Goals and Objectives

Dart Harbour is a Trust Port run by boards of trustees who reinvest all profits for the benefit of all port users and wider regional and local interests.

Its policies support its main goal of managing the estuary in order to protect, enhance and develop Dart Harbour for current users and for future generations.

Dart Harbour consults with its stakeholder groups to produce policies that aim to increase confidence in its work and encourage understanding and support of the organisation by the public.

If you have any comments please contact the Harbour Office.

• To administer the Authority in line with the Guide to Good Governance ( GGG ), the 1975 Act and the 2002 Revision Order, and all relevant legislation. To ensure that all Board Members and senior staff of the Authority are conversant with the GGG, the 1975 Act and the Port Marine Safety Code.
• To develop training programmes for new Members and Staff to further this objective.
• To ensure by training that the Authority keeps abreast of important legislative changes – European Directives, The Marine Bill.
• To enforce DHNA bylaws and ensure that all staff and volunteers are familiar with them.

To manage the Authority such that sufficient revenue and savings are generated to meet all current commitments (including reasonable provision for contingencies), to enable provision to be made for the programmed maintenance and replacement of all facilities, and to permit planned improvements for Stakeholders.

• Benchmarking – carry out costs and price comparisons at regular intervals (benchmarking) to ensure value for money.
• Prepare a detailed fully costed rolling three year capital improvement and replacement plan.
• Prepare an outline 10 year plan for major capital expenditure.

• To continue the present policy of the open and well-communicated delivery of all duties, policies and operations that take into account the views of all Stakeholders. Continue with open Board meetings with the minimum of matters considered “in committee”.
• Continue with representatives from the Board attending Stakeholder Group meetings whenever possible.
• To hold at least one public meeting annually to report on the work of Dart Harbour
• To consult as widely as possible when formulating sensitive policy.

To develop policies in full recognition that the river, its wildlife and its environment is of outstanding beauty and environmental value and has a cultural history that must be nurtured. Policies must be developed which protect this heritage for future generations. This was a key objective of the 2005 Moorings’ Policy.

• To continue to develop the Moorings’ Policy
• To work closely with the South Hams Estuaries Officer and its partners to be a leader rather than a follower in environmental matters
• To maintain a sustainable Dredging Policy
• To develop policies relating to sewage and other pollutants
• To keep the Waste Management Plan under review and improve where appropriate.

• To develop a formal set of procedures and guidelines for dealing with Planning related applications for consideration by the Authority. Such guidelines to include consultation with interested parties and an appeals procedure.
• To agree consultative procedures with South Hams District Council such that the Authority is able to make a meaningful input on land based applications, which have a waterfront dimension.

• To develop long term mutually productive relationships with key partners both in the public and private sector.
• Such partners include:
• The Duchy of Cornwall
• The National Trust
• Sharpham Trust
• South Hams District Council
• Britannia Royal Naval College
• South West RDA
• South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
• Stakeholder Groups
• Dartmouth Town Council, Totnes Town Council, Parish Councils
• Commercial Organisations on the river with which partnerships may be of mutual benefit – Noss, Baltic Wharf etc.
• Other Ports
• To maintain an open door attitude to any potential partners
• To complete a new 21 year lease with the Duchy.

• The development of policies to achieve balanced and optimum usage of the river.
• To encourage balanced usage while at the same time responding to market pressures when this can be done in a sustainable way.
• To encourage and consolidate the success of targeting visiting ships (in collaboration with Destination South West). This includes not just cruise ships but also tall ships, sail training ships and ships of the Royal Navy and RFA.
• To attempt to increase the Port’s market share of the Super Yacht market
• To encourage maximum usage of the mooring stock by refining and extending implementation of the Moorings’ Policy.
• To continue to provide a range the moorings in both price and size so that affordable moorings, suitable for local people on low incomes are available.
• To audit the river facilities and develop appropriate charging policies in line with costs and usage.
• To develop incentive schemes for users wherever practicable.
• To prepare an accurate Geographical Information System (GIS) based moorings’ location map.

• To make the harbour a safe environment for employees, river users and the public at large.
• As part of the Port Marine Safety Code (PMSC) to continue to develop and refine risk assessment procedures and identify potential dangers and activities, address these and monitor that corrective action is taken
• To revise the PMSC annually and to receive a report on this revision.
• To work closely with key partners in furtherance of safety – these include the RNLI, Coastwatch and the Coastguard service.
• To develop a procedure for consulting with the Leisure Users and Commercial Users Groups to ensure that dangerous incidents, particularly those that may be of a persistent nature are minimised.

The Authority is mindful that staff costs are by far the largest item in the annual budget and also that staff are the Authority’s major asset.

• To ensure that the Authority is staffed and structured to provide a first class service in response to customers’ needs and requirements.
• To ensure that all staff are adequately trained, assessed, rewarded, encouraged and resourced.
• To develop individual training plans for all staff
• To improve internal communication
• To carry out annual appraisals and to develop key performance indicators for all staff
• To carry out annual appraisals of Board Members and to plan for succession.