T bollards being provided as necessary.

Marmont Priory: both landing stages are too short and should be extended to 70 feet. Both need to be equipped with an adequate number of metal T bollards.

Salters Lode: the problems here relate not to landing stages for lock use but to the lock itself and are so major as to be outside the scope of this paper.

Ramsey High Lode; both landing stages are too short and should be extended to 70 feet. They need to be equipped with an adequate number of metal T bollards.

Just as landing stages at locks can present Health and Safety issues so can public moorings. We will highlight those that give current cause for concern.

Whittlesey: behind the planking which forms the landing stage the land has sunk. It needs building up level. Behind this area is a rising bank. For safety reasons a short set of steps need to be built into the bank and an access ramp for the disabled constructed.

Ramsey Basin: the existing moorings need to be refurbished for they are not only unsafe but dangerous. We appreciate that the primary responsibility for these moorings lies elsewhere. We have made detailed representations to Huntingdonshire District Council and suggested detailed improvements which need to be carried out to the moorings. [We have also suggested that the Basin needs to be reorganised and extended so that 70 feet long craft can turn there]

Nordelph: the existing mooring is too short and represents a hazard for this reason. There are also no mooring T bollards.There are physical constraints to the site but the mooring should be extended as far as is physically possible and metal bollards/ cleats provided.

Upwell: the mooring on March Riverside about 200 yards to the west of the new bridge is too short. It needs to be extended to 70 feet and additional metal T bollards provided as necessary. It would also benefit from dredging [perhaps as part of a general dredging programme in this area - see later].

Outwell: Hunter Row Boat Basin: the mooring points need refurbishing. It is suggested they be replaced by metal T bollards.

Salters Lode: the longer of the two wooden moorings: the landward side of this mooring is for whatever reason sinking causing a hazard. The mooring needs repairing and the mooring points need replacing with metal T bollards.

March: the short mooring near the library: this mooring needs to be dredged for at present many boats have difficulty approaching it safely.

In this section we have noted the additional facilities which reports show are required to improve the experience of navigators (and particularly visiting tourists) when exploring the Middle Level system. All are low cost. We have not sought to include major capital projects such as the replacement / refurbishment of Salters Lode lock or the lifting of a number of low bridges on the system for these are outside the scope of this paper.

Drinking Water: this is absolutely basic to the cruising of any waterway. Water points are however at a premium in the Middle Level system. We suggest that a plan be adopted so that over a period a number of water points are created sited at strategic sites throughout the system. One of the criteria when finding locations should be the extent to which the taps can be made vandal proof. We suggest that in all cases the taps should (as on British Waterway waters) be enclosed in a lockable box or container the box being opened with a Middle Level key. In all cases the tap should be of the ordinary variety (i.e. not of the push type) with a threaded hose fitting. We make this suggestion because many boats which use and will use the system will have water tanks that contain many gallons. It is not practical to expect a boater to hold down a tap of the push variety for say 20 minutes while filling the tank of his boat. As to location our suggestions are that they be sited at:

March: on the exterior of the existing sanitary block.

Outwell: in the Basin.

Salters Lode: in an accessible position in the general lock area

Refuse Disposal: the provision of places for boaters to dispose of rubbish is an important facility both for boaters and the locality. The provision should be in the form of a skip or wheeled bins. On the Middle Level there is already such provision at March. We suggest that sites should also be established near to Stanground and Salters Lode locks and in Ramsey Basin to give a reasonable spread throughout the area.

As we are all aware it is difficult for craft to moor on the Middle Level system. If visitors are to be encouraged that situation has to be improved. It is no longer acceptable to expect navigators who wish to stop near a village or public house to run their craft into high banks and then to clamber up those banks. The safety issues and dangers involved are clearly considerable. We have for a long time favoured a strategy whereby each village or town on the Middle Level system and each isolated business or place of interest would be served by public visitor moorings. This would not only fulfil safety requirements but would also be a positive encouragement to tourism. Navigators would feel able to stop, take a look at the towns and villages of the area and where there were shops or public houses spend money. Within such a strategy we propose that additional public moorings should be constructed as follows:

Chatteris: this is the most important town/village which is near to the Middle Level system but does not have a public mooring. This is in our view clearly something which should be remedied at an early date. Wherever such a mooring was constructed on the existing navigation it would be some way from the centre of Chatteris and therefore involve a lengthy walk. Nevertheless, navigators should by definition be reasonably fit. We do not see distance as precluding the use of such a mooring. We acknowledge that there could be a debate over where such a mooring should be constructed but our preference would be for it to be constructed near the so called "dock bridge" being the point where the A141 crosses the Forty Foot Drain. From there a public footpath passes south through Willow Farm before joining Dock Lane which in turn leads to the A142 near the roundabout to the north of Chatteris. At that point walkers would find a supermarket and garage and from it have access to the centre of Chatteris.

