Marine Director’s Annual Report 2008

25 March 2008

The last 12 months have been very busy indeed, dominated in many ways by the on-going debate on the governance arrangements for the River:

Hampshire County Council initiated a governance review last year and it was carried out by independent consultants Royal Haskoning UK Ltd. This was a light touch review, intended to enhance our compliance with the recommendations of the Municipal Ports Review and to make suggestions to ensure that the governance structure works as intended.

The outcome has been debated by the Management Committee and Harbour Board and the recommendations have been refined as a result. The recommendations of the River Hamble Trust Ports Steering Group, under the Chairmanship of Peter Nicholson, were also taken into account. We are currently awaiting the County Council’s final decision on the way forward.

One significant recommendation which is being considered is an enhanced role for the Hamble Estuary Partnership.

In addition to governance issues:

Further work has been done on strategic planning for the Harbour Authority, including budgeting for a reserve fund for the replacement of capital assets when they reach the end of their life. Board members are currently considering options for the enhancement of facilities on the River, although this work is still at an early stage.

The Management Agreement with the Crown Estate has been successfully renegotiated – this is the document which gives the Harbour Master the necessary powers to manage the Crown Estate mid-stream moorings, the waiting list and sub-letting arrangements. We have also been renegotiating the lease under which we rent the sites of the Hamble and Warsash jetties, the Fishermen’s jetty and the Visitors’ Pontoon from the Crown Estate. Negotiations are now almost complete.

We have been busy processing applications for Harbour Authority works consent:

• Swanwick Marina
• The high-level jetty at Universal marina
• A revised scheme for Stone Pier Yard
• Works on the M27 bridge
• Proposed jetties at Parsons Plot and Myrtle Cottage (both in Bursledon)
• Additional works at Eastland’s Boatyard
• Warsash SC – Lobster Quay pontoon
• Maintenance dredging licences

Details of all applications for Harbour Authority works consent are now routinely posted on the Harbour Authority website, along with an invitation for interested parties to view the plans and contribute to the risk assessment process.

We have also developed and published a set of standard procedures for dealing with works consents applications and introduced delegated powers for dealing with simple applications. Work on a set of formal works consent policies is currently underway.

Our website has been completely re-designed this year and now contains much more useful information, in a far more logical structure.

Harbour Authority staff have been involved in a number of other initiatives:

• The Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) has been working on a strategy for the Green Infrastructure of the region and the Harbour Authority has been involved in the process throughout, to ensure that the strategy takes due account of the needs of the River and its users.
• Close involvement with the British Ports Association through membership of their Leisure Ports and Regional Ports working groups enables us to keep abreast of new legislation and ensure that we can maximise our influence as a major leisure port.
• We have continued to work closely with the organising committees of Hamble Week and the Bursledon Regatta to ensure that these important events are conducted safely.
• We have worked to ensure that dinghy sailing within the River continues safely, by insisting that the Code of Practice is updated annually. All clubs and organisations have now signed up for 2008.
• The first Annual Harbour Master’s Charity Pursuit Race for dinghies took place last year and the second will be held on the last day of Hamble Week, Sunday 6 July .
• We continue to work on the safety of the three firework displays that have now become annual events – Hamble Week – Bursledon Regatta and Warsash Sailing Club November 5th celebrations.
• Two Port Marine Safety Code Audits have been completed since the last Forum with good results and the Harbour Master is continually updating the Safety Management System. He is always open to suggestions on how to improve navigational safety throughout the River. The Harbour Authority Website now allows for your comments or ideas to be sent online but we also welcome personal visits to discuss any points you might wish to raise.
• We have worked with the Hamble River Combined Clubs on the preparation of the second edition of the new-style River Hamble Directory.
• We have dealt with numerous requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations, which continues to take up a large amount of staff time.
• We have continued to manage the mid-stream moorings and the moorings Waiting List (on behalf of the Crown Estate). The waiting list is still longer than we would like, but there is little which the Harbour Authority can do to limit demand for moorings. The number of moorings being sub-let through the Harbour Office continues to increase and this helps to ensure optimum usage of valuable moorings.

