To
accept a report by the Maritime Officer and Pwllheli Harbour Manager
Appendix 1 – Comparison Gwynedd to Others 2021
Appendix 2 – Comparison Power Boats to Sailing Boats 2021
Appendix 3 – Comparison of Boat Statistics at Each Harbour 2021
Appendix 4 – Comparison of Boat Statistics 2021
Appendix 5 – Pwllheli Harbour Committee Statistics – October 2021
Appendix 6 – Total Power Boat Registrations 2021
Appendix 7 – Total Water Craft Registrations 2021
Decision:
(1)
To
note and accept the report.
(2) To respond as follows to the
Department of Transport Consultation Paper, "Strengthening enforcement of
the dangerous use of recreational and personal watercraft":
i.
That
this committee prefers option 3, namely creating legislation under section 112
of the Railways and Transportation Safety Act 2003 to extend the relevant
provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, and relevant regulations, to
include recreational and personal watercraft.
ii.
To
emphasise the importance of ensuring training for users and a call to increase
the age limit for driving recreational and personal watercraft.
(3) To inform users of the Hafan slipway
regarding the need to ensure that every recreational and personal watercraft is
registered with Gwynedd Council prior to launch. This was in light of concerns
raised about the current use.
Minutes:
Members of the Committee were reminded that the purpose
of the Committee was to provide an opportunity to raise concerns and that it
was important for all stakeholders to contribute. Consequently, concern was expressed that many
members of the Committee were absent.
External
Bodies
Members of the Committee were also reminded that in
order to meet the rules, they must submit the minutes of their meetings,
together with a copy of their constitution, and ensure that the list of
representatives was accurate and up to date.
Harbour
Safety Code
The Maritime Service Manager referred to the paper he
had circulated regarding the Harbour Safety Code, noting that the paper
provided assurance that stakeholders were complying with the Code, and referred
to the opportunity which had arisen for Committee Members to feed into the
response. He confirmed that two
inspections had been carried out by the Coastguard Agency and that the risk
assessments were in place and in order.
Strategic
Review of the Hafan and Harbour
It was confirmed that a Work Group had been set up to
discuss the Hafan and Harbour with local businesses and to agree on a way
forward, as Pwllheli was a very important unit.
It was confirmed that the aim was to have a Masterplan for the future,
to include the structure of the Hafan and Pwllheli Harbour.
Review of
2019 work
The Assistant Head of the Economy and Community
Department gave an update stating that the Programme had been delayed and other
issues had taken priority, but the programme now needed to be revisited. He confirmed that short-term measures had been
identified, including:
· The Internal Structure of the Hafan and Harbour,
following the retirement of the Hafan Assistant Manager
· Property, legal, and financial matters that are under
the control of the Hafan and Harbour
· Commissioning a Masterplan to identify the vision
· Dredging Strategy and Dealing with the residue
· Prepare the Hafan and Harbour Investment Strategy for
the short-term, long-term and medium-term
It was confirmed
that an update would be available at the next meeting.
In response to a
question regarding the timing of a change in management, it was confirmed that
it was extremely important that the service continued and that there was no
change to the service, and that they would be administrative changes to improve
the service. It was noted that the post
of Hafan Manager had not been filled. The vision is that someone would be
appointed to the post of Pwllheli Harbour Commercial and Business Manager and
that the new officer would be in post by March 2022. It was confirmed that the time had come to
take a strategic look at the Hafan and Harbour and move on to offer a better
service.
It was inquired as
to whether there were plans for the Old Sailing Club and it was confirmed that
the building was under Plas Heli Management, and the hope would be to
collaborate with Plas Heli on any scheme.
The need for discussion as soon as possible was reiterated, and it was
confirmed that the Sailing Club had installed a 'Portacabin' on site to be used
by the Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board and by children for 1 to 1 lessons, which
had been a useful resource following the closure of the Frondeg Centre. The long-term desire to see it used for
something with a maritime connection was confirmed.
Dredging Campaign
It was confirmed
that the dredging campaign had been delayed due to the Covid situation. It was
confirmed that it was still planned to dredge the harbour entrance around April
2022. Concern remained regarding the reduction in material that may be dredged
out of the Harbour mouth in a short time due to the tide.
It was confirmed
that the Royal Small company will be dredging Victoria Dock until late
October/early November and then Pwllheli in the second week of November. Dredging work will be undertaken in the
channel, as well as assessing mud in the pontoon, the capacity and the stilling
bund. It was confirmed that they had
trialled using a dredger closer to the harbour mouth, but a couple of problems
had arisen, such as large stones that had come in. Dredging part of the channel
will be piloted by pouring sand in the area of the sand tip near Craig yr
Imbill.
