IWA is concerned that boaters have been trapped in Glasson Dock for most of 2024, unable to leave because of a failure of the tidal gate that leads from the Basin to the Sea, and a stand-off between the Port of Lancaster Commission who own the gate, and the Environment Agency. The 38 year-old gate is currently stuck, and although it’s owned by the port, in 2001 the Environment Agency added an extension to the gate to make it a flood defence. The port is not responsible for flood defences for the area. No modifications were made to the supporting structures. Since then, the port maintained and operated the gate with minimal contribution from the Environment Agency. In recent years, the port has spent a fifth of its annual turnover maintaining the gate. Over three years ago the port informed the Environment Agency that the gate was beyond its lifespan and needed replacing and that the port could not afford to do this. The Agency confirmed that replacement funds were in its capital scheme budget.
[The photo above shows coasters in Glasson Dock, with the access the sea – by Edmund Barstow. This photo was taken in 1975 and shows the previous set of gates before the present arrangement, but that the port can operate without the gate.]
In September 2023 the Environment Agency used its legal powers to take control of the gate to do some work on it. When they took it over, the gate could be lowered fully and it was lying safely flat in the gate pit, so there was vessel access to the inner dock and hence to the marina. When the Environment Agency handed the gate back to the port earlier this year, the gate was not able to open and since then has been stuck in the upright position, blocking the entrance to the port and the neighbouring marina, which is owned by Aquavista. The stuck gate is preventing vessels getting in or out of the inner dock and marina, damaging the businesses of both parties. Glasson Dock remains a commercial dock, as well as its use by recreational vessels. Some boat owners say they have had to spend thousands of pounds getting their boats craned out.
[The photo, left, shows boats in Glasson Basin – by Mike Valiant]
The port is capable of operating without the gate, allowing the basin to dry out at low tide. However, the Environment Agency needs the gate as part of its flood defences for the area. The Port Authority has been relying on the Environment Agency to fund the gate replacement, which the Port Authority says it promised it would, but now the Agency has withdrawn this offer. The Port Authority also says that its work boats are trapped, and it can only fulfil its Port duties by hiring third party contractors, which is unsustainable and the port is therefore facing a fight for survival.
[The photo, right, shows a coaster in Glasson Dock – by Judy Clegg]
