The council is keen to engage with the communities who live on and near to the river, and those who use the river for recreation.
The River Cam has become one of the busiest inland waterways in the UK, and is popular for a wide range of activities. As such it is of great importance to local people.
The consultation is set to begin on 27 October and will ask river users, residents and others to put forward their views on a number of proposals including:
- Basing mooring licence fees on boat length The council currently charges a licence fee irrespective of boat length. Previous consultations have shown boaters with smaller vessels believe this to be unfair and research shows that in other parts of the country there are different fees according to boat length.
- Responding to safety concerns by stopping mooring at the Riverside wall A number of options have been reviewed in the past but no feasible solution has been found to provide cost-effective, safe access to and from moored boats and the adjoining river wall on this part of the river. Any boats removed from the railings would be given alternative spaces
Other topics to be covered in the consultation are set to include the location, type and number of mooring berths, provision for visitor moorings and penalties for those who overstay, a revised enforcement policy and ways of managing mooring waiting lists.
Cllr Richard Robertson, Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources, said: “We are consulting on a number of important elements of our moorings policy so we are very keen to hear a wide range of views.
“It’s important that we respond to the growing pressure on the Cam and that we do so in a way that addresses the needs of boaters, residents and other river users wherever we can.
“This consultation is about giving everyone the chance to put forward their opinions in an open and transparent way. We will listen carefully to what people tell us and we will consider every piece of feedback we receive as we move forward to shape our new policies.”
“We have already heard concerns from a number of people who live on boats moored on the river, and have extended our consultation period to twelve weeks at their request.
“We will be working closely with the resident community and their representatives to ensure that we hear their views and support them effectively in dealing with any changes.
“In particular, we have committed to ensuring that if licensed boats are required to move from moorings on the railings, we will ensure that everyone living there is found alternative space to moor. No one will lose their home if it is decided that they need to move. We will also be looking at ways we can assist residents with claiming housing benefit.”
Cllr Robertson approved the recommendations in a report presented to Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee on 10 October that a consultation should be held on proposals to update the council’s River Cam moorings policy.
The consultation will run until 20 January 2017 and details will be published on the council’s website at www.cambridge.gov.uk. Printed details are available from Tracy Okten at The Guildhall, Cambridge.
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