Hundreds sign petition to re-open Lydney harbour to public
It's after fencing was put up because of safety concerns
Last updated 9th Aug 2023
Nearly 2,000 people have signed a petition calling for Lydney harbour to the opened to the public.
Fencing was put up because of safety concerns, to stop people reaching the North and South Piers.
There's been a strong local reaction to the news that the fencing may be made permanent.
Some boat owners say the green gates aren't safe to use, and fishermen are blocked from access the water.
Professor Mark Horton, is a maritime historian and docks his boat at the harbour, he warns the new barriers are very dangerous, "Anything that restricts access to the pier, makes it unviable to use the harbour any longer.
"We can't assure safety, anyone collecting lines as you're coming up to the pier will be highly restricted.
"That means the safe approach is being severely compromised by the erection of this fence, and it means we can't keep our boats there anymore.
"It is very sad that this harbour that has been used for over 200 years is just increasingly going to become abandoned, as the boat users won't be able to use it.
"They won't have safe access from the seawards side."
In response to this frustration, Dan Marfell set up a petition as "the erection of this fence has been quite sudden, there's been no consultation and a real lack on transparency.
"Communication has been almost zero, and I think that has upset a lot of local people."
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “The Environment Agency is the landowner and harbour authority of Lydney harbour and has a duty of care to protect the public from harm. Currently the piers are closed to the public whilst engineering and construction activities take place to refurbish the sea gates.
“Following a public safety risk assessment and consultation with national safety experts, the piers will remain closed to open public access until permanent safety measures are agreed and installed. Any permanent solutions will be developed in consultation with Historic England and other stakeholders to ensure the harbour remains a safe and pleasant place for people to enjoy.
“We will be working with user groups at the harbour such as the yacht club to ensure that they and others, such as emergency services are able to access the piers when necessary.”