Marine Group and Watchet on Facebook

[Capt Popeye]

RE the building up of Silt in the Harbour

Is there any use in using Motor Boat Screws or a Jet Boat to move the Silt out of the Harbour on a Falling Tide ; I recall that the Kent Ouse management required Vessels going down stream with the tide to drag a beam behind them so as to activate the Soft Silt and allow the Current to take it down stream : I have no knowledge of this methods dredging ability but seems like a good idea ?
I have seen a Jet boat used to remove Silt from Sandwich Harbour , as the silt build up in the Harbour was restricting the number of craft berthing there ; well a few weeks after seethe Jet boat in action , there was a noticeable increase in Depth of water along the Mooring Walls

 

[PCUK]

Funnily enough when I was still at Watchet I used to run the engine in gear for an hour after high water to dredge my own berth.

 

[TSB240]

Seems like lack of dredging is becoming a hot topic for the groups berth holders.
Healthcare fears ahead of closure of hospital

 

[Praxinoscope]

I understand that there is an attempt to get together representatives of Watchet, Burry Port ,Aberystwyth and Port Dinorwic berth holders to provide a concerted front to get some satisfaction.

 

[Luminescent]

Aberystwyth is a potentially different topic (or needs it's own...). It was purchased in 2015, so has had seven years to get back to normality. Judging from the article that TSB240 has posted it seems there is a significant difference of opinion. Noting that he states specifically that everyone who should be paid, has been paid. I have to wonder who is telling the truth.

 

[TSB240]

Aberystwyth is a potentially different topic (or needs it's own...). It was purchased in 2015, so has had seven years to get back to normality. Judging from the article that TSB240 has posted it seems there is a significant difference of opinion. Noting that he states specifically that everyone who should be paid, has been paid. I have to wonder who is telling the truth.

It seems the judicial system is required to make the decision about who is lying.

He has just paid out on another of the many outstanding CCJs to keep the company from immediate strike off.

I don't think that we will see fuel suppliers replenishing any of the group marina diesel holding tanks given their current credit rating score.

Staff are still not paid in full or on time. He has admitted that his cash flows are alarming. I would suggest they will get worse

Most berth holders with the group with any knowledge of the precarious finances have rejected early bird discounted options to pay monthly or leave at the end of their contracts. This means significant cash flow delay from payments received in January to possibly the end of May earliest.

The big question is the amount owed in business rates? The public will shortly get to know how much this group owes in total.
Seems they owe one council 160K.

The Marine Group, business rates. - a Freedom of Information request to Welsh Government

I and many others have had enough of the lies and false promises.

If I was based in Watchet I would be asking has the Doomhammer broken down and lost it's crew for a second time.........

 

[Praxinoscope]

From what I understand, talking to those who moor in Aberystwyth, there are still serious ongoing problems, from staff unpaid, filthy toilets, rat infestations and poorly maintained pontoons, certainly not conducive to forking out about £360+ a meter per year.
The problem that faces the users, is that if the lease went back to Ceredigion Council, it’s unlikely to improve as Ceredigion Council have no-one who has a clue about harbours/marinas and how they should be run, and in general couldn’t manage a P*** up in a brewery.

 

[Luminescent]

And as with Watchet there is no "community group" to take over the enterprise even in a near charitable context. I think things could go either way now that COVID-19 has ended. If there isn't a substantial change by Autumn 2023, then I think everyone knows which way this is going. Maybe TMPG bit off more than they can chew and are currently choking on low performing marinas.

 

[TSB240]

And as with Watchet there is no "community group" to take over the enterprise even in a near charitable context. I think things could go either way now that COVID-19 has ended. If there isn't a substantial change by Autumn 2023, then I think everyone knows which way this is going. Maybe TMPG bit off more than they can chew and are currently choking on low performing marinas.

Nothing to do with the choking on low performing marinas. This group is a property development group full stop.

Spend a little time on companies house you can see even with their well overdue accounts the heavy financial draws from the both functioning and leased council marina's redirected to Bayscape and the slow death of their property and marina empire.

All marinas have been heavily loaded with debt after purchase and any spare capital and revenue raised against freehold or long term council owned leases has probably just being siphoned off to prop up the two Bayscape towers.

This will possibly continue until they have had their pretty inflamable cladding replaced

Nothing illegal in this case as they are perfectly entitled to redistribute their funds around their business as they choose.

Their attitude towards their marina staff, visitors, customers, and associated local suppliers and communities is so destructive.

The unacceptable face of uncaring capitalism.

