Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

No apologies for absence were received.

To receive any declarations of personal interest.

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

To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for consideration.

No urgent items were received.

The Chairman will propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee, held on 9^th October, 2019, be signed as a true record  (attached).

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 9 October 2019 as a true record, subject to correcting the references to ‘Porthmadog Sailing Club’ in the English version to read ‘Madoc Yacht Club’.

To submit a report by the Senior Harbours Officer (attached).

The reports below were presented, and members were invited to give feedback on safety matters and harbour operational matters.

·         The Senior Harbour Officer's report, updating the committee on Harbour matters for the period from October 2019 to March 2020. 

·         The Harbourmaster's report, summarising the navigational and operational matters that had arisen between October 2019 and March 2020, including maintenance matters.

The following were distributed:-

·         Details of the fees and charges for Porthmadog Harbour for the period April 2020 to April 2021, and the powerboat and personal watercraft launch fees for the same period.

·         Trinity House's letter, dated 10 October 2019, following its annual inspection of navigational aids in the Harbour and the channel between 14 and 16 October 2019.  The Maritime and Country Parks Manager noted that the majority of work that had required attention had now been completed, but he asked members to inform them if they noticed that buoys had moved from their correct location.

The Maritime and Country Parks Officer referred to the recent inclement weather, and noted that it had been extremely unusual to experience so many storms in such a short period.  Fortunately, the direction of the wind had been favourable this time, and no damage had been caused to the harbour, with the exception of some lifted blocks, and some moved buoys.  The service's staff had been on call, ensuring that everything was in order, and they were thanked for going the extra mile.

A question was asked about how concerned the service had been during the recent storms.  In response, the Maritime and Country Parks Officer noted that the strongest winds coinciding with a high tide had been worrying, but the situation would have been far worse if the wind direction had been less favourable for Porthmadog. It was confirmed that the committee could do nothing specific about the situation, apart from informing the officers if they had any concerns, and it was emphasised that these extreme weather events highlighted the fact that everybody had a duty to protect the environment.

The Maritime and Country Parks Officer further reported:-

·         That he had held a discussion with Cricieth Town Council about its request for the Council to consider alternative methods of managing power boats following an incident. The Town Council's frustration was understandable, but the Town Council also acknowledged that the Council's powers were extremely limited. It was promised that the service would strengthen its supervision, and try to improve the navigation aids in the bay. It was also accepted that businesses depended upon the boats, and the officer was grateful of the opportunity to discuss the matter with the Town Council.

·         No harbour safety matters had been reported by members during the last six months.  Members were informed that they could request a copy of the code, and were asked to contact him if they had any matters to raise.

·         The budget summary highlighted the impact of the decrease in demand (bringing boats into the harbour / mooring boats) on the income. Of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To note that the next meeting of the Porthmadog Harbour Consultative Committee will be held on 7^th October, 2020, subject to confirmation by the Full Council.

It was noted that the next meeting would be held on 7 October 2020.