Fees for Lakes boat owners to increase (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Fees for Lakes boat owners to increase

8:52am Friday 10th December 2004 in Sport By Gazette News Desk

Boat owners will have to pay more to use Windermere when a speed ban comes into force in March.

The 10mph speed limit will cost South Lakeland District Council around £20,000, a committee heard, so it has voted to increased fees and charges to claw back some of its losses.

Barry Atkins, the council's acting head of culture and tourism, told the general purposes committee: "We have tried to compensate for some of that loss but we won't be able to compensate for all of it."

Mr Atkins added: "It will certainly have an impact on the Ferry Nab service (the car ferry across the lake)."

The council has a policy to raise mooring fees by three per cent each year but, due to the speed ban and SLDC's lack of cash, the fees will be raised by around five per cent.

Far fewer boats will enter the water using slipways, the meeting heard, so those boat owners who do not go elsewhere for their leisure will have to pay more, up from £6 to £10 for smaller vessels.

The increases include: l Annual mooring charges for open deck yachts from £495 to £510.

l Commercial service moorings from £800 to £880.

l Storage of trailer and dinghy from £160 to £180.

l Warden boat hire from £70 to £80 per hour.

Licence fees for rowers, windsurfers and sailors will remain the same to soften the impact of the speed ban's introduction.

SLDC's lake services manager Jim Maguire said the ban was likely to bring fewer motor cruisers and more yachts, generating greater demand for moorings.