The boss of Sandbanks Ferry is holding an event in Swanage for anyone who would like to know more about why he wants to increase the price of using the ferry between Studland and Sandbanks in Dorset.
The meeting, organised by a public relations company, is being billed as a community drop-in and will take place between 4 pm and 8 pm on Wednesday 11th December 2024 at The Mowlem in Shore Road.
The Sandbanks Ferry being refitted in Poole Harbour in November 2024
“Allay any concerns and confusion”
The boss of the Bournemouth Swanage Motor Road and Ferry Company, Mike Kean will be at the event ahead of the public inquiry which will decide whether the ferry company will be allowed to increase the ferry tolls, reduce the bulk buy ticket discount which most favours local residents, and reintroduce a road toll.
This event is not part of the formal public inquiry but an exercise in community engagement. The invites says:
“At the event, we hope to allay any concerns and confusion about our toll application. We are keen to listen and to explain our decision-process in a transparent and straightforward manner.
“Our community is of utmost importance to us, and we want to develop an ongoing relationship, beyond the rescheduled public inquiry in January 2025, and for the future.”
Prices are proposed to increase in line with inflation
Key issues
Inflation-linked toll increases
It was agreed at the public inquiry in 2020 that the ferry company could increase vehicle tolls by around three percent a year until 2031. This was estimated to be broadly in line with future inflation. However inflation shot up in 2022 to over 10 percent.
Now the ferry company wants to scrap the three percent cap and link back dated toll increases to RPI inflation and future increases to CPI inflation. It says it has to do this otherwise the company will lose money and won’t have enough to buy a new replacement ferry in 2034.
While these increases will protect the company from inflationary spikes it means the risk is transferred to the paying passengers who will have to absorb the inflationary increase.
As a small concession, the ferry company now says it will delay the initial RPI inflation increase by 12 months, but it will still be introduced.
Bulk buy discounts reduced
In 2020 it was agreed alongside the three percent annual increase in tolls that regular passengers who bulk bought tickets would get an increased discount. So historically buying books of 10 tickets attracted a 10 percent discount and books of 50 got a 15 percent discount but that was increased in 2020 to up to 28 percent and 32 percent respectively.
Now the ferry company says that it hadn’t anticipated so many passengers taking up the offer and it’s losing too much income. Initially the company wanted to return to the 10 percent and 15 percent discounts but is now proposing a sweetener by reducing the initial impact of the regular traveller fare increases by spreading them over an initial four years.
This means for cars and all other vehicles, the discounts will be initially 36.03 percent (for 10’s) or 39.57 percent (for 50’s) and those will be reduced to 24 percent and 28 percent respectively, where they will remain. So more of a discount than pre 2020, but less of a discount than agreed by the 2020 public inquiry, and it has to be remembered that the individual toll prices will be increasing each year.
Increased cyclist and pedestrian tolls
At the 2020 inquiry the ferry company agreed to freeze the tolls for cyclists and pedestrians at £1, the idea being to encourage active travel and reduce the use of vehicles.
Now the company says it wants to increase the charge from £1 to £1.75 because it’s been unchanged since late 2009 and therefore represents a cut in real terms. Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to get bulk purchase discounts.
Security of the replacement ferry fund
There’s concerns that the money put aside to buy a new ferry when the old one requires replacing in 2034 is not safeguarded and isn’t legally ringfenced.
If it was put in an account called an escrow account then it could have greater protection but the ferry company says it doesn’t have to do this and it’s not possible anyway.
Introducing a road toll
The ferry company says it wants to reintroduce a road toll for using Ferry Road for vehicles that just wish to access the area but not travel on the ferry. This was a surprise proposal as it is both legally and logistically complex to achieve.
Now the company is doubling down on the concept and says it will collect the money using an automatic number plate recognition system (ANPR).
The company says that payment of the road toll will be enforced by mobile patrols, probably on foot or by a fixed camera on a vehicle which will be driven up and down the ferry road.
The road toll will only be payable by vehicles that have been recorded as being on the ferry road for more than 30 minutes. It also says that anyone using the ferry or queuing for the ferry will be exempt including those travelling to the Shell Bay restaurant, the boatyard, the house boats or any National Trust property.
While this is an attempt to clarify how a road toll will be successfully introduced, it still raises a lot of unanswered questions.
