Left out to dry as director is unwilling to navigate choppy waters
RESIDENTS ARE SENT PACKING IN COVID CRISIS
HOUSEBOAT residents at a Newcastle marina say they are being “evicted” by the end of the year as the director has said he does not want “the responsibility of enforcing Covid-19 regulations”.
The community of ‘live aboards’ at St Peter’s Basin have until January at the latest to find somewhere else to live after receiving a letter last month telling them the rules were changing.
As of next year, the marina will no longer allow residential berth holders, meaning around 20 people will be saying goodbye to their homes.
Director Brian Hunt said he has received “complaint after complaint” about residential berth holders during the coronavirus lockdown and does not want to be responsible for enforcing social distancing.
But the boat dwellers have been left devastated by the news and say some will struggle to sell their vessels and find accommodation before the end of the year.
One resident, who asked not to be named, said: “We just received a letter evicting the entire community – it’s about 20 people, including some who have been here 15 years, pensioners, and a family with a newborn baby.
“Nowhere else is accepting new residents and it’s basically the end of the summer now, so people are struggling to sell the boats and are going to really struggle financially to sort out alternative accommodation.”
They added: “It’s a shame because it’s a nice little community.
“Because we’re here all the time, we do look after the place, and from a community point of view, I think people like having us here.
“People walk past us every day and stop for a chat. It makes it a bit more interesting.”
Another said: “We’re gutted. The boat was our dream and we worked really hard for it, now we have to give it up. I’m not sure we could find somewhere else where we could live on a boat and work nearby, so we’re just looking for a house somewhere. We’re not really sure how we’re going to sell the boat.
“We don’t even understand what the extra responsibilities he’s talking about are, other than providing some hand sanitiser and the frequency of cleaning the shower block.”
The letter sent to all residents in August said: “As a result of problems experienced during the Covid19 pandemic the company has decided to change its business model and reorganise the services offered to berth holders.
“Both the police and the local authority have informed me that I am responsible for enforcement of Covid regulations for residential berth holders.
“The last few months have been very difficult due to the coronavirus pandemic and I no longer wish to have the responsibility of enforcing
Covid-19 rules or any other similar regulations.
“Accordingly I have reassessed the company’s position regarding live-aboard vessels in St Peter’s Marina and I regret to inform you that at the end of this year we will cease to allow live-aboards in the marina.”
Mr Hunt told The Chronicle: “We allow people to live on their boats, and we’re virtually the only marina on the Tyne that allows residential berth holders in any form, but what we are saying is from the end of the year we are no longer accepting residential berth holders.
“With Covid-19, police and the local authority made us responsible for the actions of the berth holders, and I have no intention of doing that.
“We were getting complaint after complaint about the behaviour of the berth holders.
“I and my staff are not here to administer rules and regulations around social distancing – it’s not in our interest to do that.”