Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Councillor Mandy Williams-Davies (Cabinet Member for Economy).

To receive any declaration of personal interest.

No declarations of personal interest were received from any members present.

To consider any items which are urgent matters in the opinion of the Chairman.

The Chairman will propose that the minutes of the meeting of this committee, held on 12 October 2016, be signed as a true record.

The Chairman signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this Committee, held on 12 October, 2016, as a true record.

The representative of the RNLI referred to support by members to the carrying out of a safety inspection of the areas of the Glaslyn estuary and Black Rock Sands and to a subsequent talks about how the situation could be improved using existing resources. The Maritime and Country Parks Officer had confirmed that he would contact the RNLI in relation to the safety inspection. He expressed his dissatisfaction that this had not taken place and that the Officer had stated in January that officers from the service would complete the safety inspection. He noted that he had emailed the Senior Manager - Economy and Community Department but had not received a response.

The Chairman highlighted the fact that this was a Consultative Committee and, as such, there was no necessity on officers to act.

The Senior Manager – Economy and Community Department noted that he appreciated the observations of the RNLI representative and accepted his concerns. He noted, because of the scarcity of resources and the likelihood of not being able to implement risk mitigating measures, that they were avoiding carrying out a high number of inspections. He emphasised that the Council welcomed partners' input, including the RNLI, and cooperated with the institute in mitigating risks at Barmouth. He apologised that the representative had not received a response to his email and that he would give the email due consideration.

In response to an observation by a member that it would be useful to have the RNLI's input with regard to Porthmadog, the Senior Manager - Economy and Community Department stated that the Service prioritised according to risk.

The member expressed his disappointment that the RNLI's input was not sought as regards the inspection of the Glaslyn estuary and Black Rock Sands areas, noting that the Council could consider the matters highlighted by the Institute and prioritise actions to mitigate the risks.

The Maritime and Country Parks Officer noted that the Service did take the opinion of the Consultative Committee into consideration. It was reported that experienced officers from the Service had carried out an inspection and were, consequently, in the process of installing more signs in the area as well as revising information leaflets given to beach users emphasising the risks at the North Bank.

The RNLI representative noted that the institute wished to continue collaborating with the Service and offered the same assistance at Porthmadog as was provided at Barmouth and Tywyn. He added that he acknowledged that expertise existed within the Service but that he was dissatisfied that the Maritime and Country Parks Officer had not contacted the RNLI having confirmed at the previous meeting that he would do so.

In response, the Maritime and Country Parks Officer stated that a risk assessment of the Morfa Bychan area had been completed by the RNLI two years previous, and it was not considered timely to revisit.

The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To submit a report by the Maritime and Country Parks Officer.

The Maritime and Country Parks Officer guided the members through the report, drawing attention to the following main points:

·         No observations had been received relating to the Marine Safety Code since the previous meeting.

·      The Service had expected an inspection to be carried out by an inspector from the Coastguard Agency in January. However, lack of capacity meant that the inspection has not taken place and the Service was waiting the inspection to be re-arranged. It was anticipated that the inspection would take place in September 2017. 

·         A detailed inspection would be conducted by Trinity House Lighthouse Authority inspectors on 31 July 2017. It was anticipated, on account of recent investments, that the report would confirm the continued improvement of the condition and stations of the Porthmadog Harbour Aids to Navigation.

·         Two Mariners’ Notices were in operation at Porthmadog Harbour. The notice for Buoy Number 1 (Sandbank) was up to date - it was not on station (notice no. 10). Buoy aid No. 3 (notice no. 9) was also off station and mariners were being warned to navigate with care in this area until the aids had been re-located to their correct stations. Trinity House had been informed of the situation at Porthmadog via the PANAR system, in keeping with requirements.

·         The Porthmadog Harbour navigation channel had changed significantly over the past few weeks, particularly in the Cwt Powdwr area. It was noted that the Service regularly inspected the channel at low tide in order to try to ensure that the aids to navigation were in the most suitable locations. The constant shifting of the channel made it difficult to ensure that the aids were in their correct positions.

·      As reported in the previous meeting, the Harbour Assistant's employment period had been extended to the end of December 2016 in order to ensure support and continuation of the service across the County. It was noted that the period of employment had been further extended to the end of March 2017 on a three day a week arrangement. It was reported that the Harbour Assistants' positions would be advertised for the period of 1 April 2017 to 30 September 2017.

·         A boat that had been abandoned near Ballast Quay had been secured and moved to the slipway area. It was noted that the Service would contact the owners and inform them of the intention to sell or dispose of the boat unless it was removed from the Harbour during the next two months. It was noted that if members were aware of any projects wishing to take on the boat, they were to contact the Service.

·         The budgetary situation up to the end of January 2017, noting that it was anticipated that the income target would not be met for the financial year.

·      That a new Powercat boat would be located at Porthmadog.

·      That the draft fees for Porthmadog Harbour for the 2017-18 financial year had been submitted at the previous meeting. The intention to increase fees by an average  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To note that the next meeting of the Porthmadog Harbour Consultative Committee will be held on 11 October 2017.

It was noted that the next meeting would take place on 11 October, 2017.