Northfleet Harbour Restoration Trust

[Conrad]

Hi

I am just writing to introduce Northfleet harbour Restoration Trust to your goodselves, we are a new organisation dedicated to restoring Northfleet Harbour and bringing it back to use.

The harbour has as a history dating back to the Roman times and could if restored offer a fantastic much needed facility to the tidal Thames, it is large enough to accomodate dozens of sailing barges several hundred smaller pleasure boats, a depth that will range from 2-5m's, 10 min walk from Ebbsfleet, space for boat repairs and a public slipway.

Anyway without going on too long please take a moment to visit our website, if you like what we want to do please leave a comment any offer of support always most welcome.

http://www.northfleetharbour.org.uk/

Regards

Conrad

 

[CJL]

Good luck!

If you have any events and want safety cover we can do it just for expenses for you.

Have a good look at the Heritage Lottery Fund!!!

Chris

 

[CJL]

Oh and the Landfill Tax credit schemes may be useful to you -

Veolia Environmental Trust - http://www.veoliatrust.org/
(They own Rainham Landfill)

Chris

 

[penfold]

How do you restore a harbour? Is it a matter of dredging and clearing hulks, or are you planning more extensive things like pontoons and such? I can't look at your website as I'm at work, the IT stasi limit what we can access.

 

[Mike_Martin]

I'd like to add in my tuppence worth to Conrad's introduction.

This project if successful has the potential to elevate the concept of boating in the community in this area of Kent. Acting not only as a sensible halfway house on the Thames (away from river moorings) but also reconnecting the people of Northfleet with their boating history and heritage.

Please have a look at the website and you can also sign up to our Facebook page to be kept up to date with developments, it's here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Northfleet-Harbour-Restoration-Trust/144750042290166

 

[Celica]

northfleet harbour.

For a safe haven halfway down the Thames has anyone looked at restoring the Dartford and Cray navigation. I believe the lock is still insitu and you can get quite far up the navigation towards Dartford. I know the tuesday night club went up there once.

 

[Conrad]

For a safe haven halfway down the Thames has anyone looked at restoring the Dartford and Cray navigation. I believe the lock is still insitu and you can get quite far up the navigation towards Dartford. I know the tuesday night club went up there once.

Yes we have had a good look at this and as a result a masterplan was created a few years back, the EA and PLA had no real objections and the council did at the time seem very supportive, all in all a good facility and good location albeit with tidal constraints and some land-lubber built a road over the River Darent which limits Steam Crane Wharf air draft to power boats or dropped masts only and perhaps a 4-6 hour tidal window if lucky. At the moment we are waiting to see if Dartford Council will deliver this as originally proposed as part of the Boroughs and Welcome Regeneration Scheme. Have a look at this link and scroll to the bottom and you should see the Halcrow masterplan
https://sites.google.com/site/riverthamesheritageopportunity/

Northfleet Harbour on the other hand has hardly any tidal constraints (none if we get the right lock design) and has a good depth and size to cater for most craft up to the largest sailing barges and possibly bigger, we do have quite a task ahead of us as can be seen on our website but the rewards of a very usable halfway safe haven will be immense and well worth the effort.

 

[Conrad]

Hi

Further to the above the Trust is very keen to hear from people that may have used the harbour in the past, whether simply to visit the pub at the bottom of College Road via the public landing stage or to use it as a safe harbour.

For our research we are collecting verbal and written recollections as well as photographs of the harbour in use.

If you can help in this regard please drop me a line at broadley@btinternet.com of via the website http://www.northfleetharbour.org.uk/


many Thanks

 

[oldgit]

Good luck but !

I for one would love some sort of bolt hole on that stretch of the Thames and good luck to you for trying it it,but,and feel sure you are well aware of the problems,wrong area and wrong time.Nobody with any decent boat(gin palace or raggie)will want to keep their boat in a semi derlict area with heavy industry depositing grit/pollution on their pride and joy and with a view of chimneys and industrial sheds out the porthole.Your other customers might be small old tubs and workboat owners like me wanting a cheapo berth and if you are borrowing money,you have to charge a proper commercial rent,so no customers there as well.
Historic stuff/sailing barges,to much available already at Faversham/Chatham etc.
As I said good luck but exactly the same thing down at Gravesend and how many boats have ever decided to call in there ?
Wish you well but.................