Other methods of
dredging were discussed, such as bagging it for drying and delivering from the
site by truck, but it was confirmed that the mud was difficult to dispose of
and that this will be a long-term problem.
It was confirmed that the contract with Jones Brothers for works at the
mouth of the Harbour will continue next year.
It was noted that the dredging work using a vacuum will be completed by
mid-December, if there were no further Covid restrictions, and following this,
a hydrographic survey will be undertaken to measure success and the next
dredging campaign around the pontoon will be carried out in Spring 2023.
In response to the
above, attention was drawn to the sand bank adjacent to the Llŷn Marina
Boatyard where there is little water, and it was asked if it was being
addressed. The Maritime Service Manager confirmed that the Maritime Unit had
identified areas to target where the channel was coming in deeper.
It was questioned
whether there was a difference to be seen in the Groyne. In response, it was
reported that there was a likelihood that a sandbar would be created following
the work. It was confirmed that the new breakwater was much stronger than the
previous one, and it was suggested that it might be possible to undertake a
topographic survey to measure the amount of sand falling to the east of the
breakwater. It was also confirmed,
following an aerial photo survey, that there was a change in the harbour
entrance.
Following
confirmation of the work that Jones Brothers will be undertaking at the river
mouth (as part of the scheme will go as far as possible), it was noted that a
bucket needed to be created to allow the sand to fall into it so that it would
not be carried into the harbour. It was
suggested that the appropriate assessments would show what was possible.
Gratitude was
expressed for being able to view the hydrographic surveys. It was confirmed that the boats would need to
be moved if dredging was to be done around the pontoon and this was not a
problem, although it was possible to dredge the area between the main pontoon
without moving the boats if required.
Financial Matters
Unfortunately, the
financial information was not shared in advance, but it was anticipated that
£259,121 would be sent to the fund. It was reported that the Service was
anticipating a reduction of £18,666 in harbour expenditure. It was confirmed that although the situation
was looking healthy, half the year was still to come.
Fees and Charges
Reference was made
to the situation with regard to rising gas and electricity prices, and the need
to keep an eye on the situation. The
need to be careful and to bear funding in mind for possible additional costs
was noted.
In terms of fees
and payments for next year, it was confirmed that further discussion was needed
on how to take the matter forward. It
was confirmed that any increase in cost had an impact on customer retention and
attracting new customers. The hope of
keeping any increase in fees as low as possible was noted and better
consideration will be given when the inflation figure becomes available.
Further to the above,
the following were noted:
· The mooring figures are much better than expected, but
a valiant effort must be made to keep as much of this income as possible in the
Harbour and Hafan.
· A change in management was planned next year in terms
of VAT on bringing boats back to this country - referred to as a Brexit
dividend - and further information was sought.
· As fuel prices rise, it may be possible to include
solar panels at Hafan as a long-term goal in the masterplan.
The Maritime Service Manager confirmed that
VAT issues will have an impact, such as increased costs and he confirmed the
need for further discussion with the Council's VAT experts.
The concept of a loyalty bonus was welcomed.
Hafan
Manager's Report
Trinity
House
It was confirmed that an investigation had
been undertaken by Trinity House and that everything was acceptable, and that
no Mariners' Notice was currently in place.
Fuel
Quay
It was confirmed that petrol sales had
increased significantly, and the fuel quay self-service system had been
excellent. It was confirmed that work
was underway to look at the diesel situation in light of the changes, but no
further information had been received from HM Customs and Excise, but it must
be borne in mind that it may end in April 2022.
With regard to the petrol situation, it was
confirmed that there was more stock, with E10 in it, and it was confirmed that
a warning had been issued to boat owners of the need to exercise caution. It was also confirmed that one of the pumps
was ten years old and that plans were in place to replace it very soon in 2022.
Registering
Boats
The online boat registration system works
well and saves a great deal of paperwork.
Slipway
It was confirmed that there had been an
increase in 2019 from 299 annual residents to 378 in 2020. In addition, the number of visiting boats had
also been very good. Huge concern and disappointment was expressed that Parking
and Launching companies were not complying with harbour regulations and Council
regulations in relation to registering boats and personal watercraft. During the season a large number of boats and
personal watercraft were being launched without the vessel being registered
with the Council. The boat launchers had a negative attitude towards staff and
this was not acceptable. For 2022 the Council will increase the fee and
strengthen site security by blocking the entrance and appointing an officer who
will be responsible for ensuring that all boats using the Pwllheli harbour are
registered with the Council.
