South Lakeland District Council And Lake District National ... … · month along with a comparison to 2010/11 figures. Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep 96 21 7 13

South Lakeland District Council And

Lake District National Park Authority

Windermere

Lake Patrol Teams Joint Annual Report 2012

S.L.D.C / L.D.N.P.A Joint Annual Report – 2012

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CONTENTS

1.0 Introduction ....................................................... Page 2

2.0 General Remarks ............................................... Page 2

3.0 Lake Usage ........................................................ Page 3

4.0 Incidents ............................................................ Page 4

5.0 Lake Management ............................................. Page 6

6.0 Byelaw Enforcement ......................................... Page 11

7.0 Environmental Management

and waterbus jetties .......................................... Page 14

8.0 Events on the Lake ............................................ Page 15

9.0 Staffing and Training ......................................... Page 15

10.0 Boats and Equipment ....................................... Page 16

11.0 Conclusion1111111111111111Page 17

12.0 The Future ......................................................... Page 17

13.0 Appendices1111111111111111 Page 18


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1.0 Introduction 1.1 This report summarises Windermere’s use between October 2011 and September

2012. It records the work of the two Lake Patrol Teams (LPT’s), which comprise of South Lakeland District Council’s (SLDC) Lake Wardens and the Lake District National Park Authority’s (LDNPA) Lake Rangers.

The report details use of such things as Ferry Nab slipway, swinging moorings,

incidents, boat registration, boat counts, byelaw offences, environmental management and events.

2.0 General Remarks 2.1 This year has generally been quieter, due to poor weather and the general downturn

in the economy. There continues to be a change in use with more canoeists, kayakers and open water swimmers using the Lake.

2.2 The one event that brought national attention to the Lake and the area in general was

the Olympic torch relay travelling through the district and down the lake on one of the steamers. Despite the weather a large flotilla of boats escorted the torch on its journey and a large crowd gathered to welcome it into Bowness.

2.3 The LDNPA Lake Ranger Team continue to enforce the lake byelaws, and have reported 19 cases for court action, with 9 leading to prosecution and substantial fines during the reporting period. The team comprises four members, which includes two seasonal posts supported by volunteer lake rangers.

2.4 Further consultation took place on the navigation byelaws followed by resubmission

to the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The Minister for Natural Environment and Fisheries at DEFRA confirmed the 2008 Navigation byelaws on 13 September 2012, and these became effective on 13 October 2012. Details of the changes are highlighted later in the report.

2.5 Working with the Windermere Lake User Forum, the Lake Patrol Team has produced

a ‘who does what’ summary of the lake services provided by each organisation. A copy is attached as Appendix 3. Clearly both teams have their own responsibilities, but officers from both authorities liaise and work together regarding a variety of issues such as during large events and incidents on the lake.

2.6 Due to on-going unpredictable extremes of weather, a flood alarm has been installed

at the Councils boathouse at Ferry Nab. This would alert staff in ample time to attend and move vital files and equipment either into the loft area or out of the building to another location.

2.7 The Lake Wardens continue to promote Windermere as a visitor attraction. They

have forged links with many contacts in the media and have become the first point of contact in most cases. This relationship has provided many opportunities for the promotion of the Lake and its environs as a leading place to visit.

2.8 A programme of replacing all the rock markers (over 200) provided by SLDC around

the lake began in late 2011 and is due for completion by the end of the year. 2.9 One of the SLDC public jetties at Rayrigg Meadow was replaced early in 2012, and

extensive repairs carried out to the other.


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3.0 Lake Usage 3.1 The total number of registered craft fell this year by 13.66 per cent, perhaps due to

the factors already mentioned. Individually new registrations dropped by 24 per cent and renewals dropped by 10 per cent.

3.2 The LDNPA introduced an improved on-line registration renewal process, issuing

emails rather than letters to 2698 of the registered boat owners. 3.3 The table below shows the number of power driven vessels registered with the

LDNPA for 2012 and the three previous years. In 2012 the 3709 registered craft belonged to 3019 owners. Of these 3019 owners, 712 people registered their craft for the first time in 2012 and 2307 were returning owners.

2012 2011 2010 2009

New Registrations

824 1088 1050 912

Renewals 2885 3208 3349 3381

Totals 3709 4296 4399 4293

3.4 During the 2012 season the majority of registrations took place in December and

January with 1050 applications, and again in March and April with 852 registrations. Both these figures link to the registration renewal period and Easter. The largest number of new registrations took place in July, with 117 new registrations taking place in this month.

