Decision details

The Service Delivery Manager presented an Encroachment Application to replace the boathouse and jetty at 1 Bellmans Landing Windermere, which had been lost due to Storm Desmond in 2015. The report set out the proposed details of construction, which included a boathouse with a pitched roof covered in natural slate, which was to be 3.7 metres wide 8 metres long and 3.8 metres high with walls constructed of timber boarding, supported by tubular piles in the lake. The proposal for a replacement jetty set out a traditional jetty which was 11 metres long with a width of 1 metre, constructed of treated spruce. If approved, a full survey of the site would be carried out by the asset team on completion to confirm the approximate dimensions of both the boathouse and jetty.

The Service Delivery Manager informed Members that the proposed works also included repair of the foreshore, concrete paving and dredging works covering the footprint, with dredging being carried out to cover an area of 61 metres ² to a depth of 1 metre to enable appropriate depth for berthing. He added that the applicant had provided confirmation of the approved planning consent by the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) which had been included at Appendix 1 to the report along with the Environment Agency (EA) approval at Appendix 2 to the report.

Members raised a query regarding the length of time it took for the application to come to the Lake Administration Committee and the frequency of meetings. The Service Delivery Manager informed Members that at the start of the year there had been no applications for Committee to consider. The Legal Governance and Democracy Lead Specialist (Monitoring Officer) added that the annual meeting of the Council set the calendar of meetings which represented an opportunity for Members to put proposals for additional meetings throughout the year, she noted that any meetings could be agreed with the Chairman at any point throughout the year.

A question was raised by Members on the inclusion of more detail on the biodiversity survey in the report. The Service Delivery Manager informed Members that the applications had been heavily scrutinised by LDNPA and EA approval process but agreed to include more information in future encroachment applications coming to the Lake Administration Committee.

RESOLVED – That authority be delegated to the Director of Customer and Commercial Services to grant permission, subject to the completion of a new private encroachment agreement for the following:-

(1)        construction of a new boathouse;

(2)        construction of a new wooden jetty; and

(3)        associated dredging.as set out in the report.