Plans to charge leisure craft on Loch Fyne sounds alarm in Tarbert
Proposals to charge a £100 annual fee to use small boats in the Firth of Clyde, including Loch Fyne, will deter visitors and have a "huge impact" on local economies, warns Tarbert Harbour Authority.
Peel Ports Clydeport, the harbour authority in charge of the River Clyde and its waters, is proposing a "leisure vehicle conservancy fee" for boats between 6m and 24m in length, prompting a backlash from owners, leisure groups and local politicians.
The charging zone could stretch from Albert Bridge in Glasgow as far as the Isle of Arran, and include sea lochs such as Loch Fyne and Gare Loch.
A spokesperson explained: “If introduced, the proposed £100 annual fee will apply only to boats and yachts between six and twenty-four metres regularly sailing on the Clyde, with a small daily fee for short-term visitors.
"The funds will help cover the rising costs of managing leisure vessel activity, such as the survey, marking and recovery of abandoned vessels, maintaining navigational aids, and supporting around 450 annual leisure events within the jurisdiction.
“We will be holding a formal consultation, during which all marine users will be given the opportunity to share their views."
The proposed fee has generated "a huge response and outrage from the community", said the chief executive officer of the Royal Yachting Association Scotland (RYAS), Finlo Cottier.
“This is not about recreational boaters being unwilling to pay for their pastime – sailors have always expected to pay for harbour, berthing and mooring fees," Dr Cottier told us. "This is about the imposition of a fee with no clear provision of service or facility across a huge part of the recreational boating community.
"Peel Ports have tried to equate the proposed fee to those applied in other harbours across the UK, but this does not stand up to scrutiny. The Clyde is unique in the UK in its size and character, and the Clydeport area which Peel Port controls extends well beyond the commercial shipping channels.”
Tarbert Harbour Authority (THA), a trust port in charge of the town’s harbour, fears the fee could reduce visitors and revenue for local businesses.
Harbour Master Darren Mair said: "If Peel Ports implements the conservancy charge for leisure vessels on the Clyde, this will apply to boats based in Tarbert when they cross from THA’s jurisdiction, into Peel’s jurisdiction to access Loch Fyne.
"THA believes any such levies will add a substantial and unnecessary cost burden to boat owners throughout the Clyde, as well as visiting vessels to the area.
"Marine tourism is crucial to the economy of many seaside towns and villages throughout the Clyde’s waters, imposing such a fee could deter boat owners from using the Clyde, leading to a decline in sailing in the area and, ultimately, a reduction in revenue for local businesses.
"The Scottish Series, for example, is hosted in Tarbert and is one of the most prestigious and long-standing regattas in the country, attracting sailors from Scotland, the UK, and further afield – additional fees for visiting vessels to the Clyde will likely have a detrimental effect on the number of visiting participating boats in this event and other events on the Clyde, and in turn have a huge impact on the local economies.
"Many boat owners who use the Clyde already contribute significantly through mooring / berthing fees, fuel duties and indirect spending in local coastal communities.
"Tarbert marina, annually, has in the region of 150 resident boats and is one of the most visited marinas on the Clyde, both resident and visiting vessels have a hugely positive impact to the local economy. There is a risk that Peels’ conservancy fee will have a negative impact on boating numbers in Tarbert and similarly to other marinas and businesses, throughout the Clyde.
"THA believes that there should be an open and transparent consultation process on the matter, to allow the boating community, and businesses, to have their views heard."
Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Stuart McMillan, who chairs Holyrood’s cross-party group on recreational boating, has started a petition against the plan.
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