Fears from residents are unlikely to be allayed unless there’s major changes to the ferry company’s proposals
Huge row
There’s been an extraordinarily large number of objections to the ferry company’s proposals. The public inquiry team say that they have registered the complaints of 633 objectors.
The ferry company application is also opposed by a consortium of Dorset Council, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, Swanage Town Council, Studland Parish Council, Langton Matravers Parish Council, Worth Matravers Parish Council and Corfe Castle Parish Council.
However, a huge row has blown up, not only over the ferry company’s proposals but also by the company moving the public inquiry from Studland village hall to the Poole Harbour Commissioners building in Poole.
The inquiry will now start at 10 am on Tuesday 21st January 2025 and is expected to last several days. An evening session will be held at 6.30 pm at the Springfield Country Hotel in Stoborough near Wareham on Wednesday 22nd January 2025.
With the vast majority of the 633 objectors to the ferry company’s proposals living in Purbeck, the surprise move is seen by many as a way of making it much harder for Swanage and Studland residents to attend the inquiry and have their say.
This is due to the geography of getting from Purbeck to the Poole Harbour Commissioners building on the Poole Ferry Terminal peninsula, which will involve the use and cost of the Sandbanks Ferry or driving round via the congested Sandford route.
In addition, the cost of car parking at the new venue is £8 a day for up to six hours, or £15 for up to 24 hours. The venue is not accessible via public transport.
The Sandbanks Ferry getting a recent refit in Poole Harbour, not far from the new location for the public inquiry
“Chosen after an extensive search”
In a statement, the ferry company said:
“The new venue, located on New Harbour Road South in Poole, was chosen by the ferry company to host the inquiry, which will see the planning inspector hear evidence from the company and other interested parties, including local councils.
“The facility was chosen after an extensive search across Poole and the Isle of Purbeck, based upon availability, size, accessibility and suitability for the purposes of the inquiry.”
The ferry company team says that it has to comply with the criteria set out by the government for public inquiry venues and due to the large number of objectors, the place chosen had to accommodate 300 people.
It says The Mowlem and the Emmanuel Baptist Church, both in Swanage were considered but deemed unsuitable.
Getting to the public inquiry at the Poole Harbour Commissioners building near the Poole Ferry Terminal will be challenging via public transport
Angry local residents
Councillors across Purbeck, representing the county, towns and parishes have been inundated by emails from angry local residents who wanted to attend the inquiry but now feel won’t be able to get there unless they drive and pay up to £25 a day for parking and ferry tolls.
Dorset Council councillor Ben Wilson who represents South East Purbeck, which includes Studland, said:
“I’m disappointed at the choice of the venue and recognise the impact it will have on Studland and Purbeck residents to attend the public inquiry. I hope local residents will take the opportunity to attend the evening session at the Springfield Country Hotel in Stoborough.
“We are currently exploring transport options in order to help residents get to the public inquiry and I’d also encourage people to share lifts to help as many people as possible who want to attend. Everyone who wants to, should be able to voice their concerns.
“The consortium, which includes Dorset Council, continues to oppose the latest ferry company’s proposals to increase the cost of travelling on the ferry.”
Although a residents meeting about the ferry toll increases was held at Studland village hall, the venue was seen as too small for the public inquiry
Move inquiry back to Purbeck plea
Councillor Bill Trite who represents Swanage on Dorset Council is asking the council to intervene in the decision on the choice of venue.
At the Dorset Council full council meeting on Thursday 5th December 2024 he’ll be putting a question to the meeting, which asks:
“…Will Dorset Council apply its best efforts to having the public inquiry moved back into Purbeck, where there are at least four venues of a suitable size and quality to facilitate the inquiry, even in the unlikely event that a further postponement of the inquiry’s commencement was necessary?”
“Disenfranchising local residents”
Chair of Studland Parish Council Nick Boulter said:
“There’s more than 600 people objecting to the ferry company’s application to increase tolls, with the vast majority living on the Isle of Purbeck. So what have they done, but move the inquiry to Poole!
“I consider this is basically disenfranchising local residents by forcing them to pay up to £25 a day to have their say!”
Further information
- Sandbanks Ferry drop in event for the local community to ask questions is between 4 pm and 8 pm on Wednesday 11th December 2024 at The Mowlem in Shore Road, Swanage
- Documents about the toll proposals are on the Sandbanks Ferry website
