The launching of jet skis at a North Devon tourist resort is set to be banned.
Torridge councillors on Monday morning backed calls made by Cllr Len Ford for the ban in Appledore due to the ‘chaos’ they are currently causing.
Cllr Ford said that he wasn’t been a ‘killjoy’ and that there were alternative locations that jet skis could be launched from, but that ‘someone was going to be injured or lose their life’ unless the safety concerns were addressed.
And the Community and Resources Committee voted by seven votes to two, with one abstention, to close the Churchfields slipway with bollards that would stop jet skis from being able to launch.
Cllr Ford, explain his motion, said: “I am not being a killjoy and don’t want to stop the use of jet skis on the river, but this needs to be addressed as someone is going to end up injured or with a loss of life, as at the moment it is chaos. There are other launching points that can be used almost exclusively for jet skis.
“Mixing motor and speed with swimmers, canoeists, sailboats, paddle boarders, anglers and children crabbing and quay jumping is a recipe for disaster. Furthermore, due to inconsiderate users of Churchfields car park including jet ski users, buses cannot turn in their designated area.
“On many occasions, I have witnessed and photographed jet skiers parked in the hatched area and at the same time flushing out their engines and the repetitive firing up of engines in Churchfields before and after use can be as early as 5.3am in peak summer, surely this should be judged as anti-social behaviour?”
He added that the Seagate Hotel has spent huge amounts of money on major refurbishments over the last few years and is only thirty to eighty metres away from this ‘noise pollution’, and added: “I would like to put it to all councillors, would you like someone disturbing your sleep when you have paid approximately £200 a night in a hotel with beautiful sea views? I think not.
“It is clear that many jet ski users either do not know the codes of river or navigation law. For instance, jet skis should not exceed 6 knots when within 100ft of other vessels, except if overtaking or crossing. Last year on one occasion, a double jet ski with two young boys aboard nearly hit the Serene Sky (local trawler) at high speed.
“It is my opinion that I can state many negatives by allowing continual use of our slipway and I will now name a few; noise, smell, bad language, clogging up slipway, increased traffic on quay restricting bus access, blocking hatched area making bus turning difficult which could reduce bus service, increased danger to pedestrians in Churchfields due to inconsiderate use and congestion from parking, and foremost endangering other users.
“It is also a fact at present, they have three other launch sites which are little used on the Taw/Torridge estuary (Vellatore Braunton, Castle Quay Barnstaple and Bank End Bideford), and I will not sit idly by and let a few people ruin the enjoyment of the vast majority.”
Sean Kearney, Head of Communities and Place, in his report to the committee, said that Torridge District Council has no power or means of controlling the conduct of jet ski riders on the Estuary other than through advice and education.
He said that use of the estuary for jet skiing is very popular and has some positive impact on the wider economic offer of the area and the accessibility of the water is indeed a draw for holiday makers and day visitors alike, but there was undoubtedly an increase in anti-social jet ski activity on the estuary through 2020 and it would be reasonable to assume that this will continue into 2021.
Mr Kearney added: “The simplest way to reduce the impact of jet skis on the local environment would be to reduce the number using the estuary. One way of achieving this would be to ban the use of Torridge slipways for the launching. Banning use of the slipways will not mean that the estuary cannot be used by jet skiers and they will be free to use the estuary if crafts are launched from alternative places.”
He said that if members agree to a ban, then officers will likely need to introduce physical barriers to prevent launching, and that any physical barrier or bollard should be removable and lockable so that access can be gained if required and positioned so that pedestrian access for swimmers, canoeists, etc can be maintained.
Concerns were raised that physical bollards would make it impossible for boats to launch, and that it could just shift the problem of launching jet skis to other locations on the River Torridge.
But councillors voted by seven votes to two, with one abstention, for the suitable closer of with bollards.
No timescale for when the ban would come into force was mentioned, but Cllr Ford’s original notice of motion had said from Easter 2021.
