P
PicoSearch
Site Search by PicoSearch. Help
Home About Us News & Events East Anglian Waterways The Easterling North Walsham and Dilham - Updates North Walsham and Dilham - Then and Now Work Party Join & Donate Directors Links
And now have your say in the EAWA Forum
NEW! With General Forum for you to chat!

EASTERLING
JOURNAL OF THE EAST ANGLIAN WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION

Edited by Alan H. Faulkner

43 Oaks Drive, Colchester,
Essex CO3 3PS

E-mail: alan-faulkner at lineone.net


In the EASTERLING February 2013 issue...
__________________________________

   

THE NORTH WALSHAM & DILHAM INQUIRY

The Appeal by the Old Canal Company Ltd against an Anti-Pollution Works Notice issued for the North Walsham & Dilham Canal by the Environment Agency took place at the Hotel Wroxham, Broads Centre, Wroxham starting at 10am on Wednesday 7 November.
Prior to this the Association had written a letter strongly supporting the work that had taken place and two of our directors, David Revill and Chris Black, represented us at the hearing and worked extremely hard to arrange support for the appellants. The formal notice for the hearing had only appeared in the Eastern Evening News despite the main paper in the area being the Eastern Daily Press with three times the circulation. But due to the efforts of our directors and Ivan Cane, the room was packed and many people could not get in.

The EA’s case was based around the premise that the hydromorphology had been destroyed and that the Water Framework Directive overrides any Canal Acts. At the 2009 baseline the canal upstream from Ebridge did not have a head of water and hence any clearance should only be to the width that then existed, which would be about two metres.

This, of course, has far wider implications than just over the NW&DC and it could be applied to other restoration schemes across the country. The fact that there is now a wide clear channel from Ebridge up to Spa Common which now serves it important role for drainage, which the public can enjoy and to which wild life is returning and thriving is considered irrelevant.

On the following day the inspector visited Ebridge lock and travelled by boat to Spa Common. She then looked at Bacton Wood and the long-disused Swafield Locks and later visited Briggate, Honing Staithe and Honing Lock.

As we go to press we hear that the inspector has upheld the stop order. We have no details as yet and a full review will appear in our next issue.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The 43rd Annual General Meeting of the Association will be held on Thursday 11 April 2013 at 7.30pm in the Function Room at The Bell Hotel, 25 High Street, Mildenhall, Suffolk, IP28 7EA.
It will be followed by a Council Meeting to which all members are also invited to attend. The hotel is situated centrally in Mildenhall and has limited car parking space behind the main building.
The directors expect to assemble at about 6pm for a meal prior to the commencement of the formal business and they would be delighted if members would wish to join them.

The Agenda will be as follows: -

  1. Apologies for Absence
  2. Minutes of the 42nd Annual General Meeting held on 29 April 2012
  3. To receive the Director’s Report for the year ending 30 June 2012.
  4. To receive the accounts for the year to 30 June 2012
  5. Election of Directors. Under the rules each year one third of the Directors have to stand for re-election each year and David Revill and Chris Black now offer themselves for re-election. Any other nominations should be sent to Alan Faulkner, 43 Oaks Drive, Colchester, CO3 3PS (01207 767023, alan.faulkner22@btinternet.com ) as soon as possible.
  6. Election of a Scrutineer. John Cordran offers himself for re-election.
  7. Report by the Work Party Organiser, David Revill
  8. Members Questions

HERE AND THERE

  KING’S LYNN: A ferry has operated across the Great Ouse since the 13th century and currently it runs between the Ferry Steps in King Street across to West Lynn. In recent years the number of passengers using it has increased significantly – from 43,000 return journeys in 2000 to 85,000 last year. The present vessel is now unable to reach the landing stage on the Lynn side at low tide meaning passengers have to walk along boards. To overcome this, a new amphibious vehicle is being considered and this could be in service early this year. The service is operated by Steve & Gail Kingston and is subsidised by West Norfolk Council.
RIVER WISSEY: Planning permission has been granted to build 32 fishing pegs and two temporary boat moorings on the Wissey south of Bridge Road at Stoke Ferry. Also included are car parking spaces and upgrading with asphalt the existing access road to the north of the river. Angling will be restricted to between 8am and 5pm to minimise disturbance to residents living nearby.
  
 WELL CREEK TRUST: The Trust held its Annual General Meeting in Upwell Village Hall on the evening of 7 February. The accounts reveal a healthy state of affairs and after the business there was a presentation by Bill Smith on "Ernie Jones, Welney Wildfowler" and skating on Well Creek
NORTHAMPTON BRANCH CANAL: Under an agreement with the Canal & River Trust the IWA's Northampton Branch is adopting the Northampton branch of the Grand Union Canal and intends to take an active role in assisting to restore this to good order and to help maintain it in that condition for the future.
  

