Glasbury Canoe Launch Proposals from Powys County Council

Powys County Council has formally announced its consultation exercise on “options for management of canoe launching from Upper Glas-y-Bont common”.

The Council is now inviting detailed responses (by Sun 17 Feb) to a number of ideas (see below). Information about the consultation and a survey for response can be found on the Council website at https://en.powys.gov.uk/article/6689/Upper-Glas-y-Bont-Survey.

South Wales Outdoor Activity Providers Group has organised a meeting between its ‘Canoe Interest Group’ (any SWOAPG members who have an interest in canoeing!) and Powys staff, to hear more about the proposals, answer questions and offer initial comments on Tue 29 Jan, 10am-12pm at Black Mountain Lodge, Glasbury HR3 5PT.

If you would like to be added to this group and/or to attend the meeting, please let us know.

The full list of ideas being considered by Powys is:

    1. Water level indicators – Launching would only be permitted above a certain level; that could affect all canoeists, whether they are commercial operators or not.
    2. Restricting launching for commercial activity to specific days of the week – Launching for commercial activity would only be permitted on certain days of the week. Individuals, canoe clubs and non-profit-making groups would not be restricted.
    3. Allowing launching for guided groups only on certain days of the week, but allow unguided groups on other days – This would apply to commercial operators only.
    4. A central management scheme funded by financial contributions, to cover the costs of monitoring and enforcement. This would apply to commercial operators only.
    5. A financial contribution towards an organisation (e.g. charity) or activity that is felt to benefit the river as a whole, rather than any individual or business, or even a completely different nominated charity. Contributions could be required from commercial operators and invited from others.
    6. To set a quota for commercial usage each day, e.g. through having a set number of tickets per day. This would apply to commercial operators only.
    7. Increasing the visibility of anglers (e.g. by flags on trees) to canoeists, to allow more time for canoeists to avoid them and so reduce possible disturbance.
    8. Signage in sensitive areas on the river, so that canoeists can more easily identify those locations and act accordingly (e.g. “please pass quietly for the next 500m”)
    9. Group Size Restrictions – these could restrict the size and number of groups that any one commercial company may put down the river on any one day.
    10. Reduced ‘Launching Windows’ so that launching for commercial operators would only take place between certain times on peak days, to allow this canoe traffic to have cleared the river for other users by mid-afternoon.
    11. Reduced ‘Launching Window’ for unguided groups only on peak days. This would apply to groups launched by commercial operators only.

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