3.5 The LDNPA also worked with the Windermere Lake User Forum to develop a

registration scheme that allows short term events. The Classic Boat rally and Steam Boat Association both took advantage of this new facility in August.

3.6 The LDNPA carry out regular boat counts and a summary is attached at Appendix 1

showing the surveys over the last seven years. 3.7 A summary of the shoreline survey for 2012 is attached in Appendix 2. This is the

third year this has been done using the same survey route.


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4.0 Incidents 4.1 The incidents dealt with cover a very diverse range of occurrences. These can

include dealing with fatalities to someone who has run out of fuel to problems observed by patrolling staff. There are many definitions for the term ‘incident’, but in the context of the role carried out by the Wardens and Rangers it is maybe best defined as ‘a notable occurrence or happening involving third party persons or property requiring direct and / or indirect action on the part of the staff involved’. Due to the nature of the Lake Rangers role being mainly enforcement related and seasonal they tend to be less involved with incidents as is reflected in the following figures.

4.2 Due to differing methodology when recording incidents, the totals for both authorities

have not been combined. The number of incidents recorded by SLDC has increased slightly, with a total of 190 compared to a total of 149 for the same period in 2010/11, an increase of 27.5 per cent. Whilst this might appear a large increase despite falling usage the total can be affected greatly be something as simple as a couple of stormy days resulting in damage to many boats. A more detailed breakdown of these is given as Appendix 4.

4.3 The one fatality was in November 2011 when a gentleman customer collapsed

suddenly whilst readying his dinghy for launch at Ferry Nab. Efforts to resuscitate him were made but he was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. It transpired that he had suffered a fatal aneurysm.

4.4 A breakdown of SLDC recorded incidents by vessel types is shown below.

SPORTS BOATS 23

YACHTS 130

MOTOR CRUISERS 17

JET SKI'S 0

CANOES / ROWING 13

MISC 6

FATALITIES 1

TOTAL 190

4.5 The following table and chart spanning a ten-year period show the number of SLDC

recorded incidents from the previous October to September in each year.

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

255 323 271 242 351 331 121 169 149 190


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4.6 Incident trends

Currently incidents are increasing slightly, despite reducing usage, which could simply be a reflection of the very poor weather experienced over the last few years.

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

SLDC Incidents Comparison

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

02 - 04 03 - 05 04 - 06 05 - 07 06 - 08 07 - 09 08 - 10 09 - 11 10 - 12


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4.7 The Lake Rangers responded to 34 incidents. A breakdown is shown below:

INCIDENTS 2011-12

INCIDENT TYPE TOTAL

SWIMMER 2 DINGHY 5 CANOES/ROWING 1

YACHT/SAIL CRUISER 3 MOTOR CRUISER 1

SPORTS BOAT 5 PERSONAL WATERCRAFT 0 COMMERCIAL VESSEL 4 HIRE BOAT 2 WILDLIFE 1 POLLUTION 1 MISCELLANEOUS 5 HOAX CALLS 1 MEDICAL EMERGENCY 3 TOTAL 34

4.8 To provide a little more detail about the incidents that the Rangers have been involved with it can be broken down into the following:

Medical 3 Person(s) at risk 15 Vessel at risk 7 Property at risk 1 Wildlife 2 Pollution 1 Other 5 Total 34

5.0 Lake Management 5.1 Slipway Usage 5.2 The number of vessels paying to launch at Ferry Nab this year has decreased

significantly by 24.84 per cent from 1131 to 850. Again, it should be noted that in addition to paying customers, all permanent mooring customers receive free use of the slipway for both their main boat and tender. Therefore actual usage is higher than the totals given. Non-powered vessels such as canoes and dinghies also receive free use of the slipway. Whilst there appears to be an increase in usage of this type of craft, unfortunately as no transactions are involved actual figures are not available.


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1st October 2010 to 30th September 2011

1131


850

5.3 The following table gives the monthly launching figures for October 2011 to September 2012, while the chart below shows the number of launches for each month along with a comparison to 2010/11 figures.

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep

96 21 7 13 11 54 59 137 70 111 156 115

Most significantly large drops in use have been seen in April, June and July, poor weather being the main factor. April 2011 saw a considerable increase due to exceptionally good weather,

5.4 Launching Trends

0

50

100

150

200

250

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep

Monthly Launches Comparison

2010/11

2011/12


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The average number of recorded launches has dipped slightly.

