Sittingbourne Yacht Club's aim was to promote the use of Milton Creek for boating and to preserve its maritime heritage for the local community.
The club has now been disbanded. Read more.
Have a good look below at what Sittingbourne will be losing when Milton Creek is effectively blocked by the new bridge.
Timed no doubt to coincide with the Christmas holiday, the Secretary of State's decision was announced on 23 December. Disappointingly, summing up his findings of the July public inquiry (see below), the Inspector could find no good reason to stop the building of the fixed, low-level bridge by Kent County Council. The decision letter and the Inspector's report are available here.
We would like to thank everyone who has supported our campaign to keep Milton Creek open for navigation.
Several yachts and motor boats of all sizes gathered for this year's Sittingbourne Regatta on 14 September. There was some impressive sailing. Click the photo to see more, including knobbly knees contest; beware explicit content may disturb some viewers.
The public inquiry concerning the bridge was held at Swale House, Sittingbourne on 8-18 July, taking much longer than expected owing to the number and strength of the objections from Sittingbourne Yacht Club, the Sea Cadets, the Barge Museum and creek fontage owners. Though Kent County Council fielded 15 experts and a specialist barrister, objectors were not intimidated and put forward a strong case for an opening bridge. The inspector, Mr John Watson, was treated to a sailing trip from Swale Marina to the head of Milton Creek, ending at our base at Murston Wharf. Despite the modest tide, Chica was able to reach the head of Milton Creek well after high water and return safely to Conyer Creek on the same tide.
The yachting press has noted that the RYA's misguided withdrawal of their objection to the fixed bridge seriously undermined the campaign to keep Milton Creek open for sailing vessels. It seems that the RYA's advisor on enviromental and planning matters was taken in by Kent County Council's marina consultant and prejudged the public inquiry without consulting us. As you can see from photos and reports on this site, the creek is navigable to sizeable yachts and has at least as much potential for leisure boating as neighbouring Swale creeks. Fortunately at the public inquiry we were able to demonstrate that the consultant's "evidence" was ill-informed and inaccurate.
Like the rest of Sittingbourne, we want the relief road to be built to relieve traffic congestion. We are happy for a bridge to cross Milton Creek as this will promote awareness of and encourage access to the creek and the waterside of Church Marshes country park. However we think it should be an opening bridge that will allow sailing vessels (barges, yachts and dinghies) to pass. Otherwise the creek will be condemned to become a disused, sterile eyesore for at least a hundred years.
Bridge openings need only be a few times per week, at around high tide, and can be limited to set off-peak times causing no more dispruption than traffic lights. The costs and difficulties of building, maintaining and operating an opening bridge have been wildly exaggerated by Kent County Council and we intend to object to their proposed fixed low level crossing at the forthcoming Public Inquiry.
We are not just "yachting interests" but well informed people with grave concern that Sittingbourne is sleep-walking into the destruction of its only real asset and raison d'etre, which ticks all the boxes for regeneration, leisure, heritage, conservation and most of all quality of life for the local community.
As last year, Sittingbourne Yacht Club competed in the regatta hosted by Conyer Cruising Club and sponsored by Swale Marina. The friendly racing event was held over 3 days and was aimed to attract cruising yachts. For more information see www.swaleregatta.co.uk
Chica represented SYC in the Nore Race this year and came 4th in the multihull section. This was the only cruiser entrant from the Medway/Swale!
This is our engineers' idea of what a lifting bridge could look like at Milton Creek with the same 15 metre span as that proposed by Kent County Council. Fears of traffic hold-ups are unfounded as the bridge would open only briefly at published times near high tide. Rush hours would be avoided and the bridge would only open if boats are wanting to pass, which might be only three or four times a week. The bridge could be operated remotely so that no extra staff would be required. At the planning inquiry in July and we opposed sterilisation of Milton Creek by the proposed fixed bridge.
Despite wet and windy weather, six yachts were escorted up the Creek by Medway Ports patrol vessel "Medway Leader" in March 2007.
Click here for more photos and report.
The ancestors of Wil Pretty, our Rear Commodore, lived and worked at Milton Creek for generations as fishermen and mariners. John Clancy's book The Story of Sittingbourne and Milton Regis says that William Pretty was the captain of the first barge built by Smeed in 1845. He was knocked overboard and died at Murston when his barge, the Three Sisters, collided with the George, built at Adelaide Dock in 1852. Click here for more.
click here to see the Save Milton Creek e-petition.
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This site was updated on 15 October 2009. Please visit us again soon.
Comments and suggestions to Tony Lavelle at
webmaster@sittingbourneyachtclub.org.uk
© 2009 Sittingbourne Yacht Club
Disclaimer: Views expressed on this web site are not necessarily those of Sittingbourne Yacht Club or the Webmaster.
