100 more of marina’s holiday boats set to become year-round homes
A FURTHER 100 boats moored at an inland Derbyshire marina can now be used as permanent homes.
Mercia Marina, between Willington and the A50, is a popular holiday and tourism destination, particularly for those travelling on the canal network.
At a South Derbyshire District Council planning meeting this week, councillors allowed the marina to have a further 100 boats moored on the site used as permanent homes, taking the total to 360.
This would mean that 61 per cent of the 587 moorings on the site would be for permanent residents – their boat is their main residence – not for tourists or daytrippers.
The vast majority of the remaining moorings can only be used for leisure purposes and cannot be primary residences, while seven have commercial uses, such as mini-cafés.
Site owner Madecom Leisure LLP wrote in its application that there was a 90-person waiting list for customers currently entitled to leisure use at the site who wish to upgrade to a residential mooring.
It says the demand for leisure moorings is “weaker” and says it has struggled with vacant leisure moorings ever since the site opened. The company says it currently has 70 vacant leisure moorings out of 321 - 22 per cent.
The firm said in its application: “To compound this issue, the impact of Covid-19 on the leisure and tourism industry has been significant.
“While the market for residential moorings has remained buoyant, the demand for leisure moorings has been affected more harshly.
“The adverse impact on the market for leisure moorings is expected to continue and potentially worsen as Government employment support is withdrawn. This application seeks to remedy the supply and demand imbalance identified above.
“It will benefit the marina business in the current economic climate by helping secure core income from a stable and reliable product.
“It will also help secure future inward investment in the medium and long term – a policy which has seen the marina grow into one of South Derbyshire’s key tourism destinations. Ultimately, the proposal will rectify the underutilised capacity issue and increase productivity at the marina.
“In addition, the provision of more residential moorings will contribute towards meeting district housing targets and will also offer an affordable form of accommodation in a sustainable location.
“The increase in occupancy and footfall will also benefit the businesses that trade at the marina.”
At Monday’s meeting, Steffan Saunders, the council’s head of planning, said: “I am not concerned that this would be detrimental to the initial vision of the site which is a tourism and leisure destination.”
He said the demand for more residential boat accommodation “can’t realistically be located elsewhere” in the district.
Mr Saunders said the impact on services would be lower than traditional housing with an expectation that it is unlikely for the boat homes to be occupied by families, and instead single people, couples and more elderly people.
The application was approved by councillors unanimously.
Planning permission for the marina was granted in 2007 and there was an initial permission for 12 residential moorings on the site, which has now increased by a factor of 30.
Papers filed by the owners detail that the site has more than 900 parking spaces with a number of electric vehicle charging points.
There are 90 bike parking slots and a 50-bike sharing scheme for residents of the marina.
The site has three facilities blocks containing 12 showers, 15 toilets and three laundry rooms.
There are 122 storage sheds for residents and there are more than 30 holiday lodges, with plans for more.