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London Assembly and Moorings


cotswoldsman

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Alternatively it might not be all doom and gloom and they might work towards changing planning policy to free up unutilised canal-side land for use as residential moorings.

As someone who moves about the canal system, the thought that even more lengths of canalside in the London area will become linear houseboat moorings IS doom and gloom.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

 

As I mentioned above the lack of residential moorings is a serious issue. I think this needs to be looked at by a body with a bit of weight so that changes can start to be made.

Until every inch of canal bank is occupied by static boats, some will always consider that there are insufficient residential moorings available.

 

Use of our canals as some sort of linear floating housing estate is no substitute for an effective national housing policy.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

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Jenny Jones is OK - her boat is called Arthur Dent (was in the flotilla). I can't imagine many of SPCC have too many problems with CC's as most moor at SP basin itself or have allocated moorings. I've joined them for 4 boat trips now and they have been OK.

 

GLA reports are normally well researched and supported.

I don't know Jenny Jones but I am sure she is a fine upstanding person and a good boater. The slight problem is she is purely heading up this research it is the replies from local residents that will decide the outcome and I think most of us are aware of the opinions of many residents in London area when it comes to boats.

There are all sorts of Laws that The London Assembly can bring in that will effect boaters in London this includes those just visiting. Just remember that 99% of boat engines would not pass the London pollution test for trucks and that is before anyone lights a fire to keep warm. Most vintage engines on older boats would not pass London noise regulations. This report is being done as result of the many complaints they have received from residents who like the canals but do not like boats.

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As someone who moves about the canal system, the thought that even more lengths of canalside in the London area will become linear houseboat moorings IS doom and gloom.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

 

Until every inch of canal bank is occupied by static boats, some will always consider that there are insufficient residential moorings available.

 

Use of our canals as some sort of linear floating housing estate is no substitute for an effective national housing policy.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

 

what? we're talking about offside land which has perfectly good mooring possibilities but is not used for anything. moving some boats from the towpaths to proper moorings with electric, water and letterboxes would mean no generators, clearer towpaths and a nicer canal environment.

 

(almost) everyone likes seeing boats even moored ones just think of little venice it is world famous ;)

 

or do you want to hammer along your canal at 8mph on your soliton wave without a moored boat in sight?

 

 

i'm moored on the towpath in zone 2 and there is about 500ft of perfect mooring bank opposite me which is used for nothing, ever. what a nice income generator it could be if it could be converted to serviced residential moorings.

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what? we're talking about offside land which has perfectly good mooring possibilities but is not used for anything. moving some boats from the towpaths to proper moorings with electric, water and letterboxes would mean no generators, clearer towpaths and a nicer canal environment.

 

(almost) everyone likes seeing boats even moored ones just think of little venice it is world famous wink.png

 

or do you want to hammer along your canal at 8mph on your soliton wave without a moored boat in sight?

 

 

i'm moored on the towpath in zone 2 and there is about 500ft of perfect mooring bank opposite me which is used for nothing, ever. what a nice income generator it could be if it could be converted to serviced residential moorings.

 

Exactly this.

 

All too often you see extensive offside stretches of London canal that would be ideal for moorings and wouldn't get in anyone's way. They often even mooring bollards or rings already fitted, probably installed during construction but never used.

 

Given the gripes on here about continuous mooring and bridge hopping I'd have thought that making use of this type of land for residential moorings would be viewed as a positive.

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I can think of several places where is land could be made into moorings

Problem is local councils denying planing permission so it becomes a non starter

 

Local Planning Authorities cannot prevent the provision of mooring facilities for leisure boats; they can only demand planning consent for use of those moorings for residential or commercial purposes. Moorings per se are part & parcel of the designed canal usage; there is no change of use hence no planning consent required.

 

Perhaps Councils could create an overall policy for canals within their area, such that consideration could be given to increase residential use of existing offline facilities as recreational online facilities were created?