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

02 - 04 03 - 05 04 - 06 05 - 07 06 - 08 07 - 09 08 - 10 09 - 11 10 - 12


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5.5 Moorings

5.6 The table below shows the number of permanent mooring sites which were let to mooring holders in September 2012 in comparison with the number let at the same time in 2011.

As at Sept 2012 797

As at Sept 2011 841

5.7 Again the number of let mooring sites has decreased, with 797 mooring sites let out

of a possible 1034 on the lake. This equates to a 5.23 per cent decrease from last year. As in previous years the accessible mooring areas are all but full, with many sites in less accessible areas remaining difficult to let due to shoreline access issues.

5.8 Of the 237 available sites on the system there are in the region of 76 sites which

could be deemed as realistically lettable for various reasons including policy and access constraints. This gives us a total of 873 lettable sites, The most ever let in the last 25 years was 872 in 1990 which was also our busiest year ever on record for launches. We then saw a dip down to 650 in 1995. Since then it’s been steadily rising with slight fluctuations. So if we said there are a maximum of 873 ‘lettable’ sites then we are currently at 91.3 per cent occupancy. It should be noted that during that time the number of marina berths around the lake have greatly increased, namely at Windermere Marina Village, Windermere Aquatic and The Low Wood Hotel, and despite that occupancy of moorings has been relatively high.

5.9 The following table shows a breakdown of the mooring usage by fee type for 2012

and 2011 for comparison.

Fee Type

Description 2011 2012

A Open Deck Yacht 36 38

B No Boat Moored 57 62

C Craft < 11m Overall length charged per metre 663 620

D Commercial Mooring 28 22

E No Fee (this applies to sites tied to lakeshore properties which are currently unused)

50 48

S Service Moorings 7 7


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5.10 The following pie-chart shows a breakdown of mooring usage by fee type for 2012.

5.11 Mooring Trends

Overall a slight decrease continues to be the case.

A

B

C

D

E

S

Moorings by Fee Type 2012

A B C D E S

760

770

780

790

800

810

820

830

840

850

860

02 - 04 03 - 05 04 - 06 05 - 07 06 - 08 07 - 09 08 - 10 09 - 11 10 - 12


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6.0 Byelaw enforcement 6.1 The LDNPA Lake Ranger Team continue to record all interactions with lake users on

a computer database system that is common on both patrol craft. The majority continue to take place during the weekends and during the early evening.

6.2 The number of registration offences matches last year’s. However, there have been

18 per cent more unregistered vessels compared with last year. We think this may be linked to an impression held by a number of users in the early part of the year that they didn’t think they had to register until Easter.

6.3 Navigation offences have been slightly lower than last year, but the numbers that

have been reported for court action has greatly increased. 19 offences were reported for court action compared with 2 last year. Of these cases, 9 have been dealt with through the courts during the reporting period, with drivers receiving penalties of between £465 and £640. The fines are set by the courts and are at Level 2 on the standard scale.

6.4 The increase in cases being reported for court action is partly linked to the Lake

Rangers purchasing video recording binoculars, enabling vessels to be seen from a greater distance.


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6.5 The table below shows the numbers recorded for each offence type from the LDNPA’s byelaw offences recording system.

Offence type by Activity Sub Totals Totals

Interview record only - no formal warning 34

NAVIGATION OFFENCES

Warning - Speeding (6 knot limit) 27

Warning - Speeding (10 knot limit) 108

Warning – Reckless Navigation 0

Warning - Navigation without due care 1

Warning – Not Showing Navigation Lights 2

Warning - Navigation under 16 years of age 3

Warning - Pull Wyke Navigation Restriction 1

Warning - Towing an inflatable device 1

Warning - Miscellaneous 0

REGISTRATION OFFENCES

Warning – Unregistered subdivided as follows: 263

Failure to register 13

Failure to renew registration 111

Failure to display of numbers 44

Incorrect display of numbers 44

Failure to display annual marks 32

Incorrect display of annual marks 19

Notice of Intended Prosecution 26

Failure to register 11

Failure to renew registration 13

Failure to display numbers 1

Incorrect display of numbers 1

Failure to display annual marks 0

Incorrect display of annual marks 0

OFFENCES REPORTED FOR COURT ACTION 19

Speeding (6 knot limit) 6

Speeding (10 knot limit) 13

TOTAL 485

OFFENCE TYPE BY GROUPING

Navigation Byelaw Offences 162

Registration Byelaw Offences 289

Other (interviewed only) 34

TOTAL 485


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6.6 The following chart shows a comparison of the total offences recorded for the

period October to September in each of the last five reporting periods.

