Canal & River Trust under fire for ‘cull’ of London boaters

Hundreds of boaters protested against a ‘cull’ of a traditional way of life along the capital’s waterways on Saturday (26Mar22).

The demonstration in Little Venice protested against the Canal & River Trust’s (CRT) plan to restrict mooring spaces in some parts of the capital and to issue enforcement notices against those mooring their boats in the wrong areas. The CRT began issuing enforcement notices in January of this year, according to The Guardian.

Boat dwellers say that changes to the way waterways are managed will benefit those who are better off and discriminate against the boaters who may be living on low incomes.

“London’s canals are enjoying a second golden age with the number of boats almost doubling in the last decade,” according to the trust.

There are about 4,000 boats on London’s rivers and canals, half without permanent mooring. These boats are known as ‘continuous cruisers’ and are expected to move from one mooring spot to another every 14 days. Many of these boaters remain within the same area of waterways where they have community links, like schools and health services.

The protesters say there will be a reduction of about 300 mooring spaces under new ‘safety zone’ rules and the introduction of some chargeable mooring spaces for short-term use. According to The Guardian, they are also objecting to a statement from the CRT that they will no longer accept complaints about their policies.

The boaters say that while they accept that some stretches of water are unsafe for boats to moor due to narrowness of rivers at certain points or sharp bends, other areas where ‘no mooring’ restrictions are being introduced are actually safe to moor.

“We welcome everyone to use the waterways including live-aboard boaters and there remains ample mooring space, but we need to manage such a busy waterway safely for everyone,” Matthew Symonds, national boating manager, told The Guardian.

Image courtesy of Canal & River Trust.