Falmouth, Custom House Quay.

Paddy Layback

Paddy Layback

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This ancient, historic, small tidal basin in the heart of Falmouth is now definitely being filled with pontoons and turned into a marina.

Absolutely unbelievable. The Harbour Commissioners, who are responsible for the absurd desecration, should be put up against the wall and shot.

Disgusting. The pontoons are already wonky, what are they, Trago's rejects?

Where will be next? Mousehole? Charlestown?
 

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What do mean 'a new lease of life' it wasn't dying! That's exactly the sort of cheesy cliché trotted out by PR hacks trying to sweeten hideous new developments on historic sites.

Surrounding it with hi-rise flats would probably give it a new lease of life as well.
 
Paddy Layback said:
What do mean 'a new lease of life' it wasn't dying! That's exactly the sort of cheesy cliché trotted out by PR hacks trying to sweeten hideous new developments on historic sites.

Surrounding it with hi-rise flats would probably give it a new lease of life as well.
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What do you want to do with it? Life moves on and we need to preserve the past without putting it in aspic and making it like a museum. Put some signs up with pictures of what it used to be used for and explanations if you're that bothered.

My feeling is that waterfront's need to work and earn their keep. As I said before, they're not destroying it or filling it in so what's your gripe? Just because it isn't used in the way you want it to be used, you're complaining.
 
Paddy Layback said:
This ancient, historic, small tidal basin in the heart of Falmouth is now definitely being filled with pontoons and turned into a marina.
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Sounds like you have a grisly mob in charge at Falmouth. Looking at their PR it seems they have command of 1990's business speak, if nothing else:


“…..ransformed into a modern floating marina....60 small craft...ramped walkway.....work with customers individually......alternative facilities for them....existing customer...........offered first option to take up.....new berths... discounted price for the first year."
….Sansom said: "This is an exciting time..... custodians of the port...long-term viability... aim as their heart.....demand for new berth facilities.... growth and improving facilities”
“…...tasked Falmouth Haven.....making strategic business plans....grow the business....port remains viable.....the future.” …..exciting development for Falmouth......….good leisure facilities..... We have worked closely....benefits of creating a business arm dedicated...... fully respects the character of the quay”
"These plans will enhance facilities.....standards of access and safety....... increase berthing capacity ….....customer demand.......commercial organisation, prices.....influenced by the market.... developing a range of facilities.....wide choice to customers......changes bring concerns”


The problem is that the place is just not any old floating dock, it has a nationally important place in the history of shipping. There is little there now to help visitors understand the history and filling it with plastic tenders makes the situation worse not better.

In France we could imagine old craft being encouraged alongside and it being a fine focus for maritime festivals boat trips and related shore side entertainments. With a backdrop of sixty, ye-old, inflatable ribs, the effect is just not the same.
 
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Paddy Layback said:
What do mean 'a new lease of life' it wasn't dying! That's exactly the sort of cheesy cliché trotted out by PR hacks trying to sweeten hideous new developments on historic sites.

Surrounding it with hi-rise flats would probably give it a new lease of life as well.
Click to expand...

I'm with you, there was nothing wrong with the way it was, and very much right with it.
 
john_morris_uk said:
What do you want to do with it? Life moves on and we need to preserve the past without putting it in aspic and making it like a museum. Put some signs up with pictures of what it used to be used for and explanations if you're that bothered.

My feeling is that waterfront's need to work and earn their keep. As I said before, they're not destroying it or filling it in so what's your gripe? Just because it isn't used in the way you want it to be used, you're complaining.
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There is an agenda here. A couple of years ago the harbour masters moorings in Falmouth turned into Falmouth Haven with a business management team in charge dedicated to raising prices to Solent levels. They made large charge increases to private moorings to force owners to join the new Haven system, and they started adding all the pointless bull poo like frequent news emails, visitors morrings turned into permanent moorings, etc. Whats happening with Custom House quay is just a part of the process. Have a look at the website and you will see what I mean.

We moan on here that French local authority mooring charges are cheaper than the UK and in part this is because they arent run as a business but as a local asset. Falmouth is changing from a local asset to just another marina / business.
 