6.7 The Lake Rangers received 19 complaints of alleged byelaw breaches during the reporting period, a reduction of 67 per cent. Every complaint was responded to by phone or email. A number continue to relate to people concerned about lake users speeding on the lake; each was investigated and recorded should future reports be made.

6.8 Byelaw review 6.9 The confirmed changes that were made to the Navigation byelaws 2008 on 13

September 2012:

• provide Navigation Byelaws that are simple to understand and enforce, so creating a safe lake environment for everyone to enjoy;

• measure the 10 miles per hour speed limit in knots (nautical miles per hour) rather than miles per hour (statute miles per hour); and

• introduce other proposed amendments relating to safety, unattended vessels, the direction of authorised officers, notification of accidents, removal of “knowingly” from all offences created by byelaws, provision of information and exemption from speed limits.

6.10 All registered users, LDNPA staff and volunteers and key partners were informed of

the key changes by email or letter. The changes were publicised through the press, and the confirmation letter and new byelaws are on the LDNPA website. A new Lake byelaw booklet was produced covering the navigation and registration byelaws, which is available from the Lake Patrol Teams, Ferry Nab, the LDNPA headquarters or by post.

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12

112

178

102

448485

Offences Comparison


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7.0 Environmental management and waterbus jetties 7.1 Both authorities again worked closely with the Environment Agency during the year

and assisted where appropriate in dealing with pollution incidents. 7.2 SLDC’s Wardens assisted in dealing with a number of pollution incidents including a

large fire in a boat storage facility by the lake in November 2011, also after a car ended up in the lake having slid on ice adjacent to a private boathouse in Bowness in December 2011 (the driver had a very lucky escape!).

7.3 Staff from the Environment Agency spent two weekends at Ferry Nab advising and

educating lake users regarding minimising pollution whilst boating by things such as fuel and detergents.

7.4 The Windermere Geese Management Group (WGMG) continued non-lethal geese

management work. The group deferred a proposed cull to try additional control methods and gather additional evidence of the impacts of the geese on habitats and amenity areas. A summer count showed an increase from around 1100 Canada geese in 2011 to 1401 this year. The WGMG will consider a proposed Geese Management Strategy for the lake before any further work is undertaken in 2013.

7.5 The annual Winderclean litter pick took place in May 2012, around the shores of

Windermere and beyond with enthusiastic groups from the National Park’s Young Rangers, supported by staff and volunteers from the Lake Ranger Team. Other groups from the Soroptomists, Barclays Bank, Windermere Youth Project, local schools and the Brownies all pitched in to make a difference, as did the public, led by members of the Windermere Town Council. Winderclean not only removes significant amounts of rubbish from the shores and countryside around the lake, but raises awareness about reducing, re-using, recycling and removing rubbish. Work continues to be funded by the Windermere Reflections programme which allows everyone involved to be kitted out to carry out the work cleanly and safely.

7.6 A consultation exercise with lake users in early 2012 established where lake users

would best like to see additional waterbus jetties. It was proposed that one side of such jetties would be used by waterbuses (ferries) and the other side would be available for private boat owners’ use. Many people expressed preference for where they would like to moor up in their own boats, the most popular places being Waterhead, Bowness and Fell Foot, which are already well served with jetties for ferries and waterbuses.

7.7 However, additional sites were identified that would promote sustainable transport,

and access to parts of the shore currently not accessible from the water. In the northern basin Bark Barn was identified, just south of Belle Grange on the western shore. This site ties in with the new improved cycle route that now runs from Ferry House to Wray Castle and this will extend to Ambleside in 2013. This was also high in the sites identified by private boat users, and the floating jetty design will maximise availability in all water level conditions.

7.8 In addition, the partners involved with the project: Lake District National Park

Authority, National Trust, Windermere Lake Cruises and South Lakeland District Council, have agreed to upgrade the Wray Castle jetty to a floating one, as part of the ‘Go Lakes’ funded programme. The jetties are expected to be in place and open for use by early summer 2013.