 

[Conrad]

I Nobody with any decent boat(gin palace or raggie)will want to keep their boat in a semi derlict area with heavy industry depositing grit/pollution on their pride and joy and with a view of chimneys and industrial sheds out the porthole.QUOTE]

A few corrections to my learned friend, but thanks for the overall thumbs up and hopefully future support(?).

The chimneys were demolished well over a year ago which featured on Top Gear as a car was crushed as part of the program. The cement factory has also been demolished and is making way for a plush £500million+ mixed use regeneration scheme so the area is certainly well up and coming.

Ebbsfleet International Station is just a five minute walk away putting Central London and Europe within easy reach, so not really a backwater.

We already have queries for boats over the 50ft mark which certainly give an idea of the need for such a well located facility as well as chats with owners of historic vessels. The Trust however is looking for a more inclusive facility so that people of all walks of life and interests can rekindle their maritime birthright.

Gravesend, which was once the capital of the marine district of the Thames in the Victorian era, is starting to see a bit of a revival. The problem was not that mariners don't want to visit, the problem is simply that they can't because there is no way of getting safely ashore. This however is starting to be addressed with the recent reopening of St Andrews Quay which has already had the Cambria stop over tied directly to the shore with direct public access (google their website and have a look at our website photo gallery). What will be a tide changer for the Thames decline in use is the coming soon new Town Pier Pontoon which will be a public facility allowing mariners to tie up and visit the Town, this will be the only place on the Thames downstream of London where this is possible.

Next time you shoot by Gravesend keep your eyes open for the pontoon and the new quay and why not stop and have a visit, it will be good to see your write up on these pages.

Regards

Conrad

 

[watson1959]

Good luck to all of you on this project.

Fantastic to see the renovation/regeneration of another piece of our history.

 

[Mike_Martin]

This however is starting to be addressed with the recent reopening of St Andrews Quay which has already had the Cambria stop over tied directly to the shore with direct public access

Just to show how that looked, here is a nice piccy:

 

[Conrad]

looks good

 

[No Regrets]

Lets get that old boat chopped up, that'll tidy things up a bit...

 

[oldgit]

Pier a magnet for all sorts ?

Ebbsfleet.For those not familiar with the location

"A few corrections to my learned friend, but thanks for the overall thumbs up and hopefully future support"

Really do wish you luck...........

Be very interested to know what sort of security there will be on pontoon.No visitors will be visiting town if likely that local scrotes will have free run of place.
Have experience of visitors boats being ransacked on pier at Rochester while owners away in town shopping.
Most facilites such as this will need some sort of gated access,otherwise fishermen will be clogging up area during day leaving their **** and druggies their needles and drinkers frequently get plain agressive, plus ladies of the night will "love" the place during the hours of darkness.
Down here on Medway you buy a token to get off pontoon and use it to re enter.No rubbish,no leftover bait,no needles.
Worth a thought ?

 

[Mike_Martin]

I find it quite interesting to see that that the place where I live has been renamed by google in defiance of more than 2,000 years of history.

That map has overlaid the area of Northfleet with the name of a river that has only been called Ebbsfleet for just over a century and which was known by the Jutes, the Normans, the Elizabethans, the Georgians and the early Victorians as the River Fleet (not to be confused with the sewer in London).

Many locals are still baffled by the fact that tptb built a railway station in the Springhead Valley in Northfleet, named it after a nearly dried up river and then promptly tried to encourage everyone to change the name of the area to match the Station by giving them money to do it.

 

[syd]

I have a birdseye view of Northfleet Harbour from my crane in Tilbury Docks. Its a great location for easy access to London or the sea. Can't wait to see it unfold.

Syd