Is it a house or a boat?

tbs624

The owners say it's a boat but the Broads authority say its a building and it's got to go. It's "moored" on the River Yare, near Norwich.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-12278893

Pookielydia

I'd say it looks more like a house than a boat and if indeed it doesn't have any navigational aids or means of propulsion then it must be a building because it's going nowhere fast.

G_M

It's known as a 'houseboat'.

Houseboats rarely have any means of propulsion. But they DO often require planning permission and/or Building Regs.

Pookielydia

Aah,

Therefore they will probably have to take it down as they didn't get planning permission for it and presumably they didn't get any building regulations either.

tbs624

The BA have apparently deemed it to be a building rather than a houseboat. There are of course some pretty ugly houseboats even where the owners have sought appropriate permissions.

The owner says it has an engine room and she "can put an engine in". I think I'd pay good money to see it pootle about between the nearby bridges, though not necessarily from a viewing point on any craft on the same stretch of river. I reckon it wouldn't qualify for a Boat Safety Cert

riverboat2001

I wonder if it really is a "holiday home" or whether they are just trying to avoid paying for a residential mooring licence.
I also agree with tbs624 that i very much doubt that this has a boat safety certificate.
Lastly the pontoon it's built on doesn't really seem "man" enough for the job!

tbs624

riverboat2001 wrote: »

I wonder if it really is a "holiday home" or whether they are just trying to avoid paying for a residential mooring licence.

Isn't there also some "dodge" with shifting a boat from its moorings for a fortnight so as to avoid a C Tax liability?

They'd be a bit limited chugging up and down in their shed /boat between low bridges for 14 days, assuming all other nearby moorings were taken.:D

riverboat2001 wrote: »

I also agree with tbs624 that i very much doubt that this has a boat safety certificate.

Lastly the pontoon it's built on doesn't really seem "man" enough for the job!

Nice little tender though and the shed does seem to have a "boaty " porthole ..............

It will be interesting to hear whether the owners appeal, and if so, on what grounds.

riverboat2001

No, i think the moving up and down each 14 days is more to do with British Waterways mooring rules.
For example no more than 14 continous days mooring per calender month.
Then these people will claim they are "continous cruising" and avoid all the extra fees they should be paying.

We have a lot of "continous cruisers" near where we live, every 14 days they move between the same two mooring points!

I could go on for hours about this but would become very boring very quickly....
We've had a norrowboat in the family for the past 30 years.

maninthestreet

Looks like something the Top Gear mob would knock-up for one of their challenges.

bryanb

As far as I know, a boat safety cert is not required on the broads. Has that changed?

tbs624

bryanb wrote: »

As far as I know, a boat safety cert is not required on the broads. Has that changed?

April 1 2009 was the final date by which all boats on the Broads , "with engines, cooking, heating, lighting and domestic appliances", had to comply with the BSS (Boat Safety Scheme) . It's been brought in over a 3 year period, with the smaller craft last

Their certs have to be provided to the Broads Auth, as part of the toll paying system for navigation.