7.9 It is also hoped to deliver two new jetties in the southern basin in 2013/14 on a similar

basis, subject to funding, agreements and planning permissions.


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8.0 Events on the lake 8.1 As already mentioned the largest event of the year was the Olympic Torch Relay

through the district, for which the Council were the host authority. Both authorities staff worked closely with the Police, Environment Agency, Fire Service and Windermere Lake Cruises in preparation for the Torch coming through the area, and on the Lake during the evening of 21 June 2012. Despite the poor weather during the day, the rain stopped as the Torch boarded the M.V. Tern at Waterhead and made its journey to Bowness and was well supported by a flotilla of other craft following it down the Lake. A total combined multi agency fleet of 12 patrol craft were used to marshall spectators and form the water borne escort for the torch. Some of the patrol craft remained in the area providing safety cover due to the large crowds gathered along the shore and on the Glebe for the evenings events which concluded with a spectacular Lakes Alive celebration.

8.2 Once again the Lake Patrol Teams provided support to the Great North Swim over

22, 23 and 24 June. Unfortunately the event didn’t go ahead as planned due to poor weather conditions. This resulted in Friday’s 2-mile swim event being postponed until Sunday and Saturday’s event being cancelled. However, despite these setbacks and issues associated with informing competitors and spectators about the cancellations, the event went ahead on Sunday with competitors taking part in the 2 mile, 1 mile and ½ mile swims. The event on Sunday was also filmed and elements were shown live on the BBC. Although safety cover for participants is adequately catered for by the event organisers, staff from both teams attended to marshall other lake users near to and passing the course to ensure the safety of participants and organisers.

8.3 Due to events like the Great North Swim and other challenge events open water

swimming is becoming more popular and there has been a marked increase in people taking part in this activity on the Lake. This has resulted in some concerns being raised by other lake users and the commercial operators, because sometimes swimmers cannot be easily seen. The Lake Patrol Teams continue to provide advice to swimmers, and hand out hats. The Lake Ranger Team has also been working closely with the swimming representative on the Windermere Lake User Forum to promote a code of best practice for open water swimmers.

8.4 There have been several other events including the Windermere Triathlon, British

Long Distance Swimming Association end-to-end swim of the Lake, the introduction of open water swimming sessions based from Brockhole, St Gemma’s Hospice rows, plus numerous other charity swims, canoe and challenge events. We still encourage organisers of such events to work closely with the Lake Patrol Teams to allow them to provide advice on safety, and potential problems with organising such events.

8.5 Windermere also hosted the biggest Beneteau Regatta to take place on the Lake

during August, with between 40 and 50 boats taking part. The Classic Boat rally took place in early August, and more boats attended due to the short term event registration scheme and the Steamboat rally took place later in August.

9.0 Staffing and Training 9.1 The LDNPA Lake Ranger Team was short staffed until the end of the season due to

one of the seasonal staff leaving, and one member of staff off for an extended period of time. This resulted in limited cover during part of the season and some shoreline and boat count surveys could not be undertaken. Nonetheless, the team completed 1,106.5 patrol hours during the reporting period. The team is now back up to four members of staff. One member of the team has also become a qualified VHF radio instructor, and delivered several VHF radio courses at the start of the season.


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9.2 The LDNPA Lake Ranger Team continues to work closely and support the voluntary

lake rangers on Windermere, Coniston and Ullswater. There are now 48 boat crew volunteers covering the three main lakes with 10 dedicated to Windermere. The Lake Ranger Team delivered 3 weeks of boat handling training at the start of the season for the volunteers. This included RYA Level 2 and Safety Boat courses, alongside VHF Radio training and general scenario sessions. They also continue to develop their boat handling skills, and wider lake byelaw knowledge when they are on patrol with the team. The volunteers have also been given wider responsibilities which include some of the LDNPA properties and carrying out some of the boat count and shoreline surveys.

9.3 Five members of the Lake Wardens team received jubilee medals from the Queen in

recognition of their services being part of the North West Ambulance Service First Responders.

9.4 The Cumbrian Lakes Major Emergency Plan for the lake was not tested this year, we

are awaiting a decision from the Cumbria County Council’s Emergency Planning Unit on how future assessments of the plan will be conducted. In the interim both teams will maintain their readiness and ability to respond in the event of any major incident on the lake.

