Gavin Atkin's weblog for the sort of people who like looking inside boat sheds. It's about old boats, traditional boats, boat building, restoration, the sea and the North Kent Coast
Many folks will be delighted to to hear that traditional block-maker and deck fittings maker Colin Frake has returned to Faversham – he’s been away for a couple of years after he took the difficult decision to leave Standard Quay a couple of years ago.
The new workshop is again by the waterside in the Purifier Building, which is leased and managed by the Faversham Creek Trust.
A business plan examining the financial feasibility of developing repair and maintenance of traditional vessels in Faversham Creek has concluded that a net present value of £560k could be achieved over 15 years after including all costs.
The project would lead to 10 new full-time jobs and would be be in substantial surplus in its fourth year, says the report, which was written by a group of business-minded individuals follows a request by Faversham Town Council for an assessment of this kind in support of the local neighbourhood plan.
Achieving these benefits would be dependent on public support and funding, including providing a new opening bridge however.
The authors conclude that the Thames from London to its full outer estuary includes some 51 Thames sailing barges, 170 Dutch/motor barges and approximately 533 smacks and other traditional vessels, and that in business terms restoring, refitting and maintaining these vessels amounts to a turnover of £6m a year, with a significant secondary revenue from moorings.
They concluded that Faversham should be able to attract 18 per cent of the available Thames barge work, 10 per cent of Dutch barges and 7 per cent of smacks, which would require three extra dry docks to be available for mainstream repair, and maintenance along the tidal Creek and light maintenance and general moorings elsewhere.
The predicted annual income including from mooring fees is £700k gross, or £200k net of operating costs – which it is thought would lead to 10 additional full time jobs in the town.
Some £1.3m of capital expenditure would be required, including £860k for an opening bridge and sluices £280k for quay structures, £50k for initial dredging and £140k for dry docks and other equipment – and if the Council were to invest in an opening bridge, the report argues it would be feasible to raise the remainder from bank loans and private investment.
Read the report here.
This is what all the fuss is about – this is Faversham Creek, and this is the area they want to turn over to housing and other marine-unfriendly businesses such as restaurants. As I’m sure many will immediately see, there’s already quite enough housing.
The white building in the photo above, for example, is Baltic House. People are now suggesting it should be a wine bar, with flats above for the bar staff. The application’s here, if you would like to read it and consider making an objection – a key concern is that an approval for an application that includes staff sleeping on the first floor will set a precedent that will open the way to more applications for further housing developments.
Just a short while ago, this quay was a mass of double-moored sailing barges, but this is how it’s been for a couple of years now.
The New Britannic, by the way, is a Dunkirk Little Ship that lives locally – her owner told me she’d just been on a trip up the Thames on Dunkirk business – hence the bunting.
But here’s the appeal. The folks at the Faversham Creek Trust want to hear from people in other countries who would like to express their support for efforts to prevent the Creek being strangled by the wrong kind of development. If you think you can help – an email would be great – please visit the Trust website and write to their contact email address.
While you’re there, take a moment to read some of the Trust’s excellent weblog explaining its members’ points of view about the Creek, and the organisation’s work training boatbuilders and so on.
Thanks!
