Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Redhead's Landing 2
Tyne Slipway Ltd.
I had heard that the gates at Redhead's Landing were once again open for public access (the sign clearly states "public landing") so I decided to investigate on my way to work this morning, and returned at lunchtime to catch some pictures of the river from there.
The slipway is now completely unusable for anyone wishing to launch a boat, the original intention for riverside access, because of the huge amounts of flotsam that have accumulated there. However, having gained access through the open gateway, and carefully picking my way through the debris, I started to take some pictures. When I was finished I was approached by a man in dark blue overalls and the conversation went something like this;
"Alright mate? What do you want down here then?"
I replied that I was busy taking some pictures of the river.
" Are you from the Council then?"
It was quite obvious that I was not, because I was wearing my company's uniform, with logos on the front and back.
"It's just that we've made a few complaints about the state of the place here, it's not environmentally safe."
I asked if he meant the amount of flotsam.
"We found two dead sheep down here last week, and a dead fox yesterday"
I found this to be a bit unlikely, I considered how far upriver I would have to travel before finding a place where a sheep or fox could get to the river's edge, probably some distance west of Newcastle and there wouldn't be much left of the bodies by time they had reached this spot .
At this point another overalled man came through the gate .
"Come on, you can't stay down here mate, it's not safe."
I explained that I wasn't from the Council and asked where they were from.
The first replied,
"Next door, Tyne Slipway, we put the booms there and lock the gates because our boundary fence is in danger of getting damaged. We need to get the Council to sort this mess out."
I told them that I had also been in touch with the Council about the matter and explained that the Council does not own the land and therefore is not responsible for it's upkeep. I further explained that the land is not registered and therefore it is difficult to find out who does own the land. This didn't seem to impress them, and once again they advised me to leave.
They made no claim to be the land owners, and kept a close eye on me as I left, whilst the first man contacted someone on his mobile phone.
So, we have an odd situation where the owner and employees of Tyne Slipway (Engineering) Ltd. take it upon themselves to lock out the public from Redhead's Landing, on the pretext of looking after their boundary fence. It occurs that their access to the river, for boats that they build, is over this public landing, and perhaps one could think that they are doing their best to ensure that it will be for their own private use.
If you wish to contact Tyne Slipway about this matter you can email the Commercial Manager Mr. Gary Wilson at this address tyneslip@aol.com
I certainly will.
Click to enlarge
_________________________________________________________________
I had heard that the gates at Redhead's Landing were once again open for public access (the sign clearly states "public landing") so I decided to investigate on my way to work this morning, and returned at lunchtime to catch some pictures of the river from there.
The slipway is now completely unusable for anyone wishing to launch a boat, the original intention for riverside access, because of the huge amounts of flotsam that have accumulated there. However, having gained access through the open gateway, and carefully picking my way through the debris, I started to take some pictures. When I was finished I was approached by a man in dark blue overalls and the conversation went something like this;
"Alright mate? What do you want down here then?"
I replied that I was busy taking some pictures of the river.
" Are you from the Council then?"
It was quite obvious that I was not, because I was wearing my company's uniform, with logos on the front and back.
"It's just that we've made a few complaints about the state of the place here, it's not environmentally safe."
I asked if he meant the amount of flotsam.
"We found two dead sheep down here last week, and a dead fox yesterday"
I found this to be a bit unlikely, I considered how far upriver I would have to travel before finding a place where a sheep or fox could get to the river's edge, probably some distance west of Newcastle and there wouldn't be much left of the bodies by time they had reached this spot .
At this point another overalled man came through the gate .
"Come on, you can't stay down here mate, it's not safe."
I explained that I wasn't from the Council and asked where they were from.
The first replied,
"Next door, Tyne Slipway, we put the booms there and lock the gates because our boundary fence is in danger of getting damaged. We need to get the Council to sort this mess out."
I told them that I had also been in touch with the Council about the matter and explained that the Council does not own the land and therefore is not responsible for it's upkeep. I further explained that the land is not registered and therefore it is difficult to find out who does own the land. This didn't seem to impress them, and once again they advised me to leave.
They made no claim to be the land owners, and kept a close eye on me as I left, whilst the first man contacted someone on his mobile phone.
So, we have an odd situation where the owner and employees of Tyne Slipway (Engineering) Ltd. take it upon themselves to lock out the public from Redhead's Landing, on the pretext of looking after their boundary fence. It occurs that their access to the river, for boats that they build, is over this public landing, and perhaps one could think that they are doing their best to ensure that it will be for their own private use.
If you wish to contact Tyne Slipway about this matter you can email the Commercial Manager Mr. Gary Wilson at this address tyneslip@aol.com
I certainly will.
Click to enlarge
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Curly Born in 1956
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