9.5 The Lake Wardens have maintained the status of Ferry Nab as a Royal Yachting

Association (RYA) training centre and continue to provide certified courses to official bodies and other authorities. Recently this has included 31 members of staff from Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service and 8 members of staff from the Environment Agency. It is hoped to expand the scope of courses offered with the acquisition of a new boat details of which follow in section 12.

10.0 Boats and Equipment 10.1 The LDNPA are awaiting a new patrol craft that was ordered during the year, and will

be on the Lake at the start of next season. This will be a Cheetah catamaran and will replace the current Delta.

10.2 The Lake Ranger Team purchased a pair of video recording binoculars to assist them

with byelaw enforcement. 10.3 A new boat has been purchased by SLDC to replace the ageing 7 metre Osprey

Viper RIB ‘Warden 1’. This boat has been in service since 1994 and is fitted with a large inboard petrol engine. The engine and inflatable collar were in need of replacement, so alternatives have been researched, taking into account the differing requirements of the service in 2012. An opportunity arose to purchase one of the boats which was being used for the Olympic Games. The manufacturer ‘Ribcraft’ were offering these almost new boats for re-sale to RYA centres, completely refurbished and with warranty at a greatly discounted price, which was less than the cost of refurbishing the old boat. The new boat is a Ribcraft 5.5 metre boat with a 140Hp petrol outboard engine and will be used primarily as a second patrol boat but also will enable the Wardens to offer RYA courses in a boat more suited for training where individuals can be taught without the need for them to bring their own craft, something we have received numerous enquiries about but have until now been unable to fulfil. Delivery of the boat took place in early December.


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11.0 Conclusion 11.1 2012 has been a challenging year. We have seen major events including the Olympic

Torch and deaths of customers and friends who we all knew very well and will sorely miss. At the time of writing SLDC are also proposing a change to the staffing structure that manages the Lake and will see the end of a Senior Lake Warden role and the generation of one managing a wider range of services including car parks and the Lake.

11.2 Slipway usage has fallen dramatically compared to last year with over 250 less

vessels coming to visit the lake. This could be down to a number of reasons but high fuel prices and bad weather would be favourite.

11.3 We have seen events cancelled and postponed due to the weather with notably the

Great North Swim. The evening of the Olympic Torch event was also wet. Nevertheless these events all went smoothly with few problems and issues being reported.

11.4 Engagement with the Lake User Forum continues to grow and at a recent member

training event Carol Shaw (Lake User Forum Chairman) presented a client’s view of services. The user forum is an important sounding board for new ideas helping the Council to position itself better to deal with the challenges of reduced usage and income whilst maintaining a level of service that meets the needs of the users.

12.0 The Future 12.1 The Lake Rangers need to move from their base at the Steamboat Museum and will

be re-locating to Windermere Lake Cruises premises on the Glebe. This move provides time to explore other potential of sites, including - sharing facilities and resources with the Lake Wardens at Ferry Nab.

12.2 The Lake has an important role to play in delivering many of the aspirations of the Go

Lakes programme in particular regarding sustainable transport and provision of Waterbus Jetties.

12.3 Users have given a clear message that they require an increased number of public

jetties. As SLDC already has jetties at all of its shoreline areas a more cohesive approach with partners and private land owners will be required to make this a reality.

12.4 This is all set on a back drop of reduced usage in some key areas such as moorings

and slipway. Finding ways to deliver these services in a manner that will attract old customers back and generate new ones is the challenge we face to generate the income to allow such things as more public jetties and waterbus locations to be provided.

12.5 In 2013 it is hoped that planning permission will be granted to allow the Ferry Nab

area to have a new marina, shop and café and extend the Braithwaite Fold Car Park thus paving the way for improved transport options by bike, improved facilities for mooring holders including more showers, improved café facilities and greater parking and further winter boat storage potential.

12.6 In 2013 SLDC will carry out another user survey. These surveys are vital if we are to

understand the needs of our clients and provide the services that they wish to see. It helps the Council with budget setting, fees and charges and allows members to learn first-hand how their actions can and do affect the people who come to use England’s


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largest Lake. Hopefully it will ensure that the services provided are what the users want and in the locations they want them.