Supervision Charges were amalgamated into Harbour Dues at the beginning of last year and, since then, a working group of the Management Committee has carried out a review of the differential between the various rates of Harbour Dues.  This has resulted in a phased reduction in the differential between the rates of Harbour Dues charged for mid-stream moorings and marinas.

Visitor numbers for the year were down slightly, although much of this can be attributed to the poor summer weather in 2007. The Board is looking at ways to improve the experience of visitors to the River Hamble, and would welcome constructive suggestions from River users.

This year, we have set up a new initiative aimed at encouraging boaters to recycle on board. Recycling is now a part of everyone’s day-to-day life at home, but less so when we go boating. The Harbour Authority, together with the local authorities of Eastleigh and Fareham, the Green Blue, Hampshire County Council and the Hamble marinas and boatyards have been working together to improve the facilities provided across the river to enable boat users to dispose of their recyclables more easily.

Information about what you can recycle and facilities provided throughout the Hamble and Solent is available on our website and will soon also be provided in a leaflet that can be kept on board to enable crews to plan where to dispose of recyclable rubbish.

The Harbour Authority is running a trial with 8 volunteers from Easter to July this year to see how a variety of people manage recycling on their boats. They will keep a monthly blog on our website telling us all how they are getting on, including tips on overcoming the main challenges, such as storage of waste on board.

The River Hamble Harbour Oil Spill Contingency Plan is a statutory requirement. Keeping it up to date is the responsibility of the River Hamble Harbour Authority. This plan has just undergone a 5-yearly review in line with the Regulations, and was approved by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency in July 2007. It is now valid until July 2012.

The Assistant Harbour Master (Environment) attended an Oil Spill Management Course in July to ensure that she was properly trained in reviewing of the Oil Spill Contingency Plan, planning of an exercise and responding appropriately in an actual incident.

In September, an Oil Spill Contingency Exercise took place at Warsash, organised by the Harbour Office and Oil Spill Response Limited. The exercise was designed to confirm the Harbour Authority contingency plan, ensure that Harbour Authority staff are familiar with the plan, to test the response of Harbour Authority’s oil spill response contractors and to complete the three yearly deployment exercise required by legislation.

Finally, we have appointed an additional member of staff (Brett Winslade) who provides weekend cover in the Harbour Office for 36 weekends of the year – existing staff cover the remaining weekends.

So, overall, it has been a busy, challenging, rewarding and occasionally frustrating year, but we have made considerable progress on many fronts. However, we are under no illusions – there is still a lot to do and we would welcome your suggestions on how we could do even better.

Marine Director’s Annual Report 2007

27 March 2007

The Harbour Authority, under the guidance of the Harbour Board, continues to deliver against its mission and primary tasks, which are:

to ensure compliance with the Port Marine Safety Code. This is independently audited every six-months and consistently scored very highly indeed. Our aim is to ensure that the Harbour is safe for everyone who uses it.

to ensure the environmental protection of the harbour which has several important environmental designations: SSSI, Ramsar sites, Special Protection Areas and Special Areas of Conservation. Environmental protection includes oil and chemical spill response and the provision of facilities for the disposal of waste and debris.

The Harbour Authority is funded almost entirely from Harbour Dues and visitors fees, plus a small income from other services such as consents, boat licensing and towage. The Harbour Authority continues to pay Hampshire County Council for some services, such as legal advice and IT support. We receive no subsidies from Council Tax, nor do we provide any income to the County Council.

The last 12 months have been very busy indeed:

The highlight was last week, when the Harbour Authority was awarded ‘Leading Lights’ status by the Department for Transport. I received the award, on behalf of the Harbour Authority, from Minister of State for Transport, Dr Stephen Ladyman. This is a new award for municipal ports to acknowledge those which have done most to meet the requirements of the Municipal Ports Review and implement its recommendations. The River Hamble is one of the first three harbours to receive the award, the others being Workington and Whitstable.

In parallel with this considerable achievement, Hampshire County Council have initiated a Governance Review, as promised, by independent consultants Royal Haskoning UK Ltd, which should be complete by the end of April. This is a light touch review, intended to enhance our compliance with the recommendations of the Municipal Ports Review and to make suggestions to ensure that the governance structure works as intended.

