Neil also claims that the celebration, corporate and cream tea cruises which he runs along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, catering for parties of up to 60 people, have bounced back strongly from the disruption caused by the pandemic. He says that the firm is seeing its busiest period since 2015 - buoyed by investments made during lockdown.
““We would obviously be disappointed if our business had to end at Botany Bay Boatyard due to circumstances out of our control. We are a family-run business and we bought [it] from the landlord [of the wider site]. The boatyard will continue to operate under the plans for new industrial units on the wider site, but the landlord says there will be no room for the party boat business
Councillors approved plans for 10 individual units for light or general industrial usage, storage and distribution and also a café or sandwich shop.Cllr Alistair Morwood - who is also the authority’s cabinet member for planning - said that while he felt the proposal would bring about an “an improvement” to the overall site, he was disappointed that the party boat did not form part of the blueprint.