This approach has been successful for operation of a slipway owned by the local Council in Southend on Sea and managed by Thorpe Bay Marine. Southend has a long foreshore with numerous moorings and three launch sites, designated for different boating activities. Tidal access is HW ±3 hours. Thorpe Bay Marine, a local powercraft sales and support business, leases the Council powercraft slipway on terms which include a requirement to provide site attendance, during tidal access, at summer weekends (May - September) and weekdays during busy holidays. PW access is limited to this slipway.

The leaseholder is permitted to set his own charges which should be not less than for comparable facilities in Council management. Current charges for all powercraft are £10 per day or £120.00 per season. Small fishing boats and light dinghies are not charged: a rough and ready classification which seems to work in practice. These charges permit part time employment of an attendant, who also works in the shop. The slipway management is essentially non-profit making: its purpose is to support recreational powercraft use in the Southend area, and so help Thorpe Bay Marine indirectly.

There is a zoned area to the west of the slipway, regulated by council patrol boats. Management style at the slipway is pragmatic and includes advice and encouragement to behave in a tolerable way. The operation appears to have worked well during the past nine years, perhaps because the area has been used for powerboating for many years and this is accepted by other users of the foreshore.

A management task, appreciated by users, is weekly removal of sand and shingle dumped on the slip by natural sediment transfer. Thorpe Bay Marine is trying to encourage local users to form a club, with the emphasis on social activities.