Agenda item

To consider a report of the Director of Culture, Communities and Business Services summarising incidents and events in the Harbour and covering issues currently under consideration by the Marine Director.

The Board considered the report of the Director of Culture, Communities and Business Services (Item 7 in the Minute Book) regarding incidents and events in the Harbour and updates from the Marine Director.

An addendum was distributed at the meeting which outlined those events which had occurred since the publication of the papers. Mr Andy Langford, in his role as the newly appointed Designated Person, was introduced to the Board and, at the invitation of the Chairman, updated members on their responsibilities collectively and individually as Duty Holders under the Port Marine Safety Code..

Members requested that, for future reports, a summary analysis of any trends and recurring issues be included at the beginning of the paper. Discussion was held regarding swimming in the River. The Board raised concerns about designating an area specifically for swimmers and the legal implications of any possible liabilities that this would entail. The Board requested a summary of swimming related issues, actions that had been undertaken and those that were planned for implementation and agreed that this update be brought to a future Board meeting.

As part of a discussion on Appendix D, the asset register, some members requested clarification of the process undertaken to transfer the River Hamble Country Park jetty from Countryside teams to River Hamble officers.  The Lease of the Jetty has always been in favour of Hampshire County Council.    Based upon the practicality of risk ownership, the return transfer process of the former Manor Farm Country Park Jetty to the RHHA commenced in 2015 and concluded on 31 May 2016.  From a lease perspective, no formal transfer process was required.

The Board discussed Appendix 6 and agreed that the statutory responsibility of the Harbour Authority was to ensure safety of River users. It was noted that recreational coordination was the responsibility of Borough and District authorities and that more work, outside of the Harbour Authority’s core responsibilities, would incur more expenditure and require increased resource to be recruited. One member indicated that, in his view, the initial request, as recorded within minute 212 of the Board meeting held on 13 January 2017, had been misinterpreted and requested that the request be recorded within the minutes as below.

‘To consider whether there is a need or an opportunity to enhance the recreational amenities on the River? If so, does the Harbour Authority have a leadership role?’

The Chairman noted that a review of the Harbour Authority’s Vision Statement was planned, to look at the direction and intended outcomes for the Authority, and that the request raised as above would be looked into as part of this review. It was agreed that separate meetings, outside of the formal Board meetings, would be arranged to conduct the review work on the Vision Statement and that an update would be provided for the Board at a future meeting.

RESOLVED:

That the River Hamble Harbour Board:

a)    Notes paragraphs 3, 4, 5 and 6.

b)    Notes that the Asset review process as outlined in Section 7 has revealed no evidence to support an increase in Harbour Dues for 2018.

c)    Supports and approves the proposals set out in Section 8, paragraphs a to e.