The Governance Review will also take into account the recommendations of the River Hamble Trust Ports Steering Group, under the Chairmanship of Peter Nicholson.

We also acknowledge that we have had some problems. For example, the local government Code of Conduct, as it applies to members of the Harbour Board, has caused some difficulties where several members are unable to vote on certain issues due to having a prejudicial financial interest by virtue of being mooring holders. We are working on ways to minimise the impact of this anomaly as soon as possible.

In addition:

A great deal of work has been done on strategic planning for the harbour Authority, including budgeting for replacement of capital assets, the results of which will be considered by the Harbour Board in May.

We have been closely involved with the Hamble Estuary Partnership in their work to review and update the Estuary Management Plan, the current version of which expires next year.

We have processed a number of complex applications for Harbour Board works consent, including:

• Hamble Yacht Services
• Royal Southern Yacht Club
• ‘Dry-stack’ at Hamble Point
• Pontooning of visitor piles

Details of all applications for Harbour Authority works consent are now routinely posted on the Harbour Authority website.

We have responded to Defra’s Marine Bill consultation. Work has now started on constructing our response to the Marine Bill White Paper issued on 15 March this year. We have also responded to Defra’s Marine Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) consultation and are working on our response to a consultation on the Oil Spill Treatment Products Approval Scheme. We have provided input to the Department for Transport’s consultations on their Ports Policy Review and Small Ports Review. We have also continued our close involvement with the British Ports Association through membership of their Leisure Ports, Municipal Ports and Regional Ports working groups.

The Harbour Master has conducted a wide-ranging public consultation on safety matters on the River and a significant number of changes have been approved by the Harbour Board and implemented as a result. Examples include improvements to the navigation marks on Mercury bend.

Supervision Charges have been amalgamated into Harbour Dues with effect from 1 January 2007, with lower rates of Harbour Dues for marina berth-holders and those on swinging moorings. A review of the differential between the various rates is currently being conducted by a working group of the Management Committee.

Harbour Dues for canoes, kayaks and other vessels not powered by sails or engines have been placed in abeyance, to be reviewed in three years time.

We have continued managing the mid-stream moorings and the moorings Waiting List (on behalf of the Crown Estate). This is now running much more smoothly under the new Moorings Management Agreement with the Crown Estate. The waiting list is still too long, but there is little which the Harbour Authority can do to limit demand for moorings – the solution, if there is one, is in the hands of The Crown Estate. The number of moorings being sub-let through the Harbour Office has also increased dramatically.

The Visitor Strategy has been fully implemented, reducing the number of visitor berths slightly, in favour of permanent berths for those on the waiting list. We are still looking at ways to improve the experience of visitors to the River Hamble, and would welcome constructive suggestions from River users.

A working group was established by the Management Committee to look into the moorings capacity of the River and has reported its findings. There is to be no change for the time being, but there is considerably more work still to be done on this complex issue.

The Fisherman’s Jetty has been completed and is providing a popular additional facility for the public, even though that was not its primary purpose.

The replacement of the Harbour Master’s Jetty in Warsash has been completed, on time and slightly under budget, and now has electricity for visiting yachts and a new sewage pump.

The marking of the main channel off Warsash has been improved with four new starboard hand lateral marks.

We have worked with the Hamble River Combined Clubs over the preparation of a new, much improved, River Hamble Directory.

We have responded as fully as the law allows to a total of eight requests under the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations.

We have consulted on the arrangements for berthing tenders on the Hamble and Warsash Jetties. As a result, the ballot to allocate the moorings for the next 12 months will be held later on this evening. We also want to encourage River users to make more use of the River Taxi – its hours of operation can only be extended if more people make use of the service to ensure that it remains financially viable.

And, finally, a change in our staff. The Assistant Harbour Master (Environment), Emma Beagley, left the Harbour Office staff in February to take up an appointment with a firm of consultants. Her replacement, Alison Crang, has been appointed and is due to start work in May.

Last year I ended with a question – with the benefit of a year to think about it, I will ask again, in the hope of getting an answer:

Is there scope for greater cooperation between stakeholders, in order to develop constructive ideas for the benefit of all River users?