15/10/2026
GRANARY STAITHE. NEVER MIND THE PILES, FEEL THE TIMBER.
Structural maintenance of a Staithe comprises of a few essential elements. The sheet piles driven into the river bed, which are the structure. The capping timber you stand on and the waling timber bolted to the face. Only the piles are structural, and along the river frontage at Granary Staithe, by the bridges, they are steel.
Hoveton Parish Council bought the Staithe on 27 March 2013 for £100,000. The Broads Authority assessed the piling the following month. The council took on the asset BEFORE it had the piling assessment.
The assessment found the river frontage piling “likely to be serviceable for the next 10 to 20 years”, but warned that the footbridge “is loading the piling beyond its capacity”. For the medium term, within ten years, the report recommended propping the worst affected section at a crude estimate of “at least £10,000”. For the long term it put full replacement at “very likely to be in excess of £100,000 (current costs) and could easily be £200,000”. That is a floor, not a price, and it is in 2013 money. [Ref. Granary Staithe Piling Assessment, T. Hunter, Broads Authority, April 2013].
The ten year point passed in 2023, and no minute records the propping being done. The twenty year point is 2033.
- On 2 December 2024 the council recorded that “Indicative piling costs had been received from the Broads Authority which suggested that replacement of those at the Staithe will likely cost in excess of £100,000.”
- On 3 November 2025 the council recorded an “Earmarked Reserve, Granary Staithe - £27,000”.
- On 7 September 2026 the council recorded that the works include “replacing the quay heading along the Staithe” and that “it looks as if the cost can be covered by the amount in reserves earmarked for Granary Staithe.”
Then, on 5 October, a resident asked the council for clarity about the proposed works.
The resident stated that he understood a significant sum was coming the way of the Staithe for the quay. He also understood that a report from BA had advised that the sheet piling and the timber piling a lifespan of between ten and twenty years. He also pointed out that just under thirteen of those years have gone, which on his calculation leaves about six and a half.
The resident had been down to look that day and said the timber was not in good condition. His concern was that the quay work is nice but purely cosmetic, and that what it is being attached to does not appear to have a reasonable lifespan to carry that work. He wanted to understand, in light of the current works, whether the council had commissioned a structural assessment to say the piling will last longer.
The chairman said a discussion on Granary Staithe would come later in the agenda, but that two quotes had come in.In regards to costs, the council said it has been putting money aside. When asked if it was enough money, the response was 'it will be'. However, the important question about a structural assessment was never answered.
So where does that leave it?
The council says it has the money. Its own minutes put the job at £100,000 at the very least, possibly £200,000, and the savings at £27,000.
And here is why that matters. The piles hold the bank up. The 2013 report says that if they are left to fail, the edge is likely to move out into the river. By 2022 the Broads Authority found that had already started. The sheets had leaned riverward and voids had opened up behind the capping along nearly three quarters of the frontage. The road bridge and the footbridge sit right beside it. [Ref. Granary Staithe Piling Review, E. Leonard, Broads Authority, July 2022].
The questioning of Granary Staithe's structural integrity in 2026 is now on a matter of record. If it's left unreported in minutes, the You Tube recording remains.
Either way, we’re sure the record will prove invaluable to whoever happens to be standing on the riverbank the day Granary Staithe finally gives up its day job as a public amenity and embarks on an unplanned cruise to Horning, presumably without planning permission, a navigation licence, or a return ticket.