And, as an aside, is it down to the requirement that Falmouth Harbour Authority has to pay the final salary pensions of the Pilots?

If it is, stop bitching and come up with a constructive proposal that will earn the money required without raising charges and bringing up to date facilities to the harbour.

Ten years ago I was charging around the sandtracks of Europe riding a 500cc longtrack bike in the European Oldtimer Series. I would have had no worries about coming in to the site under discussion, tieing off to a ladder and getting up it.

I would not like to do it now. I turned seventy last week, have dodgy knees. First Mate is awaiting a new hip.

The improvements-for that is what they are-sound good to me.
 
rotrax said:
And, as an aside, is it down to the requirement that Falmouth Harbour Authority has to pay the final salary pensions of the Pilots?

If it is, stop bitching and come up with a constructive proposal that will earn the money required without raising charges and bringing up to date facilities to the harbour.

Ten years ago I was charging around the sandtracks of Europe riding a 500cc longtrack bike in the European Oldtimer Series. I would have had no worries about coming in to the site under discussion, tieing off to a ladder and getting up it.

I would not like to do it now. I turned seventy last week, have dodgy knees. First Mate is awaiting a new hip.

The improvements-for that is what they are-sound good to me.
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It all seems to have gone quiet about the Pilots pension scheme deficit.

But back on topic, there is the visitors haven (now 50% or more taken up by permanent residents) where you can land by dinghy, only a few yards away from where these new pontoons have appeared. Falmouth harbour policies over the past few years or more have not been popular with many of their customers, both locals and visitors. They are in danger of doing what Salcombe did 6-7 years ago when owners voted by taking their trade elsewhere Fortunately Salcombe saw what was happening and put things right. Let's hope Falmout will do likewise before it's too late.
 
longjohnsilver said:
It all seems to have gone quiet about the Pilots pension scheme deficit.

But back on topic, there is the visitors haven (now 50% or more taken up by permanent residents) where you can land by dinghy, only a few yards away from where these new pontoons have appeared. Falmouth harbour policies over the past few years or more have not been popular with many of their customers, both locals and visitors. They are in danger of doing what Salcombe did 6-7 years ago when owners voted by taking their trade elsewhere Fortunately Salcombe saw what was happening and put things right. Let's hope Falmout will do likewise before it's too late.
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Thanks for that-Local information is always the best.

Getting on and off our new boat as we get older and stiffer requires thought and planning.

Just been checking out good sized boarding ladders for the side gates of our new ( to us ) boat to make getting in and out of the dink easier.
 
There are pics of the basin jammed full with fishing boats, albeit briefly, in early 1978. I worked there in winter in the nineties, but the Harbour office was a bit sniffy about me landing crabs, had to do it after 5pm. Even back in the 70s they sent out a man with a hat but he couldn't do much against 100 or so fishermen and four or five lorries, we were landing mackerel. Obviously there's no future in catering for fishing, this is done in the docks now. I see no point in using the basin for pontoons, self defeating, there are other more suitable locations, like the dinghy park next door or the space between it and Town Quay. I get the impression someone is looking at it and only seeing a waste of space. Just leave it as is, maybe some information boards for the tourists.
 
Hang on, hang on... I think you will find Pension provision is, in the public sector and most private companies, through Pension Funds, which certainly in Public Sector cases are "independent" trusts. Sure the Council as the Employer, will contribute cash for employees who are still employed along with the employee to build up their Pension fund, so the Fund may have been transferred to Falmouth/Cornwall's pension fund, probably the Local Government Pension Fund...
 
As soon as you see 'English Heritage' in the article...

People talk about 'Gentrification' but what they really mean is 'Surreyfication'. Coat everything in plastic and make it easy.

Last time I cruised to Falmouth it was so dominated by half witted self entitled DFTs that most of the charm and history of the place was obscured. Sadly in 2017 they're they only buggers with any money so we're made to run everything for their benefit and to their lack of taste.

However, on the flip side, not all change is a bad thing and there may be something of value in this.
 
I wonder if part if the objection is just how ugly modern boats are; they're by and large more of an eyesore than caravans and I dare say most folk would be non too happy if sixty of them were plonked in the middle of Dunny on the Wold's old market square.
 
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