| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:New Putney Pier Extension Planning Application | |
| Posted by: | Jamie Halliday | |
| Date/Time: | 04/02/13 08:50:00 |
| having lived on a houseboat (in brentford) and also being an active rower in putney, allow me to come in with both boots... i suspect this application is an extension to the success that the prospect quay houseboats additions were. moorings for houseboats on the thames are rare and accordingly very expensive/ lucrative. developers/ peir owners will always have one eye on the oppurtunity to make more money out of them. the main point here though, is that the moorings in wandsworth are not in the inshore zone rowers use that chris george talks about. the line of boats from the black bouy down to putney pier have been on the tideway for quite some time and are subsequently factored in to all the navigation rules. a new brace of boats under the pier would effectivly sit in a 'run off' zone as well as a channel that rowers use. people of all ages and abilites use the rowing facilites along the tideway (not just in putney) and moving houseboats into areas that are pinch points where less able/ strong crews take more time to maneuver is not going to increase navigation safety. the tideway is an incredibly powerful and sometimes dangerous body of water. it can easily suck boats and crews under moored boats as has happened from time to time in hammersmith on the middlesex bank. tbh we might be over egging this a bit - but apart from the visual impact, its does increase risk for even experienced crews. |