The slipway, which is currently closed for safety reasons, will be repaired and the staithe re-piled at a cost of between £5000 to £8000 by the Broads Authority in March.The slipway, which is owned by the Broads Authority and managed by the parish council, is already widely used by canoes and other small craft, but trailer traffic has, up to now, been restricted to 12 village residents who hold keys to the locked barrier.
With a shortage of public slipways in the Broads the Broads Authority identified South Walsham Broad as a prime location on the River Bure for launching small boats and wanted to maximise value for public money.
However residents and the parish council opposed the unrestricted use of the slipway because of poor access, no toilets and no increase in parking facilities which they feared would lead to increased traffic congestion, extra noise and disturbance. Now the parish council and Broads Authority have agreed to open up the slipway to more keyholders during daylight hours for a one year trial. The number of village only keys will now be unrestricted. An additional eight annual keys will be available for the parish council to allocate to non parishioners, and three day keys for wider public use will be available at a cost of £5 per key. The parish council will work with South Walsham Angling Club to trial arrangements for use by anglers. If successful then this could be extended to other angling clubs in the area. The parish council has also confirmed that they are happy for unlimited launching of canoes and small craft which can be launched without opening the barrier. The Broads Authority will put up signs to encourage polite use of the slipway and increase ranger patrols in the area. John Packman, the Broads Authority’s Chief Executive said: “We are delighted that we have found a mutual solution to open up the slipway to more people. Upgrading the slipway provides an ideal opportunity to increase access to the water for the public and it is much more cost effective to improve an existing facility rather than create a new facility in a brand new location – an important consideration in the current financial climate.”Ken Turner, chairman of South Walsham Parish Council, said: “I am relieved that we have found an amicable solution within the existing legal management agreement with the Broads Authority that experiments with increased access. The parish council realises that extra numbers of holidaymakers and locals have to be catered for but wish the facilities to be upgraded first so they can be coped with. We think a suitable compromise has been reached and look forward to the refurbished slipway re-opening.”The situation will be reviewed after a year and further discussions required if disturbance is thought to be unacceptable.
