The parish foreshore.

The parish council and the Duchy of Cornwall own the entire foreshore here; all the land below Mean High Water is Duchy owned, and everything above that belongs to the parish. Ownership of this higher land was transferred back to the parish council in 2017. In 2019, the Avon estuary was designated a Marine Conservation Zone, and as such is subject to the management strategies of an ecologically sensitive area. Part of this particular foreshore is categorised as secondary saltmarsh, and for conservation reasons, this limits the area which we can use for our moorings.

The foreshore here is managed by the parish council on behalf of the parishioners of Aveton Gifford for recreational use of the river, and the council provides 21 annual permits for residents in this parish who wish to keep rowing boats and dinghies here.  In the past these areas have also been used for dumping old boats & fly-tipping, so in the interest of ensuring they are kept free, any unauthorised or abandoned boats will be removed, and if not claimed, the parish council also acting on behalf of DoC,  reserves the right to dispose of any unauthorised, derelict or abandoned boats, trailers or other boat junk..

Parish moorings – information for anyone wanting to renew or apply

• These parish moorings are only available for residents living within the parish, and from April 2022 preference will be given to full-time residents.
• These moorings are for the use of regular users of the river only, and are not a place for storage of a boat used infrequently or not at all, particularly if you have space at home to store it.  There is a steadily increasing waiting list of applicants for only 21 moorings.
• These moorings are only suitable for small or lighter weight boats – unfortunately the only area of foreshore permitted for moorings is some distance from the river, and this can seriously limit the ease of launching and getting back to the mooring.  For this reason, there is a maximum overall length of 14 ft.
• No sailing dinghies will be accepted.
• From 2022 canoes/kayaks will be permitted.
• No SUPs will be permitted.

It has been obvious that since 2018 a number of boats on these moorings have not been moved or used during the months when they could have been used, irrespective of Covid-19 restrictions, which in practice only affected use of the river during the first Lockdown in 2020. This may be because they are too heavy to use easily, or maybe because the owner just wants somewhere to put it.

Before applying for or renewing a mooring agreement the parish council asks that you please consider carefully whether you will regularly use your boat, and if so, whether you would realistically get more use of it by using a trailer or launching trolley. Trailers used for this purpose can be left in Timbers car park while you are on the river

Applying for or renewing a mooring permit

The agreements will be renewed every April for the coming year, and a maintenance fee of £30 has been introduced. Your agreement to the terms and conditions (included below) will be needed before renewing.

To register your boat/canoe you will have to sign an agreement form, and you will also need to provide a photo of your it so that it is easy to identify it (There may be a few that look similar, and a photo will remove any doubts!) You will be allocated a numbered mooring post that will be for your own use only, for one boat, and you will also get a sticker to place on it which will show the year it has been issued (Registrations will need to be re-issued annually).

Payment

Payment of £30.65 will be made online – the fee of £30, plus an online payment charge of 65p

Terms and Conditions

AG-Foreshore-moorings-terms-and-conditions-2022-3Download

And once you’ve got your permit…

Always moor your boat or canoe fore and aft by securing each end to the rings on your mooring posts.

This will prevent boats from ending up on the Tidal Road after having been blown the other side of the mooring post on a high tide, and it also helps to stop boats bumping into the one next door –  both meaning there is much less chance of any damage to it.

Also, most of the foreshore here is Secondary Saltmarsh, and this is ecologically important for carbon capture. The parish council can use it for moorings, but we do have to minimise damage there – if you use fore and aft moorings you will limit the amount of grass and ground under the boat which will be worn away.

Dom Webb, helped by Ros Brousson has taken over responsibility for looking after these moorings, so if you need to contact them, their details are :

• Dom: seckls74@gmail.com
• Ros: brousson@btinternet.com