CAMPAIGNERS are calling for plans to charge small boats to use the River Clyde to be scrapped as the move “threatens” Scotland’s sailing community.
A petition has been launched by the SNP’s Stuart McMillan, who is the MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, as he has called for the proposal to be abandoned entirely over fears of its economic and social impact on the west coast.
Peel Ports Clydeport, the port authority on the Clyde owned by English property management firm The Peel Group, is considering a plan to implement a controversial fee for recreational vessels to use the river.
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.
The port group is proposing 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.
McMillan (below) told the Sunday National the reason why he launched the petition was because there has been a real outcry about the proposal from all over the country and the rest of the UK with a “wide variety of concerns” raised.
“The River Clyde is a hugely important artery and also an economic opportunity for Scotland and there are folk from all over the world who come to sail along the west coast,” he said.
“The concerns raised by many folks, many organisations involved in tailing and boating, they're all just a consistent message that this conservancy fee will put people off sailing along the west coast.”
McMillan, who chairs the Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group (CPG) on Recreational Boating and Marine Tourism, said the group has undertaken a “huge push” to get more people involved in boating across Scotland.
He added that the River Clyde and the west coast of Scotland are already a hotbed of sailing and other water activities as the area offers a “marvellous opportunity” to do so but he doesn’t want those who partake to feel “threatened” because of the conservancy fees.
Peel Ports has also been accused of refusing to engage in the proposed plans with the CPG which McMillan said “is a missed opportunity” by the firm to work with them for a resolution.
“There are people across Scotland, and people down south, who are concerned and are greatly angry about this conservancy fee proposal,” he said.
“It's been clear that Peel is adamant that they want it to go ahead.”
Along with introducing an annual fee, Peel Ports is considering a “small daily fee” for short-term visitors to help cover the “rising costs of managing leisure vessel activity”.
It added that conservancy fees or port charges for leisure vessels are standard practice among UK Harbour Authorities.
However, Finlo Cottier, CEO of Royal Yachting Association Scotland (RYAS), said the Clydeport area extends “well beyond” the normal commercial shipping routes in the Clyde, and most of the water “couldn’t be described as a harbour”.
He added that the purpose of conservancy fees is to provide for the improvement in services and facilities of a harbour.
“The proposed conservancy fee to be levied on the recreational boating community in the Clydeport area has generated a huge response and outrage from the community – with concerns being expressed across Scotland and outside of Scotland,” he said.
“This will negatively impact marine tourism.”
He added: “Most of the rationale provided by Peel Ports so far about the fee don’t stack up, as many are provided by other agencies within their statutory duties.”
Cottier said that RYA Scotland is working closely with a number of other representative organisations within the Clyde recreational boating community to challenge the proposals as “strongly as they can”.
A spokesperson for Clydeport Operations Limited said the firm will hold a formal consultation in the new year, at which they said, “all marine users will be given the opportunity to share their views”.
They added: “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.
“If introduced, the proposed £100 annual fee will apply only to boats and yachts between six and 24 metres regularly sailing on the Clyde, with a small daily fee for short-term visitors. The funds will help cover the rising costs of managing leisure vessel activity, such as the survey, marking and recovery of abandoned vessels, maintaining navigational aids, and supporting around 450 annual leisure events within the jurisdiction.”
The spokesperson continued: “Conservancy fees or port charges for leisure vessels are standard practice among UK Harbour Authorities, enabling the essential maintenance and operation of our waterways. Regardless of the outcome of the consultation, 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.”
You can find McMillan's petition here.
