MARINAS are “essential” and “important” a minister told an MP concerned about waterway developments in the Solihull area.Meriden MP Caroline Spelman asked Jim Fitzpatrick, minister for food, farming and environment, where his department had issued guidance on marinas.
She also asked whether he had discussed the issue with British Waterways, which is entering into commercial deals for the schemes.
Two are planned for Knowle and one for Hockley Heath, concerning residents. Council chiefs urge one be approved and the other ditched. Click here for other marina stories.
He said: “Marinas are [an] essential facility to support the use of the waterways network and its significant contribution to the wider visitor economy.
“Offline marinas prevent congestion along our historic waterways and so free up the navigation for leisure and commercial use.
“This is particularly important in the light of substantial growth in boat numbers over the past 10 years.”
Schemes had to meet planning laws, which are a matter for the Department of Communities and Local Government, he said.
Mrs Spelman then asked this department whether it has “made an assessment of the merits of monitoring planning applications for marina developments”.
Ian Austin minister of state for the West Midlands replied: “No assessment has been made of the merits of monitoring planning applications for marina developments.”