Benwick: there are no public moorings at Benwick yet it has a number of facilities including a shop and public house which are of potential interest to boaters. We therefore suggest that a public mooring should be constructed to serve this village.

Three Holes: this is a settlement which boasts a number of facilites including a public house, garages, shops and a post office. It is again of potential interest to boaters and therefore we suggest a further location for the construction of moorings. In that connection the Commissioners may be able to assist. Near the road bridge there are a set of steps which lead to some sort of waterside control/ measuring facility which is presumably owned by the Commissioners. We suggest that a mooring could be constructed between the road bridge and those steps and that the steps could be incorporated into the design to save expense.

Isolated Businesses and Places of Interest: we have mentioned the need from a tourism point of view for the construction of moorings to serve such isolated businesses (in effect public houses) as still exist on the system. Regrettably they are now few in number. We have identified as potential sites for the construction of such moorings outside of the Golden Lion at Stonea, the George at Ramsey Forty Foot and the Three Horseshoes at Turves. Clearly the potential must exist for a financial contribution to be made towards construction costs from the publican / brewery involved.

There is also a need to serve other places of interest. Woodwalton Fen Nature Reserve lies alongside the end of the navigable section of Great Raveley Drain. From the end of the navigable section a bridge provides access to the Reserve itself. An obvious site for public moorings to serve the Reserve would be the end of the Drain but no formal public moorings exist. We suggest that tourism would be aided and safety increased if moorings were to be constructed in this location. Craft of 70 feet in length cannot turn in the channel. As part of any constuction programme we suggest that a turning point be constructed at the end of the Drain.

At the end of the New Dyke lies a basin where craft can turn. Informally craft from time to time moor immediately to the west of the basin against the bank. Again, however, there are no formal moorings and we suggest that such moorings would be a tourism asset. It is also possible to walk from the basin to the B660 and thence into the village of Holme. The one problem is that this is only possible by walking down a private drive. There is a clear need to reach some form of agreement about the use of the drive by boaters.

Both Great Raveley Drain and New Dyke will lie within or alongside the area of the Great Fen Project. There may well be opportunities to create the suggested facilities as part of that Project. We as a branch have submitted a more detailed paper about these areas to the promoters of that Project.

In this section we list those items of maintenance which members have reported as being required as at the autumn of 2004.

1) Old Course of the Nene: from White Fen Farm Bridge towards Benwick to Ranson Moor Pumping Station

2) From Wells Bridge towards Benwick: from the junction with the Forty Foot around the first two bends - a distance of about ¼ - ½ mile.

3) March Town: from the Footbridge in West End Park through March Town to the Railway bridge at the east of the town.

4) King’s Dyke: from the junction with Pig Water to Canter’s Doles Farm.

5) Well Creek: from Marmont Priory lock to Nordelph

6) From above Ashline lock to the air raid shelter half way along the Bower - a distance in total of about 200 yards - to include the public moorings and the winding hole

The branch accepts that this year has been particularly difficult for the control of cot. However, we believe that the general control of weed in the Middle Level would be improved if there were an early summer cut of weed. If there could be only one cut per year then we would prefer that it should be carried out at that time. We would hope however that there could be two cuts per year, one at that time and one in the autumn.

The provision of an adequate supply of water in Well Creek has for a long time been a problem. There are nevertheless times when there is a good head of water but this benefit is being lost at Marmont Priory lock. The downstream gates are lower than the upstream gates. As a result when the downstream gates are shut but the upstream gates open so that the downstream gates are holding up the level it results in water being lost over the top of the downstream gates, thereby reducing the head in the whole of Well Creek. In short, there is an urgent need for the downstream gates to be raised.

16/11/04

 

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