 

[Luminescent]

So you're saying that the funds are being re-distributed to another white elephant? Either way, taking on Watchet, Burry and Aberystwyth was not a wise move in that regard. You could even argue that Watchet is another white elephant owing to the regular dredging requirement. At some point the business will implode and everything will go up in smoke, never mind the towers.

Unfortunately all you can do at this point is to take your custom elsewhere. This too, is capitalism.

 

[Praxinoscope]

TMPG is primarily a property development company and the attraction of waterside developments an obvious target for them, unfortunately the ’golden’ descriptions they seem to offer local councils of how small harbours can be managed and bring in increasing revenues, demonstrate a lack of knowledge within councils of the fundamental characteristics of harbours and their management and the dare I say duplicity of TMPG in painting such glowing prospectus of what they could offer despite the very obvious (particularly to anyone who uses these harbours) facts that their harbour proposals were far too ’optimistic’ and their income would be from property development not from harbour/marina management.
The problem now is to do, it may be that the harbours affected may be left in limbo for a period, whilst TMPG either get re-financed or finally sink below the mud they have failed to clear.
Concerted attacks by the relevant harbour users refusing to pay up-front harbour fees and further bailiff actions may help to hasten some sort of effect, but the main action must surely come from the relevant councils that own these sites and as such are the lessors that have the ultimate control.

 

[38mess]

Just heard the cash injection didn't come through.

 

[sarabande]

Looks as if Cardiff Marine Services is sunk.

CARDIFF MARINE SERVICES LIMITED | Petitions to Wind Up (Companies) | The Gazette

Christopher Odling - Smee (the head honcho of TMPG) says

"This is a subsidiary company within the group and is settled by bank funding and it is not a concern. It will ultimately be removed from the register. "

I don't quite understand the meaning of his second sentence.. Or the logic of his first.

 

[Luminescent]

The latter means Companies House register, the former is that he's saying he has the liquidity to wind it up and clear any debts. Not a bankruptcy just a winding up.

Whether that's true.... eh..

 

[mil1194]

This is probably late to the party

Administrators called in to holding company tied to Aberystwyth marina

 

[Birdseye]

Porlock used to occasionally flush the water from the inner harbour out through the pool, which seemed to work. But Watchet is in much muddier estuary water than Porlock. Maybe more silt comes in every tide there. I sailed the BC for years, never went into Watchet though I've been just about everywhere else from various Pills to Porth Gain and Clovelly. Burry Port used to be a horrible harbour and the town deeply unappealing. Watchet is quite a nice little town (from non-boat visiting) but the harbour has never worked properly.

Must have done at one time because I can remember big timber ships docking there. But at that time they had what Porlock has - an open entrance to the sea. Now Watchet has a cill so mud is always likely to rise until it is level with that cill.

The stream never accounted to much but the harbour used to have maybe half its area with reasonable depth whilst the other half near the front was always quite shallow.

In short the issue is the walls and cill built to create the marina. Of course some form of continuing dredging could handle the matter but can it be done with the level of income the marina generates. I very much doubt it. One owner has already gone bust I believe.

 

[mattonthesea]

I have no idea about cost etc but could they use the same system as Bristol docks with the underfall? Route the stream back in, install a low underwater sluice, and open it for periods during low water. Does the stream have enough cumecs flow? Could the harbour cope with the necessary rise and fall?

 

[Concerto]

Just had this message from change.org relating to Burry Port Marina. The council have taken the marina over as they are the freeholder and are now billing the bertholders for this year despite them having paid the Marine Group already.

Burry Port Marina

 

[mil1194]

Just had this message from change.org relating to Burry Port Marina. The council have taken the marina over as they are the freeholder and are now billing the bertholders for this year despite them having paid the Marine Group already.

Burry Port Marina

Will the council realistically expect to be paid twice? I suspect not and this is just a tactic to get berth holder who haven’t paid the Marine Group to pay them instead. I know I wouldn’t have rushed to pay the fees if you think it’s all going to turn into a ‘mess’. Incidentally is there room in Burry Port or is it full?

I’ll speak to the council later and see if they’ve got someone in place who understands it.

 

[Luminescent]

It sounds like the Council hasn't been paid in the first place. So... yes. They will force that matter and you'll be expected to recover any costs from TMPG as services not rendered. If you paid via credit card, you can get a refund that way (assuming you paid at least 100.00 on credit card, you can pay the rest in cash but you need a certain amount of card). This means that for those people, they may end up having to pay a little extra, but nowhere near as much as someone who paid in cash.