13.0 Appendices Appendix 1 - Summary of boat counts to 1 October 2012

2004 2005 2006 2007 2009 2010 2011

CRAFT Averag

e Average Average Average Average Average Average

Speed Boat (SB) 95 42 16 15 12 15 20

SB+Skier/Boarder 39 6 2 1 5 3 3

Personal Watercraft 18 0 0 0 0 0 0

Small Motor Boat 61 68 48 51 30 22 44

Motor Cruiser 53 53 31 25 21 18 29

Sailing Cruiser 86 116 60 64 43 50 67

Sailing Dinghy 57 62 41 42 46 42 47

Sail Board 0 6 3 2 1 1 3

Canoe / Kayak 20 51 48 39 52 29 44

Rowing Boat 17 39 18 15 11 10 19

Steam/Electric 3 2 1 3 2 5 18

Passenger Vessel 17 17 10 16 16 14 9

Safety Boat 10 8 7 11 16 5 11

Other craft 18 23 2 2 16 11 324

Total 494 492 287 286 271 283 269

Appendix 2 - Summary of baseline shoreline survey 2012.

SUMMARY - TOTALS ALL SURVEYS 2011

ACTIVITY (Figures are the No. of people

partaking)

25

/05

/20

11

12

/06

/20

11

17

/07

/20

11

09

/08

/20

11

21

/08

/20

11

23

/08

/20

11

11

/09

/20

11

TO

TA

LS

WALKING 102 107 96 229 372 162 35 1103

RUNNING 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2

CYCLING 0 5 0 1 7 2 0 15

SWIMMING 0 0 0 70 18 12 0 100

SCUBA DIVING 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

HORSE RIDING 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

PICNIC/BBQ 15 0 0 1 0 71 0 87

ANGLING 3 30 29 60 28 0 5 155

CAMPING 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

MODEL BOATS/PLANES 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1

LAUNCH/LAND SM CRAFT 4 30 29 60 28 59 21 231

OTHER 0 29 50 0 53 491 0 623

CAR PARKS (No cars) 17 12 21 26 28 33 11 148


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Appendix 2 Cont. - Comparison of Shoreline Surveys 2010 & 2011

ACTIVITY (Figures are the No. of people partaking) 2010 2011

Average Average

WALKING 219 158

RUNNING 0 0

CYCLING 8 2

SWIMMING 15 14

SCUBA DIVING 0 0

HORSE RIDING 0 0

PICNIC/BBQ 42 12

ANGLING 0 22

CAMPING 0 0

MODEL BOATS/PLANES 3 0

LAUNCH/LAND SM CRAFT 2 33

OTHER 144 89

CAR PARKS (No cars) 80 21

The sites surveyed are; Site Ownership. Public rights? Fell Foot National Trust Yes Silverholme Public Footpath Graythwaite Estate Yes Machell Coppice LDNPA Yes Beech Hill LDNPA Yes Rawlinson Nab Graythwaite Estate* Yes Cockshott point National Trust Yes Ferry House to Wray castle shore National Trust Yes Millerground National Trust/SLDC Yes Calgarth shore Headley Trust No Brockhole LDNPA Yes Jenkins Field National Trust Yes Waterhead. SLDC Yes * Rawlinson Nab is owned by Graythwaite Estate but is currently managed by the LDNPA under an agreement that provides for public access greater than that provided by the public footpath that runs through the site.


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Appendix 3 - A guide to Who Does What on Windermere

Organisation South Lakeland District Council (SLDC)

Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA)

Teams Lake Wardens Park Management and Lake Rangers

Contact details 015394 42753 or email [email protected]

Lake Ranger Team to report byelaw offences on 0844 225 2922 or head office on 01539 724555 or mailto:hq.lakedistrict.gov.uk

Byelaws Provide advice and education to lake users on the Windermere byelaws www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/byelaws Patrol the Lake throughout the year to enforce the Windermere Byelaws Provide and maintain the speed limit buoys and signs. Provide educational material such as the Lake User guide and wider Windermere information on the LDNPA website.

Windermere Registration Scheme

Act as agents for the LDNPA to provide a local registration facility on the Lake at Ferry Nab.

The Windermere Registration byelaws require powered craft to be registered and pay an annual fee on Windermere. It is administered at the Kendal headquarters. The registration scheme has associated fees which are set at a level to match the cost of administering and enforcing the registration scheme. http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/windermere/windermere_registration

Licensing Authority

Licensing Authority for hire craft that carry up to 12 passengers on Windermere. Inspection and licensing over 400 craft in the District. Carry out Boatmen’s tests and issue licences for skippers of hire craft.

Safety and Navigation

They provide and maintain 250 triangles and red buoys marking shallow water and rocks, plus 11 lifebelts at various locations around the lake.


