copy of letter sent to the Fife press

This letter was sent into the press, but they published their own version.

Dear Editor

I am asking you to publish the following open letter on behalf of the members of North Queensferry Boat Club, Old Railway Pier North Queensferry Fife.  To the following People:

 To Fife Councillors.

As chairman of NQBC I request that you (the Councillors) do not support the granting of a lease to NQCT on the grounds that there are growing concerns that after investigating both their proposals (one given to FC, one presented to the public at a pre-emptive meeting) there are serious irregularities in those proposals that requires further and more detailed investigations before a lease is granted. I also request that the NQ Harbour issue is removed from the SWAC agenda until these concerns are investigated.

To Leaders of the various political parties within Fife.

I submit that it would be helpful to form a cross party committee to investigate our claims and to ensure no councillor is subjected to external pressure  by those who wish the transfer to go ahead at all costs.

Background

We (NQBC) have been acting as caretakers for the harbour at North Queensferry on behalf of FC to their satisfaction for over 20 years and the club has been in existence for 60 years. We are very active within the community by raising lottery funds to build 2 rowing skiffs for a community rowing club which we helped form and are very active with donations to the community, we also held 2 boat festivals with another planned for next year. Under our care-taking we have seen the return of nesting shell ducks and a few seals visiting our bay, as a boat club our green credentials are second to none; we are also committed to protecting our bay from unethical development and are actively planning to try and have the pier area declared a mini nature reserve.

When Fife Council decided to pass on the lease, interested parties were invited to put forward proposals and to this end we (NQBC) established North Queensferry harbour Trust (NQHT).

We submitted our proposal to a committee comprised of Fife Councillors and officers but were unanimously turned down by said committee in favour of a non boating Community Trust (NQCT); this was agreed in the mid 2000’s, so no matter what NQHT presented we were not to be awarded this lease.

NQCT which is headed by a QC; (who also chairs the community council) has no track record of property management.

The NQCT committee's plans are to decimate the space for the boat club and as at the moment we use every available space (98 members)

It would be a sad day for the boating community if a club can be threatened in this way. We are not prestigious club simply a working person’s boat club. The NQCT chairman is a QC and we do not have the legal expertise to know our rights if the NQCT decide to increase fees to a point where our members can no longer afford to berth their boats this may cause the disbandment of a club with skilled men that has lasted for 60 years.
  

I would appreciate any assistance you can give us and I am more than happy to meet with you at any time to provide any further information you require to assist our cause

We have a long-standing relationship with our neighbours and local dog walkers and make our toilet facilities available to members of the public since the council demolished the local toilets without supplying an alternative at the pier.

met with a fife council team

Tuesday 18th February

We had a meeting at the invitation of Mr David Ross, head of fife council to explain some of our worries regarding the proposed takeover of the lease of the harbour area by NQCT.

The historical part of the club/council relationship was ably covered by Mr Gordon Scobie. The chairman contributed the current situation regarding the NQCT proposal and the lack of cohesive planning by NQCT as their business plan ( whether it is 1, 2 or 3)  does not take the clubs needs into account at all

I put forward the impossibility of squeezing the boats into the small space allocated and tried to explain the heart of the club is the way the members care about their boats and that if the skills of the members are lost they will never be replaced.

David Ross expressed his concern for the future of NQBC and to that end there will be clauses in the heads of terms of any lease protecting the club. It appears unlikely the lease will be finalised by the start of the financial year. 

I claimed a woman's right to the last word to make a plea that they recognise that as a working men's club our members are not regarded as having bottomless pockets to pay ever inflating fees.

They sounded interested, but only time will tell.

Summary of events Document

North Queensferry Boat Club and associated North Queensferry Harbour Trust

Summary of events Document

Two local North Queensferry Trusts were invited to apply for the tender to run the harbour/west bay area.

Following a presentation to Fife Council on 24^th July 2013, North Queensferry Harbour Trust (NQHT) was rejected, by letter on 5^th November, in favour of North Queensferry Community Trust (NQCT)

NQCT which is headed by a QC (who also chairs the community council) which has no track record of property management or of managing harbours Only one person on the NQCT (FC’s preferred bidder) has ‘boating experience’ he was a member of the North Queensferry Boat Club, however that individual has a life-time ban from the Boat Club (which has been in place for a number of years) this decision was agreed in the mid 2000’s, so no matter what NQHT presented we were not to be awarded this lease.

Effects on the North Queensferry Boat Club should the North Queensferry Community Trust Preferred Bidder Status be ratified in early 2014 by Fife Council; current ‘thinking’ of NQBC  is that NQCT would severely undermine the work that NQBC has carried out over the past 20 years and the service they provide to club members and the local community

Club will lose approximately 80% of its hard standing

The club are currently a mix of water boats – 30 + moorings in the water rented from the Crown Estate – and a number of ‘build/repair’ boats that sit on the hard standing area of the harbour or in the Workshop the club has maintained. The tradition of build/repair is one the club thrives on and in total the club has approximately 94 boats.

In the summer – there will only be a very small area for boats to remain on the shore, boats not in the water will be subject to a surcharge. The rest will have to stay in the water; NQCT has not allowed for emergency removal of boats from the water.

Fees for the club and members (so called facility fees) will remain the same in 2014/15 with a 25% discount to the Boat Club; however the fees will increase by 28% (with no discount) for 2015/16.

Current Support by North Queensferry Boat Club to Pier Area and local community 

North Queensferry Boat Club have over 20 years of experience of acting as ‘de facto' caretakers/managers on behalf of Fife Council, although that has not come about without various trials, tribulations and fall-outs on both sides.

The club has carried out the following duties during that time:

Maintained the whole area of hard standing cutting grass etc.

Ensured all safety equipment( some supplied by FC) is kept in a usable condition.

Keep fire equipment up to date in old workshop (supplied by NQBC)

Replaced/repaired doors in old workshop and installed steel pillars and fitted wooden support joists which hold up roof in workshop all at NQBC’s expense.

Keep the slipway free of algae by using flame burners bought and used at NQBC expense – the club members are forbidden to use any form of chemical and are conscious of their green credentials.

Maintain grass park area and picked up dog poo and dog litter.

Fife council demolished all toilets in the pier area; NQBC installed a sewage holding tank under their Portacabin to service their toilet (this was all paid for by NQBC). The club make these facilities available to members of the public.

Installed up to date CCTV and night safety lights (sensor operated) to monitor the pier area at the expense of NQBC.

Support for North Queensferry Boat Club

The club is now looking for support and advice in how to move this forward.

Details for North Queensferry Boat Club Chairman David Stewart:

·         Email : chairman@northqueensferryboatclub.co.uk

·         Web sites: northqueensferryboatclub.co.uk: northqueensferryharbourtrust.co.uk