Pleasure Boat Licence

To hire out water-bound pleasure crafts, including sailboards, rowing boats, canoes, motorboats, pedalos and larger boats, for personal use or carrying passengers, you need a licence. 

Licences may be subject to a fee and conditions may be attached to a licence. You must not carry more passengers than you are licensed to carry.

To apply for a licence to run leisure services from the Ely quayside, the following process must be followed:

East Cambridgeshire District Council has two commercial mooring bays. Once one of them is vacant, East Cambridgeshire District Council will advertise this and invite interested parties to tender/bid for the use of the mooring to run commercial leisure services:

  • a tendering/bidding process will then be carried out with a deadline set for interested parties to express an interest,

  • all interested parties will be sent a tender/licence specification with a deadline set for submission,

  • once all tenders/bids have been received by East Cambridgeshire District Council a decision will be made based upon a pre-set scoring system,

  • the successful bidder will then be notified and a contract agreed.

For anyone wishing to be included in any future tendering or bidding processes or for further information please leave your contact details with Lewis Bage on 01353 665555 or use our online enquiry form (external link).

It is in the public interest that East Cambridgeshire District Council must process your application before it can be authorised.  If you have not received a response to your application within a reasonable period, please contact us.  You can do this online if you applied through the UK Welcomes service (external link) or use the contact details below.

If your application is rejected and you wish to appeal against this decision you may do so from two days after the decision to your local Magistrates' Court.

If your application is granted but you wish to appeal against the terms and conditions of the licence, you may do so from two days after the decision to your local Magistrates' Court.

You must give 24 hours notice of your intention to appeal.

If you are an applicant or a third party, you should always contact us in the first instance if you have any queries, concerns or cause for complaint preferably in the form of a letter with proof of delivery.  If you are not satisfied with the outcome and are located in the UK, Citizens Advice Consumer Service (external link)will give you advice.  If you are from outside the UK, please contact the UK European Consumer Centre (external link).

Trade Associations

EUGO website (external link)GOV.UK website (external link)