Petition to Deny Canoeists Free Access

I have received notification through the SAA and FACT that a petition has been started to counter recent efforts by the canoe lobby to give them the right to roam. Unrestricted access to waterspace is not currently enshrined in legislation. The Angling Governing Bodies were initially reluctant to start such a petition because they doubted that enough anglers would sign it; the canoeists currently have some 5000 signatorys to their proposal! Please consider registering your support at

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/No2Canoes/

In short, do we want to run the risk of our river fisheries being inundated with paddlers, at any time of year, without control and without payment, to the detriment of both our sport and (just as importantly) the ecosystem that supports it!?!

For 4 years, I frequented a beautiful little swim on the Chelmer...right on the convergence of the main river and the weir stream. Nine foot deep right under the rod-tip, the rushes and yellow flags created a delightful hidey-hole from which I quill-fished for tench. When I went there at the beginning of the season last year, I was horrified but not particularly surprised to find that the 'point' had been converted to a canoists landing-stage...utterly ruined. I wasn't 'surprised' because, in my considerable experience, anything and everything of excellence is never allowed to last. I could write a book on similar disappointments...

Cliff
It is just those sorts of experiences FACT needs to know about!
The canoeists claim they are benign and cause no environmental damage, clearly they did in that case and others like it. Please write it down and send it to Mike Heylin by e-mail as statement of evidence.

Phil: Done! I pasted-in the above comment as well.

I have signed, also signed on behalf of my Club.
I do believe there are other forces at work though. My club has been informed, via the EA, that unless our riparian owners (Dean and Chapter and University of Durham) can come to an agreement with us they they will implement the CROW act on all water they control.
Our solicitors have tried on several occasions to arrange a meeting to discuss this but so far there has been no response from either party

Below is the letter from the EA;-


Dear

Wear Canoe Access Pilot Project
River Wear between Shincliffe Bridge and the Sands

Thank you for your involvement with this pilot project over the last twelve months.
(Wrong, all angling intersts were excluded from the start) The national project carried out by Brighton University has now finished and we are working locally to reach a conclusion on the issues the pilot has raised. Attached is a brief position statement explaining what we propose to do next.

After consulting with landowners and recreational users, we have decided continue the negotiation of a voluntary canoe access agreement for the River Wear between Shincliffe Bridge and the Sands.

Barbara Pike, our Recreation Officer, will contact you shortly to take this work forward. (no contact has been made to-date)If you are not the appropriate representative of your organisation to deal with this matter please contact Barbara at the address below with the appropriate person?s contact details.

If we are unable to achieve significant progress towards a voluntary agreement for canoe access along this stretch of the river by May 2007 we will consider stopping work on this initiative. In this eventuality, some landowners have already expressed a wish to dedicate a Right of Open Access under the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act.

We will be working closely with all of the landowners and user groups over the next few weeks to negotiate a voluntary access agreement that is acceptable to all parties and sustainable in the long term. If you would like any further information about the canoe access pilot project in the mean time, please contact Barbara Pike at the address below.

Yours sincerely



Dr J B Hogger
Environment Manager

John is someone telling you porkys on this, the Crow Act is about terrestrial access on only!

Not sure Phil, From John Hoggers letter they want voluntary access agreements in place by May, but all parties to-date have failed to respond to our solicitors request for a meeting to discuss this.

What makes the situation even worse is that whilst the team from Brighton were trying to give access to every Tom, **** and Harry the Dean & Chapter and the University of Durham were drawing up new leases with our solicitors. Looks to me that someone somewhere has more faces than a town hall clock, and I'm not ruling out the EA in this. When all this was first proposed the EA were said to be the 'Honest Broker' in these negotiations.