HARBOUR BRIEFING
Many people in the village might not know that the Harbour at Lympstone is not Crown land but owned by a local body, the Lympstone Fishery & Harbour Association (LFHA). This land is about 75 acres of foreshore and river bottom (up to the line of Mean High Water Spring Tides) running from Darling Rock to Courtlands Cross (the railway bridge at the southern end of the old Courtlands estate) and includes the harbour, the slipway and the ramp at Sowden End. A further 22 acres running from Darling Rock to Parsonage Stile is held on a 25-year lease from the Crown. The all-volunteer Executive Committee of the LFHA is the Harbour Board appointed by vote from the membership. Members are those granted an annual license for one or more of the available Association resources (a mooring or vessel storage on the dry hard or in the wet harbour). Members’ fees pay for the £15,000 or so annual maintenance cost of running the harbour and these fees are the lowest so far known in England. Licenses are granted preferentially to resident members of the Parish. More information about the Association and how to apply for a license can be found at www.lympstoneharbour.org.uk/faqs.html
Dogs on Leads: The Harbour Board would kindly request that all parishioners keep their dogs on leads when visiting or passing through the harbour. Some asked to do so reply that they are responsible dog owners and that this shouldn’t be required for their dog. The trouble is that the Board cannot identify who is or is not a responsible dog owner simply by sight but there are enough of the latter category to fill bags of dog waste every month. It is not a good thing to discover an uncollected deposit when you are lying on your back anti-fouling the bottom of your boat!
Parking: The Board does not want to put a vehicle barrier across the slipway but the increasing number of vehicles using this private property as a car park are a growing impediment to the launching and recovery of vessels. If this misuse continues, we will have to control access with a barrier. Some limited parking is available to members and to trades commissioned to maintain the harbour and the Sailing Club. Parking may also be permitted, on application to the Harbour Board, for trades commissioned by owners of the fishermen’s cottages running from the brook to Peters Tower.
