Marina team in Gosport 'deep in planning' over how to reopen when restrictions end

Ben Lippiett, marina manager at Haslar Marina in Gosport, told The News the site will only be reopened once the government says it is safe to do so.

It comes as the Royal Yachting Association is calling for government to allow boatowners to have access to marinas in certain circumstances.

This, they say, would allow owners to do maintenance and security checks on their boats during the lockdown period, easing the strain on marina staff.

Currently, all marinas are closed off to everyone, excluding marina staff and those who live full-time on their boats.

Mr Lippiett said: ‘We take our responsibility to our staff and our customers incredibly seriously and have been working hard to follow the guidance from the government and our industry bodies to do our bit towards enforcing the social distancing rules and supporting the NHS.

‘As marinas, we fall under the same bracket as second homes and caravan parks – this means that by government directive we have had to close to everyone except those whose primary residence is with us.

‘We are now looking firmly to the future and are deep in planning for getting all of our marinas open again as soon and as safely as possible.’

Berth holders at Haslar Marina are currently paying a discounted rate.

Premier Marinas, which has marinas in Gosport, Swanwick and Port Solent, was approached by The News for comment.

Sarah Treseder, RYA chief executive, said: ‘We acknowledge and appreciate that marina operators are working as hard as possible under difficult circumstances and are doing their best to take care of boats during the lockdown.

‘However, marina staff obviously cannot undertake the sort of essential maintenance that responsible owners would do.

‘We believe there are measures that could be permitted immediately within the existing government guidance to allow access for essential maintenance.’

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