PLANS to charge small boats to use the Clyde have been called 'outrageous', as the firm behind the proposal has been accused of turning down multiple invites by MSPs to discuss the decision.
Peel Ports Clydeport, the port authority on the Clyde owned by English property management firm The Peel Group, has considered a proposal implementing a controversial fee for recreational vessels.
The firm operates a cluster of ports spanning 450 square miles from Ardrossan in South Ayrshire to Clydebank in West Dunbartonshire and the King George V dock in Glasgow.
In documents leaked to The National in October, the proposal outlined a £100 yearly charge, or £75 just for the summer, on all boats from six to 24 meters which are moored or berthed within the Clydeport area.
The document also outlined potential ways to enforce the plans, including “spot checks” and “vessel arrests”.
At the Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Group (CPG) on Recreational Boating and Marine Tourism’s meeting on November 27, members of the leisure boating community and sector representatives expressed their dismay at the proposal and Peel Port’s refusal to engage about the plans.
SNP MSP Stuart McMillan (below), who chairs the CPG, said that boaters feel like they have been treated with contempt and that Peel Ports should abandon its proposal.
“The sector is rightly angry about this proposal, as the rationale for the charge does not appear to stand up to scrutiny.
“Members of the CPG are particularly frustrated that Peel Ports have twice turned down invites to our meetings to explain their proposals, leading the sector to feel like this is being imposed upon them without their input.
“While Peel Ports have said that they plan to begin their consultation with the sector after the New Year, boaters feel like they have been treated with contempt. It was therefore agreed at Wednesday’s meeting that Peel Ports should abandon this proposal.
McMillan added that other concerned MSPs are committed to working with the sector to identify if there are legislative steps that can be taken to challenge this fee.
“I set up this CPG in 2009 and though there have been a range of important issues affecting the sector in that time, the volume of correspondence and level of anger from the sector is nothing like I have seen before,” he said.
The Clyde Port Authority was privatised by John Major's government in 1992 and was acquired by Peel Ports in 2003.
Campaigners against the proposal of a controversial fee said it would affect sailing clubs which use the river as well as marine tourism impacting rural communities and the Clydeside economy at large.
Kenneth Gibson, SNP MSP for Cunninghame North, who attended the CPG meeting expressed his concern regarding the plans as he said: “The recreational boating sector contributes significantly to Scotland’s coastal communities. The last thing the sector needs is for recreational boaters to be targeted with an unjustified and extortionate fee.
“The Clyde’s waters belong to the people of Scotland – not corporate interests looking to squeeze every penny out of those who enjoy and rely on them.”
Under the 1964 Harbours Act, the Scottish Government has the power to remove statutory powers from a harbour authority, as campaigners and opponents against the proposal have called for Holyrood to step in.
Finlo Cottier, CEO of Royal yachting Association Scotland (RYAS) said: “This is not about recreational boaters being unwilling to pay for their pastime – sailors have always expected to pay for harbour, berthing and mooring fees.
“This is about the imposition of a fee with no clear provision of service or facility across a huge part of the recreational boating community.
“Peel Ports have tried to equate the proposed fee to those applied in other harbours across the UK, but this does not stand up to scrutiny.
“The Clyde is unique in the UK in its size and character, and the Clydeport area which Peel Port controls extends well beyond the commercial shipping channels.”
A spokesperson for Peel Ports Clydeport said: “We are at the early stages of exploring options around the introduction of a conservancy fee for leisure vessels on the Clyde, aligned to the practice of many other statutory harbour authorities who already apply these fees to their services.
“No decision has been taken with regard to these initial discussions. However, if we were to pursue the introduction of a fee, in line with our statutory obligations we would hold a consultation during which all marine users would be given the opportunity to share their views.
“Conservancy fees for leisure vessels are standard practice among UK harbour authorities, enabling the essential maintenance and operation of our waterways.
“Regardless of the outcome of these discussions, as the statutory harbour authority for the Clyde, we will continue to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for both professional and leisure users of the Firth of Clyde and river.”