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Emergency Rescue and the Coastguard

Agent to the coastguard for emergency rescue via 999 calls between 9am to 5pm. During the summer this is extended to 9am-9pm. The Lake Wardens also provide out of hours cover on a voluntary basis. They carry pagers and can be contacted either by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency or Cumbria Police.

Provide assistant and support to the coastguard for emergency rescue via 999 calls between 9am to 5pm. During the summer this is extended to 9am-9pm.

Boat Storage Annual Boat storage is available for 185 tenders and sailing dinghies. Winter storage for 157 larger boats. Monitored and administered from Ferry Nab contact & web site above.

Encroachment There are around 300 encroachment agreements between the Council and landowners around the lake, which are both private and commercial, and cover all structures that encroach onto the Lake bed.

Public jetties and moorings

Public jetties are provided and maintained at four locations around the lake at Ferry Nab, Bowness Bay, Rayrigg and Waterhead. Public slipways are available at Ferry Nab, and Waterhead. Public showers and fresh water hose reels are also available at Ferry Nab.

Sewage pump out and disposal facilities

Two sewage pumps to empty holding tanks, and an Elsan Disposal Point for portable toilets. The prices, charges and opening hours for these can be found on http://www.southlakeland.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/lake-windermere/lake-wardens.aspx

Training

Ferry Nab is a RYA recognised training centre and only provides training and certified courses to organisations such as Police, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, and The National Trust.

Lake shore and island patrols

The Lake Ranger Team patrol the Lake throughout the year to maintain the various shoreline and island properties owned by the Authority.

Data collection

During routine patrols data is routinely and systematically collected by the patrol team, on various aspects of lake and shoreline usage by boaters and other members of the public, to inform decision making.


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Wider educational role and supporting events

Provide wider information about the lake, water safety talks and demonstrations to groups. These can be arranged by contacting the Lake Wardens at Ferry Nab.

Provide wider information about the lake, and wider National Park issues through the National Park cruise with a ranger events, water safety talks and demonstrations to groups. These can be found on the Lake District National Park events program and website, or to arrange a specifically organised activity through contacting the Lake Ranger Team.

Work closely with Environment Agency’s officers responsible for the licensing and management of fishing and all water quality issues including pollution and toxic algae. This includes provision of appropriate signing when notified that toxic blue green algae are present in the water. Provide advice and guidance for events on the lake and safety cover for large events such as the Great North Swim and challenge events such as charity swims and rowing.

Sharing of information to aid decision making

A jointly prepared annual report is produced that outlines – trends and key issues along with lake usage and incidents.

Environment Agency

Contact the Environment Agency for pollution reports or advice on fishing – 0800 80 70 60


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Appendix 4 – SLDC Incident Analysis

SLDC INCIDENT ANALYSIS


Sports Boats Yachts

Motor Cruisers

Jet Skis Canoes/Row Misc

Totals

FATALITY 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

PERSONAL INJURY / ILLNESS 1 1 2 0 0 0 4

P/INJURY THIRD PARTY 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

PERSONS IN WATER 0

A) FALLEN OVERBOARD 0 1 0 0 0 0 1

B) CAPSIZED 0 6 0 0 1 0 7

C) JUMPED IN / SWIMMING 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SINKING / SUNK 4 7 0 0 2 1 14

COLLISIONS 1 1 0 0 0 0 2

ADRIFT / ASHORE 12 66 7 0 8 1 94

DAMAGE TO BOAT/PROPERTY 0 16 0 0 0 0 16

PROBLEM WITH MOORING / STROPS 0 18 3 0 0 0 21

BROKEN DOWN NOT ADRIFT 2 10 3 0 0 0 15

WILDLIFE / ANIMALS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

COMPLAINTS 0

A) BEHAVIOUR 1 1 0 0 1 0 3

B) CRIME/THEFT 0 0 1 0 1 0 2

C) OTHER 0 1 0 0 0 0 1

FIRE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

MISSING PERSONS 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

POLLUTION 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

MISCELLANEOUS 2 2 1 0 0 2 7

DEFIBRILLATOR (LAND BASED) 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

DEFIBRILLATOR (LAKE) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 23 130 17 0 13 7 190

check total 190

Documents

South Lakeland District Council And Lake District National ... … · month along with a comparison to 2010/11 figures. Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep 96 21 7 13