RYA Southern Region welcomed the National Trust's announcement that they will not now proceed with their proposed Harbour Empowerment Order for Newtown Creek in the Western Solent.
If enacted, the Order would have made the Trust the Statutory Harbour Authority not just for the Creek, but also for a substantial area of the western Solent adjacent to the River entrance.
Commenting on the news, Edmund Whelan, Head of Legal and Government Affairs at the RYA said:- ''Although the National Trust understandably wish to safeguard Newtown Creek from the pressures of leisure use, we, together with many concerned individuals and clubs in the Western Solent, objected to the proposals on a number of grounds. One of our major concerns is that the Trust is not locally accountable, and to give them harbour authority jurisdiction over the river and part of the Solent would go well beyond the powers reasonably needed for protecting the special character of the area.''
The RYA Southern Region covers Poole to Chichester and the Isle of Wight, representing 155 affiliated clubs in the area.
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