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Progress
with Government
Recent
Recommendations by the Commons select committee for Environmental,
transport and Regional affairs:
Waterways
4th report.
click
here for report
- There is considerable potential to increase freight carried
on selected inland waterways, but the difficulties are such that
a switch will not be achieved unless the Government is prepared
to offer more encouragement and investment (paragraph 17).
- We recommend that Freight Facilities Grants be
extended to assist navigation authorities in providing and
improving the waterway 'track' and associated facilities, and to
offer financial support to freight operators in modernising
their fleets. We further recommend:
a) the abolition of tolls for freight craft and their
replacement with an annual licence fee (with different tariffs for
regular users and occasional users);
b) that the planning system should promote the use of appropriate
waterside sites by industry to encourage supplies and products to
be transported by water;
c) that development plans recognise wharves and associated
infrastructure as strategic assets and provide greater protection
against development of such sites for alternative uses, and that
where such sites are lost to development, the authority should
oblige the developer to provide equivalent wharf facilities
elsewhere; and
d) that a one stop shop inquiry service for freight operators be
established to address their concerns about lack of co-ordination
between navigation authorities and provide immediate access to
practical information including waterway closures, depths, flood
or drought conditions. Such a service could be run by the
Association of Inland Navigation Authorities (paragraph 17).
- We recommend that local authorities safeguard and promote
public access to the waterfront in new developments (paragraph
24).
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