THORPE ISLAND CURRENT POSITION

1) At the end of last year The Broads Authority (BA) sent 41 eviction Notices to houseboats moored at the western end of Thorpe Island (known as Jenner's Basin).

2) The landowner, Roger Wood, has been involved in a lengthy legal dispute with the BA who claim that there are no mooring rights. This is despite advising Roger that there was planning permission before he bought Jenner's Basin, despite there being a Covenant for private moorings, and despite the BA Head of Planning (Cally Smith) confirming to a Planning Inspector that the right to moor there does exist.
 

3) The residents were ordered to leave by 18th December 2015 but instead set up a lobby group, Save the Island, to fight back.
 

4) More than 3,800 people have signed an online petition calling for the evictions to be overturned - we see this as a statutory authority abusing its powers to engage in a process of social cleansing. Why? Because the BA cares more about tourists than those who live and work on the Broads. You can sign the petition here
 

5) In addition, more than 5,000 people have joined this Facebook Group in support of the Islanders who have been labelled 'feral' by Members of the BA including Chair, Professor Jacquie Burgess. She also described Jenner's Basin as a 'shanty town'. Terminology that says more about her than it does the hard-working, tax-paying, friendly people that actually live there.
 

6) The Save the Island campaign has evidence that Cally Smith lied to Members of the BA Planning Committee when asked about scope for negotiation at Jenner's Basin. She said that was not possible and advised that enforcement action was the only solution. When, in fact, representatives of Thorpe Island had already met with her and offered talks. That meeting was recorded. As a consequence, more than a hundred thousand pounds of public money has been spent pursuing an illegal eviction.
 

7) In January 2016, Chief Executive of the BA, John Packman, offered a negotiated settlement only to withdraw the offer just days later. No credible explanation was given. 
8) During a second meeting with John Packman and Director of Planning and Resources, Andrea Long, the Save the Island Group were informed that the enforcement process is now 'live' meaning that the residents could be forced into homelessness at any time.
 

9) The Save the Island campaign is applying to have the Court decision set aside because of these and many other irregularities. We have said many times that, in any event, we will not leave. Houseboats have been present on this stretch of river since at least 1922.
 

10) The Save the Island campaign has also called for a Judicial Review into the workings of the BA and in particular the planning process which is arguably the least transparent in the country.
 

11) The Save the Island campaign has lodged a formal complaint against the Chair of the BA and called for the removal of senior officers, John Packman, Andrea Long, and Cally Smith. 
 

12) The Save the Island campaign will now instruct an independent professional to engage with local stakeholders to inform a fresh planning proposal to be submitted to the BA Planning Committee. We desperately need funds to do that. You can help us by donating to our crowdfunding campaign here

ALSO - visit our Facebook page for more information and join us on Twitter to receive updates. Here are the links:
FACEBOOK

TWITTER