BROADS NOTES AND NEWS

NORWICH DOCKYARD: A letter of intent for the construction of a new workshop at the Griffin Lane dockyard was signed on 22 August 2012 with a projected completion date of April 2013. It will greatly improve the Broads Authority's facilities to maintain vessels and vehicles and is being supported by PRISMA funding as it will enable the Authority to make modifications to dredging plant and equipment.
  
 EEL CATCHER: It is sad to have to report that the last Broads eel catcher, 85-year old Derek Johnson, a typical Norfolk character, died in October 2012. He lived at Flegburgh, close to Filby Broad, in a bungalow that he had built for himself and was a quiet, almost shy, gentleman who had plied his trade up and down the rivers for many decades.
GREAT YARMOUTH: At the beginning of November work started on restoring the eastern span of the Grade II listed historic Vauxhall Bridge that links the railway station to the North Quay for pedestrians and cyclists. The £680,000 project is likely to take 20 weeks and involves cleaning the box and connecting traverse beams back to the bare metal before they can be repaired and repainted. Contractors May Gurney tackled the underside of the bridge and this involved closing the bridge to boats for two five-day sessions. It is hoped the work will precipitate funding needed to deal with the western span
  
 BREYDON WATER: Following taking control of Breydon Water the Broads Authority is considering designating an area for water skiing, although at present this is not a major activity on these waters. The area would be south but parallel with the main navigation channel and about a mile and a half long. Assuming it is approved in principle by the authority the plan will go out to public consultation with a view to the new zone being established in April 2013. And as part of its concerns for safety a new £115,000 boat has been introduced that will permit winter patrols across Breydon Water in choppy waters. New gauge boards are also being installed at Berney Arms and Burgh Castle to inform holidaymakers when they can pass under the bridges in Great Yarmouth, as this can only be done at low water.

BRIGGATE MILL: At the end of October North Norfolk District Council began the demolition of the 120-year old mill at Briggate as it was in a dangerous state. For many months prior to this the council had been trying to track down the mill's owner but without any success. The walls were crumbling and posing a serious hazard and whilst it had been hoped to retain some of the structure by reducing the walls to a safe level they were found to have deteriorated to such an extent that complete demolition was called for. Villagers had hoped the mill could become a community asset and some clearance work had been carried out on the site. The mill closed in 1969 and was badly damaged in a fire in 1975 as part of an insurance conspiracy.

ETC.

The current copy of the "Easterling" could be read in "Back Numbers," at the foot of the page:

A Guide to the River Stour,
Special Printount - Courtesy of Ivan Cane.

The version here is reduced size to enable it to fit on your printout paper!
A copy costs 50p please, either down-line-loaded or by applying to Ivan Cane direct!
A Guide to the River Stour, For Canoes And Similar Small Craft

A few notes on the history of the Bedford Boat Club

Formed in April 1950, the Club now occupies its' fourth site, but only the third with moorings! Originally having “premises” at Hillgrounds in Kempston, the first mooring was at Batts Ford in 1953, transferring to a site between Cardington and the Barns hotel in 1958.
Moving to part of the present site in early 1966, extending this later that year by exchanging part of the present site for that at Cardington. Electricity arrived at the moorings in 1969, by means of the Club's own generator!
The Club was instrumental in the various projects involved in opening the upper reaches of the river to the rest of the system in the mid 1970s, along with the Great Ouse Restoration Society.

In part because of being “land locked,” in those early days there were no cruisers, but rowing boats and the like and the type and size of boat has changed over the years to the modern (and some not so modern) cruisers we see now.
The present site is the only one to have a club house and before that various pubs and hotels were used for all kinds of meetings and functions. From those early beginnings, various social events have always been enjoyed by Members complementing their boating trips and this continues to the present day.

John Hodgson.


Back Numbers of the EASTERLING!

Volume Eight, Number Seven - February 2007 (2.38 Mb) Volume Eight, Number Eight - June 2007 (2.08 Mb)
Volume Eight, Number Nine - October 2007 (1.66 Mb) Volume Eight, Number Ten - February 2008 (1,87 Mb)
Volume Eight, Number Eleven - June 2008 (1.06 Mb) Volume Eight, Number Twelve - October 2008 (3.43 Mb)
Volume Eight, Number Thirteen - February 2009 (1.76 Mb) Volume Eight, Number Fourteen - June 2009
Volume Eight, Number Fifteen - October 2009 (1.76 Mb) Volume Eight, Number Sixteen - February 2010 (1.76 Mb)
Volume Eight, Number Seventeen - June 2010 ( Mb) - Colour Supplement 2010 Supplement 2010 ( Mb)
Volume Eight, Number Eighteen - October 2010 Volume Eight, Number Nineteen - February 2011
Volume Eight, Number Twenty - June 2011 Volume Nine, Number One- October 2011
Volume Nine, Number Two - February 2012 Volume Nine, Number Three - June 2012
Volume Nine, Number Four - October 2012 Volume Nine, Number Five - February 2013

You may Download the Abobe Reader from