British Waterways have issued the following statement as a result of the debate on Audlem Online and the petition in local shops currently being signed by many residents. They say:
“Canals are enjoying a renaissance. There are more people using the towpaths and more boats on the water than ever before. This turnaround in fortunes is good news and British Waterways' policy is to further encourage boating.
However long lines of boats moored long term end-to-end along the line of the canal itself are not popular and cause practical difficulties for visiting boats. We therefore encourage investment in offline mooring sites, where a majority of boaters prefer to keep their boat when they're not using them.
Our policy therefore is to reduce (not eliminate entirely) the number of boats moored long term along the waterway. Where a new marina opens, we aim to reduce just one berth on the canal itself for every ten that open. A full copy of the policy is published at www.britishwaterways.co.uk/onlinemooringpol.
As the new Audlem marina begins to fill, new occupants will make regular stops in the village when out cruising or visiting their boats and we expect this to increase rather than diminish business in local shops.
It should be noted that the closure of our long term moorings in Audlem and to the south of the village is currently scheduled to take place on a 'natural wastage' basis – i.e. as and when current occupants of the berths decide to change their long term mooring. Absolutely no one is being forced to leave their existing mooring.
We will shortly publish a national public consultation on our moorings policies. The proposals include working with local communities, boaters, boatyards and other stakeholders to develop mooring strategies which reflect local priorities and which will provide the framework for future moorings decisions.”
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