 

Speed ought not to factor into the pros & cons argument for moorings along the canal – for boats to be moored in such a fashion as to impede the navigation is an offence under the General Canal Byelaws. 4 mph won't get anyone up onto the plane; consideration cuts both ways.

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what? we're talking about offside land which has perfectly good mooring possibilities but is not used for anything. moving some boats from the towpaths to proper moorings with electric, water and letterboxes would mean no generators, clearer towpaths and a nicer canal environment.

 

(almost) everyone likes seeing boats even moored ones just think of little venice it is world famous wink.png

 

or do you want to hammer along your canal at 8mph on your soliton wave without a moored boat in sight?

 

 

i'm moored on the towpath in zone 2 and there is about 500ft of perfect mooring bank opposite me which is used for nothing, ever. what a nice income generator it could be if it could be converted to serviced residential moorings.

Your perfect mooring space is my open green space. The length of linear moorings in the London area is already putting me off visiting the place. Complete the process and you can keep it.

 

Alternatively, they can build blocks of flats right up to the edge. Far more residential units to ease the housing shortage and I can go past at 8mph (as you say) and get out of the place even faster.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

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Your perfect mooring space is my open green space. The length of linear moorings in the London area is already putting me off visiting the place. Complete the process and you can keep it.

 

Alternatively, they can build blocks of flats right up to the edge. Far more residential units to ease the housing shortage and I can go past at 8mph (as you say) and get out of the place even faster.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

 

Open green space? I'm not sure what part of London your referring to but the places I'm thinking of are very narrow strips of land scattered here and there along the canal, sometimes grassed over when they're attached to housing estates, but often not, and generally seeing very little use by anyone. They certainly can't be developed on because they're far too narrow.

 

On the other hand the current situation sees rows of boats tide up alongside the towpath which is often located next to proper open green space (marshes, parks etc).

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Your perfect mooring space is my open green space. The length of linear moorings in the London area is already putting me off visiting the place. Complete the process and you can keep it.

 

Alternatively, they can build blocks of flats right up to the edge. Far more residential units to ease the housing shortage and I can go past at 8mph (as you say) and get out of the place even faster.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

not my perfect mooring, I prefer the towpath as I travel about but for those who don't surely a fixed moiring would be better and also better for people who travel about because there will be more space for visitors. and its more money for crt.

 

what is wrong with that? bearing in mind we aren't talking about beautiful scenic bits of 'green' canal being spoilt by boats...

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not my perfect mooring, I prefer the towpath as I travel about but for those who don't surely a fixed moiring would be better and also better for people who travel about because there will be more space for visitors. and its more money for crt.

 

what is wrong with that? bearing in mind we aren't talking about beautiful scenic bits of 'green' canal being spoilt by boats...

Fine, you both obviously know the lengths in question. As long as you are talking about isolated bits of currently derelict land I would feel OK. However, the sight of continuous lines stretching to the horizon, as already exists in some areas, fills me with horror.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

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I don't know Jenny Jones but I am sure she is a fine upstanding person and a good boater. The slight problem is she is purely heading up this research it is the replies from local residents that will decide the outcome and I think most of us are aware of the opinions of many residents in London area when it comes to boats.

There are all sorts of Laws that The London Assembly can bring in that will effect boaters in London this includes those just visiting. Just remember that 99% of boat engines would not pass the London pollution test for trucks and that is before anyone lights a fire to keep warm. Most vintage engines on older boats would not pass London noise regulations. This report is being done as result of the many complaints they have received from residents who like the canals but do not like boats.

Have to agree John. Ms Jones is trying to spin this as being beneficial to boaters, but the whole thing is being built upon hearsay and the self interested prejudice of people, both boaters and landlubbers, who think the canals should resemble an oil painting

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Jenny Jones has been active for a considerable time in the London Assembly. From 2005 she was involved on her own initiative with a series of public protests against inappropriate canal & riverside property developments where those threatened the commercial and leisure uses of the waterways.

