National Trust under fire over new Brancaster Harbour rules

But something is stirring along the muddy creeks and quays of Brancaster Staithe.

Locals are rebelling against the National Trust, which owns the area, accusing it of trying to "monetise" the harbour with a raft of new rules and charges.

They say the organisation is trying to run it like its traditional country house attractions, such as Blickling Hall, rather than a part of a village and a public waterway which has been used by locals for centuries.

Changes to mooring arrangements have angered harbour users at Brancaster Staithe (Image: Chris Bishop)

The trust, for its part, says its costs are increasing and that the new measures are intended to make the running of the harbour safer and fairer.

The hoo-ha is the latest in a string of uprisings against the Trust on the north Norfolk coast, following similar disputes in Stiffkey - where villagers have been at loggerheads with the charity over delays in replacing a marsh bridge - and at Morston, where locals fought against its plans to install a new food caravan saying it would "suburbanise" the beauty spot.

One harbour user angered by the new changes said: "The feeling is that they've got too pushy, too big for their boots."

Another added: "This is not some ancient pile being preserved with all the souvenir shops, cafes and all the rest of it."

CHAIN OF EVENTS

Notices announcing the changes the National Trust is making at Brancaster Staithe (Image: Chris Bishop)

The National Trust owns the 2,000-acre Manor of Brancaster, which includes the harbour.

In the 1990s, the harbour's management committee put down a chain just above the high water mark to allow people to moor up small dinghies.

There was no charge for using it. But now the tide has changed.

The National Trust has put up notices warning anyone securing their dinghy to the chain that they must register their vessel, enter a ballot for places and pay £60 if successful.

It has also imposed a four-fold hike for mooring fees for larger vessels, which are kept on buoys further out in the channel.

It is these changes which have angered locals.

STORMY WATERS

Brancaster fisherman Cyril Sutherland in his workshop (Image: Chris Bishop)

Cyril Sutherland, 78, is the fourth generation of fishermen to rake cockles and mussels and catch crabs and lobsters from the harbour.

He said the trust used to meet with users' committees which were set up to advise on the running of the harbour.

"They don't listen to local people now," he added.

"For the last two or three years, the trust have ignored the fairways committee when making decisions. That has brought a lot of unrest to the harbour."

Another fisherman, who asked not to be named, said: "They're not listening to local bodies like they used to.

"We always had committees where they'd come and listen to you. Now they come and tell us what to do, we find ourselves on the back foot all the time.

"It's a generic thing along the coast, they're having to monetise to cost recover and they seem to have lost that respect for the local area."

TRUST'S CHANGE OF TACK

Jim Herculson beside the harbour at Brancaster Staithe (Image: Chris Bishop)

Retired businessman Jim Herculson, 77, remembers the public meeting before the trust took over Brancaster, in 1967, at which it said it did not intend to take over the running of the harbour.

He was also a member of the harbour's management committee for 40 years.

"We dealt with the National Trust for a lot of years," he said. "We got on with them and as long as the harbour was run OK they were happy.

"For centuries, I guess, boats have been kept down here, small boats. In the 1990s, we put a chain down for everybody to use. There was no priority, no charges."

Boat owners who keep larger vessels on moorings must pay between £150 - £300 depending on the size of their craft.

Mr Herculson said previously, the charge was £40, while the trust has also opted to register the harbour for VAT and sent out invoices before the end of the financial year,  he believes to bolster its finances.

He said the Trust seemed to be treating the area like one of its country houses.

Fisherman Jon Brown beside the harbour at Brancaster Staithe (Image: Chris Bishop)

"This is part of this village," he added. "It's not some ancient pile being preserved with all the souvenir shops, cafes and all the rest of it."

Jon Brown, who has been working the harbour for more than 50 years, said fishermen had been told they cannot tie up to the gallows - an ominously-named jetty with two large oak beams, which was originally constructed and paid for by fishermen and harbour users.

"The feeling is that they've got too pushy, too big for their boots," he said. "They've got themselves in all kinds of muddles about the bridge at Stiffkey, the catering caravan at Morston."

MARSH FAIRIES STRIKE AGAIN

The sign from 'the Marsh Fairies' which appeared beside the harbour at Brancaster Staithe (Image: Submitted)

In a sign of the discontent, a sign mysteriously appeared in the reeds near the sailing club a few weeks ago.

Signed by 'the Marsh Fairies', it warned: "Brancaster Harbour is not Blickling Hall, don't let the National Trust take control."

The use term 'Marsh Fairies' suggests that the strong local feelings are tapping into wider discontent towards the Trust along the coast.

The same 'nom de guerre' was used by unidentified individuals in Stiffkey who put up a makeshift bridge across a marsh creek, in frustration at what they saw as unacceptable delays by the Trust in replacing a previous structure.

'A FAIRER, SAFER HARBOUR'

The Manor of Brancaster, which includes the harbour at Brancaster Staithe, has been owned by the National Trust since the 1960s (Image: Chris Bishop)

The Trust insisted that it widely consulted all changes with local groups, including Brancaster Parish Council, Brancaster Fairways Committee and local business owners.

A spokesman said: "We’ve made some changes at Brancaster harbour to make it a fairer and safer place for all users. We introduced a ballot system to allocate spaces on the chain to ensure local people and those with tenders to moorings in the harbour are given priority.

"We’re also asking boat owners using the chain to confirm they agree to abide by the rules of the harbour, that their boats are insured and we know who owns which boat.

Boats pulled up beside the harbour at Brancaster Staithe (Image: Antony Kelly)

“We have managed to keep mooring fees fairly constant for several years. However, increased running and maintenance costs of the harbour mean that as a charity we now need to look at increasing these fees for those using its facilities.

"Changes to the mooring fee structure and the introduction of the new charge for a place on the chain will directly contribute to the continued investment needed to help keep the harbour safe and well maintained.”