A new marina with moorings for over 200 boats has opened in rural Cheshire with £400,000 from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) funded by Defra and the E.U.
Overwater Marina, near Audlem on the Shropshire Union Canal, opened on Saturday, July 24th providing 206 long term and 21 visitor moorings for narrow boats.
In January 2009 Janet and Angus Maugham were granted planning permission to build the marina and facilities on Coole Lane including a boat workshop, tea room and a small shop. The couple wanted to diversify from their dairy farm business and approached the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), which manages part of the Northwest RDPE, for support to create an inland marina.
Janet said: “The marina needed a serious financial and personal investment from my family over the last few years but it has been a labour of love. There is a significant shortfall in the number of marina moorings available on the canal network compared to the demand and Overwater will help to meet this need.
We are already getting lots of bookings from boaters and we are thrilled that the marina is finally open. I would like to thank the NWDA for helping us achieve our ambition.”
David Hunter, Head of Rural Development at the NWDA, said:
“The RDPE seeks to create a strong sustainable rural economy and farm diversification is a key part of achieving this. The Overwater Marina is an excellent example of a rural business coming up with an innovative scheme which will contribute to the economic sustainability of Audlem and will provide new rural jobs.”
It is anticipated the £2.7million development will encourage canal tourism within Cheshire and the region as a whole. There are now a record 32,000 boats on British canals and rivers. Demand for boating has increased by an average of 2.6% every year over the last 15 years and is expected to continue to grow over the next 10 years.
Many inland marinas in the UK have a waiting list and new boat owners often have no alternative other than to take moorings on the banks of the waterways themselves. To ensure the local waterways remain open, off line marinas such as Overwater Marina, are being encouraged by British Waterways.
Throughout the planning and pre-construction process the family has sourced materials, goods and services locally wherever possible. This includes advertising signage for the marina, the website www.overwatermarina.co.uk which was developed by a web design company from Audlem and the initial site investigation works which were undertaken by a local excavation business.
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