 

I’ve uncovered 4 of the articles I collected from that time; these might help to make your own minds up about her priorities. It should be noted that BW backed all of the canalside developments that were so prejudicial to commercial and leisure exploitation of the waterways, on the grounds that land development was more profitable for them. I’m posting the articles up in turn in order that you can the direction she was taking then, vis-a-vis land developments vs waterway interests.

 

First off was 10th February in 2005 at Islington on the Regents Canal –

 

IslingtonFeb2005.jpg

 

 



February 25th was at Kew Bridge on the Thames, objecting to a Barretts West London scheme. This was successfully fought against at appeal, and a more modest and interesting scheme is now nearing completion. An obligation we won to construct a public jetty has yet to be implemented.

 

KewBridgeFeb2005.jpg

 



In March 2005 she came to Brentford again to protest the Commerce Road development owned and promoted by BW. This was rejected by the Secretary of State after a year long public inquiry at a cost of millions. A new, humbler scheme is now going ahead. We failed, however, to prevent the loss of the commercial trans-shipment facilities.

 

CommerceRoadMarch2005.jpg

 



In April 2006 she came to Brentford once more, to protest against the Brentford Town Centre development affecting my former boatyard. This scheme, actively defended by BW, came to nothing under the groundswell of local objections. Ballymore have since bought out the property, and their equally destructive scheme is under Council consideration at the moment.

 

RidgewaysApril2006.jpg

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Have to agree John. Ms Jones is trying to spin this as being beneficial to boaters, but the whole thing is being built upon hearsay and the self interested prejudice of people, both boaters and landlubbers, who think the canals should resemble an oil painting

The other slight problem is that she is a politician that has ambitions that require votes. Now if I was someone that believed in conspiracy theories I might be inclined to think that CRT would be quite happy to let London Assembly solve some of their problems for them!!!!

Edited to add: CRT have been asked to submit their views (as you would expect) I will certainly be asking to see their reply.

Edited by cotswoldsman
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The other slight problem is that she is a politician that has ambitions that require votes. Now if I was someone that believed in conspiracy theories I might be inclined to think that CRT would be quite happy to let London Assembly solve some of their problems for them!!!!

You have a good point re politics but I suspect that CRT really do not want this type of publicity and review. A lot of hot air will no doubt be produced and CRT's lack of action from creation of moorings and facilities to lack of enforcement of those that disregard existing regulations will no doubt be exposed.

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Well it may already be too late for some moorings in town, there has already been at least one meeting between CRT and the local authority that I know of regarding pollution (noise and smoke) from boats in Islington. I got the impression from CRT that they'd really rather not have to deal with situations like this, but are being forced to.

 

I can not remember it being as bad as this for complaints, but it *is* much busier than it used to be. Just looking at photos of us boating in 2009, 2010 through town, the difference in the number of moored boats is quite marked. One did not see double, triple mooring until the Olympics but now it's common. I went to collect something I'd bought from a boater in Kings Cross and the boats there were doubled up all the way up to and against a bridge hole. I'd not been down to that bit of canal in two years and I'm going to be honest, I did not realise quite how busy it has got in town 'til I saw that..

 

So I don't think the argument, 'congestion does not exist' is gonna wash with local authorities.

 

It's causing a lot of conflict between some residents and boaters. Are we surprised this is happening, whether we are for or against? I'm not surprised at all.



You have a good point re politics but I suspect that CRT really do not want this type of publicity and review. A lot of hot air will no doubt be produced and CRT's lack of action from creation of moorings and facilities to lack of enforcement of those that disregard existing regulations will no doubt be exposed.

virtual greenie

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I'm referring to the hassle and complaints that London boaters get from actual residents, nothing to do with anything reported to CRT or anything that they have published, I'm referring to complaints made to actual London Boaters themselves.

Edited by Lady Muck
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