Lymington Town Quay mooring development proposals

Laura Hodgetts

Have your say on proposals to redevelop the Lymington Town Quay area to create more than double the number of walk-ashore visitor berths.

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Lymington Harbour Commissioners (LHC) have announced an eight-week public consultation on proposals to redevelop the Town Quay area to create more walk ashore visitor berths.

The Commissioners believe that it is essential to reconfigure the visitor moorings in order to provide the type of mooring facilities expected by modern yachtsmen, and to maintain the vibrancy of the Town Quay area as a tourist destination.

The scheme would see walk ashore moorings increase from being able to hold up to 19 visiting boats (rafted), to up to 51.

This would include 23 rafted (max 2 out), 20 bookable finger berths, six small boat/RIB berths and two alongside short stay berths.

Full details of the proposals and how to provide feedback are available from the LHC website at:
www.lymingtonharbour.co.uk/Consultation-on-Town-Quay-Mooring-Redevelopment-Proposals

Background

The Town Quay currently has walk ashore moorings for up to 19 visiting boats (rafted). There are also 97 mid-river moorings which in summer are used for visiting boats and in winter are used to accommodate resident boats that have been relocated from the exposed outer harbour moorings or to accommodate dredging in other parts of the river.

The walk ashore pontoon berths at Town Quay are popular with visitors and often full to capacity in the sailing season thus significantly frustrating demand. The current pontoon is also nearing the end of its service life and will need to be replaced within the next few years.

The LHC say in contrast, the mid-river moorings are not popular and their use has been in decline, (down by 24% since 2011) with sailors preferring the greater convenience and ease of mooring on walk ashore pontoon berths.

The proposal to redevelop Town Quay was first incorporated into LHC’s Strategic Plan following public consultation in 2010.

Lymington Town Quay - proposed mooring layout

The proposed mooring layout

What do the new proposals include?

The plans would involve relocating 43 resident small boat leisure berths to a new finger pontoon (25) or fore and aft moorings (18) located to the east of the railway bridge on the north side of the river.

Relocating the 17 resident commercial fishing boat berths upstream to pontoons located on the southern (downstream) side of the railway bridge. LHC say this is line with the feedback received from fishermen and will better separate commercial boat movements from leisure use.

And relocating the commercial boat landing to be closer to the slipway thereby giving better visibility to potential customers of the services offered. The commercial landing will also be lengthened to accommodate two boats at the same time.

Lymington Town Quay-existing mooring layout

The existing mooring layout

A LHC spokesman said the new proposals aim to:

Respond to the changing market demand for visitor walk ashore berths thus ensuring that the Town Quay area continues to be a vibrant and successful tourist destination.

Offer a choice between visitor walk ashore berths with power and water, and river moorings.

Offer the unique prospect of holding major events at Town Quay that will appeal to event participants, local businesses, and local people.

Increase the number of visits to local shops, restaurants, pubs and the Saturday market.

Improve safety by (amongst other things) widening the navigation fairway and enlarging the turning space opposite the commercial quay.

Continue to allow LHC to ‘flex’ use of visitor moorings based on changing seasonal demand, including use in winter to accommodate resident boats that have been displaced from other areas to accommodate dredging.

Release visitor dinghy tender berths (not so many needed if a greater proportion of visitor moorings are walk ashore) for resident berth holders on the waiting list for a tender in the Town Quay area.

Details of the consultation have been sent to stakeholders in the harbour and have been published on LHC’s website and in the local press. At the conclusion of the public consultation, the Commissioners will take stock of the feedback received before finalising its plans.