Storing
Boats
Reference was made to the lack of shore
space for boat storage, but that first choice was given to annual berth holders
of the Hafan and Outer Harbour to store boats on the shore, and it was noted
that this was working well and was being appreciated.
Staffing
After losing a member of staff during the
summer, the seasonal post was advertised but the advertisement did not receive
many applicants. Although one of the seasonal assistants had already left
mid-summer, two had continued to work at the Hafan throughout the season and it
was anticipated that they will be kept on over the winter.
Following the update, the following
responses were received:
·
Stakeholders were
pleased to see the defibrillator in place
·
Plas Heli had
seen an increase in the number of inquiries, and it was noted that the computer
system for taking orders was in place, and there was good co-operation with the
Hafan.
·
There was concern
about the slipway and many are ignoring the regulations and management
The Maritime Service Manager added to the
report and thanked the Hafan staff. It
was confirmed that the security system had been changed, whilst discussions
were ongoing with Plas Heli to discuss parking issues and possibly installing
electronic barriers.
Parking and Launching Fees and Payments
Report
Fee and payment matters were reported, and
two years ago, it was realised that the fee was not a fair contribution at
all. Following the Committee's support
for the report on fees, it was noted that discussions had been held with
Gwynedd Council Members regarding paying less on the assurance that all boat
companies ensured that everyone registered their boats.
It was reported that no co-operation had
taken place, with the registration procedure being ignored, and the knock-on
effect of this was that boat ownership was impossible to report. Therefore, the need was now noted to
re-examine the arrangements, and one of the options would be to significantly
increase the fee or install a barrier at the top of the Hafan. The Committee's attention was drawn to what
was supposed to happen compared to what happened. The comment was reinforced by noting that
some had a bad attitude towards staff about parking and launching and the
disappointment surrounding this, especially as an agreement had been reached
and it was confirmed that the appropriate steps needed to be taken. It was felt that it was the same customers
causing parking problems, by parking on pavements and green areas, and this was
noted. It was regrettable that there was
no attendance at the Parking and Launching meeting. It was noted that the
problem was at Hafan Pwllheli Slipway and not in the Outer Harbour.
In terms of the parking, it was confirmed
that 300 boats could be parked between 5 companies and that each company had
their compound but that there was no space in the compound due to demand. It was noted that the companies should have
their own vehicle parking space and it was noted that a message to this effect
had to be shared and then reported back to this Committee.
In terms of the fee, it was confirmed that
it was significantly low compared to others, with a private individual paying
£150 per term. The need to ensure that
boats were registered was noted as it was an unfair position for staff.
It was confirmed that Plas Heli was keen to
work with the Council, but that any solution to the parking situation had to
come from all stakeholders. It may be
possible to reach an agreement with Plas Heli as any income for Plas Heli would
be acceptable. The Maritime Service
Manager noted that companies were aware of these feelings and that concern had
been expressed.
Consultation on the Use of Watercraft
Reference was made to the consultation that
had already been shared and it was noted that the Maritime Service Manager
would appreciate receiving the comments or opinions or recommendations of the
Committee members by the 1/11 deadline.
Option 3 was confirmed as the government's recommendation.
The Committee felt that adequate bye-laws
were available and that it may not make much difference, although the concept
of strengthening the regulations was supported.
It was confirmed that some stakeholders had
sought the views of others, and that some wanted to comment individually. The Committee's support was thanked and
everyone was reminded to get in touch if an issue arose between meetings.
RESOLVED :
(1) To note and accept the report.
(2) To respond as follows to the Department of Transport's Consultation
Paper, "Strengthening enforcement of the dangerous use of recreational and
personal watercraft":
i.
That this committee supports option 3, namely creating legislation
under section 112 of the Railways and Transportation Safety Act 2003 to extend
the relevant provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, and relevant
regulations, to include recreational and personal watercraft.
ii.
To emphasise the importance of ensuring training for users and a call
to increase the age limit for driving recreational and personal watercraft.
(3) To inform users of the Hafan slipway
regarding the need to ensure that every recreational and personal watercraft is
registered with Gwynedd Council prior to launch. This was in light of concerns
raised about the current use.
Any
Other Business
·
The Committee was
informed of a major event by RWE Wales and the opportunity it presented to
demonstrate what North Wales has to offer and the desire to make it a
worthwhile experience.
·
It was reported
that the new lifeboat hut was coming along and that the boat was in
operation. It was also noted that six
other members had been recruited to the team.
Everyone was thanked for their valuable
contributions.
Supporting documents: