Goverbment MARINE PLAN for the South Coast announced.

oldharry

oldharry

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By general request, I have copied this important post across from the Studland sticky thread:

Few of us are aware that the ramifications of the Marine Coastal and Access Act (MCAA2009) carries also the governments intention to take much greater control of our coastal waters.

In addition to the MCZ process currently under way, the Act calls for a Marine Plan which will effectively bring our waters under the same level of control and regulation as we 'enjoy' ashore.

The Marine Plan will be developed and administered by MMO. MMO has created 10 regions, each of which will have its own plan.

What does this mean? The project is only just getting under way, but an earlier press release spoke of it 'affecting all water users, right through to kite-surfers'

The bottom line is that the infrastructure is now falling in to place to regulate leisure boating. With that comes the possibility of licensing and permits, classification, taxation and other limitation on the freedom we enjoy at present when we go to sea.

MMO yesterday (1st August) released news they were starting work on the Marine Plan for the South Coast, an area defined as Dover to the Dart. I know little more about it than what is in the release, and the little bit of background outlined above.

Press release here, and it is worth following the links in the menu on top left. At present it doesnt sound as if it will impinge much, but as I have said before, if you own a 'free' mooring, before long you will have to apply for permission to keep it. The thin end of the wedge?

http://www.marinemanagement.org.uk/news/press/120801.htm

The first stage is identifying 'key areas' within the region, and the activities that take place in them.
 
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The DEFRA website also contains quitea bit of information about the governments objectives in 'taking control of the Marine environment'. http://archive.defra.gov.uk/environment/marine/documents/ourseas-2009update.pdf

If you think I am over reacting - just take read of this from the DEFRA website

What we mean by Safe
A state which enables people to feel secure and
confident in using the coasts, oceans and seas,
because associated dangers (such as from pollution,
litter or navigation hazards) are eliminated where
possible; because people are educated to avoid
dangers where they cannot be eliminated; and
because systems are in place to help people to
overcome dangers if they are encountered.

Note " People are educated to avoid dangers..." And how will we prove we have been 'educated'?

"Good afternoon sir, may I see your Safety Certificates and Licence?"
 
And all driven no doubt by people who have never spent a day aboard anything more than a cross channel ferry and who think everyone from canoeist to superyacht owner is a danger to themselves, the public, the environment and a blight on the landscape.
 
nimbusgb said:
And all driven no doubt by people who have never spent a day aboard anything more than a cross channel ferry and who think everyone from canoeist to superyacht owner is a danger to themselves, the public, the environment and a blight on the landscape.
Click to expand...

That is, I fear, over complicating it. To the bureaucratic mind, if people are doing their own thing, they should be

A. Stopped or

B. taxed

Simply as a matter of principle, and because government functionaries can.
 
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As Old Harry mentions,

this MMO plan is going to be a Big Thing, and we need to be looking at it right now not taken on the back foot initially as at Studland.

I am particularly upset my club has rolled over for the severe measures mentioned in the Plan for places in the Solent; 3 people from the club were taken out for a spiffing meal, next thing is " Sailing Club with hundreds of members has been consulted and they're happy ! "

I and others have tried to raise the issue of privately laid or currently unused moorings being in danger, and got called a scaremonger for my troubles.

Future generations of boat owners will not think kindly of us if we let these assets, many with a historical legacy, be torn away forever - and it doesn't take Einstein to predict moorings are going to be more in demand, as people can't afford marinas.

This inevitably affects all boat users and the supporting industry, we are already seeing a steep decline in new young people taking up boating; if they can't get a mooring as a 'first step on the ladder' it's bad news for everyone, creating spiralling costs for ever fewer owners.
 
You don't have a hope in hell of stopping this regulation, because we are a nation of conformists.
There are huge revenues in the marine leisure areas just waiting to be controlled and exploited.
The world banks need their pound of flesh and us slaves will have to repay it with interest and the loss of our god given Right freedoms.
Try Resisting these unlawful Acts will result in the bully tactics that the police adopt so professionally.
After this next round of tax objectives will it be the air we breath?

The freedoms we have are being eroded forever, that can never be reversed!!!!
 
robertj said:
You don't have a hope in hell of stopping this regulation, because we are a nation of conformists...........
Click to expand...

Conformist sheep might be more accurate. People are being propagandised and manipulated into accepting all kinds of bureaucratic government nonsense in the name of "safety" and the environment.
 
savageseadog said:
Conformist sheep might be more accurate. People are being propagandised and manipulated into accepting all kinds of bureaucratic government nonsense in the name of "safety" and the environment.
Click to expand...


To be fair to our own nation, the propaganda program is superb as people believe it.
The first part to this will be registration, 'they' need to know who you are by getting your 'fictional entity name' that's capitilised which you will pay for. Once you accept the registration then all form of control is easy!
 
As a Spanish resident I have first hand experience of government getting their slice of the action.Apart from the qualifications and licencing there are surveys every five years both in and out of the water reams of paperwork for maintaining the boat .I have documents for engine inspections that I had to pay for that where never en acted.Apart from that there is the usual inspections on marinas or at anchour;its impossible to have every paper and friends carry a big folder,even then the guardia find somethingto complain about.I have bought a little 27 footer and have and plan to sail happily in uk waters.I have a Spanish captains certificate but sold my boatin Spain because of above mentioned.Obviously the situation wont be so bad in the uk but the British like to do things properly so the little get outs and corruptions we are exposed to in Spain will not apply.
 
savageseadog said:
Conformist sheep might be more accurate. People are being propagandised and manipulated into accepting all kinds of bureaucratic government nonsense in the name of "safety" and the environment.
Click to expand...
And the E.U. gets the blame in the national press (except when the Olympics are on) when the real culprits are our Civil Servants who want to control everything, build ever bigger empires and have every box in the land ticked! True the E.U. makes generic laws but it is our beaurocrats who gold plate everything.
 
savageseadog said:
Conformist sheep might be more accurate. People are being propagandised and manipulated into accepting all kinds of bureaucratic government nonsense in the name of "safety" and the environment.
Click to expand...

I may well fly a Scot's ensign as house flag, but I wear red duster superior, and I have faith in:
http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/~mward/gkc/books/secret-people.html

Video summary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USEzFC-NdZw

ObBoat: Everyone knows about the ChesterBelloc, and _Sailing with Mr. Belloc_ , don't they?

"Three sails, and a cow!"
 
webcraft said:
Sez a public sector worker :rolleyes:

- W
Click to expand...

Don't you normally only troll on global warming? Nice to see you're diversifying :rolleyes:

Well, if you want to sort out your own lifeboats, feel free.

On the other hand, you could take it that actually being part of the public sector may give me an insight into just how many extra people there are.

Trust me, I'd settle for us having a full compliment every now and again, never mind overmanned.

And for the record, I'd be happy to see a private organisation along the NATS model.
 
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