The London borough of Hackney has decided that “any planning application will have to consider the importance, vulnerability and character of the area, particularly the canal’s role as a green corridor…” This is good news in view of the numerous developments cropping up all along the canal.Hopefuly other councils will in good time adopt this stance and strangle the free-for-all development occuring along our canals and rivers
Hackney Gazette
Waterways minister Jonathan Shaw claimed there had been 7 billion pounds of inviestment into waterways regeneration in the past few years. Thats taking things a bit far because this regeneration actually pertains to development along the canal (in Soviet style of course!) See Manchester Evening News
Virutally none of this money has been used for improvements to navigation or any of the urgently needed repairs that the waterway navigation authorities are unable to carry out.
Pass me the sick bag please Mr Shaw!
The first of the business barges, I believe it is called Newark Belle, recently arrived at Hale wharf and my gosh what a big business barge it is compared to the smaller ones seen at Eagle Wharf and in Paddington Basin. Is this the way forward? Much larger barges and far less waterspace for the navigation?The above picture doesnt do justice to the scene really as the channel width is essentially now that of a canal rather than a river navigation.
I have some suggestions for BW. How about business trains instead of barges? These wont impede navigation. They can be put on the towpath and stretch from Tottenham to Stonebridge lock. Towpath users can use the pathway through Tottenham marshes instead. One problem. Where will BW get its business trains from? Simple! The Victoria Line is upgrading its tube stock and no doubt the 1967/1972 stock will be come redundant with a home yet to be found.
The Isle of Wight line surely will only need a few sets as always, so the rest of the 1967/72 stock can be wheeled from their depot the very short distance across the road at Stonebridge onto the Lee Navigation towpath, where they then form an end on end line of tube stock. Now’s here’s BW chance to create the worlds longest office in deference to St Pancras’ claim to having the worlds longest bar!
Kevin Whateley who played John Thaw’s partner in Inspector Morse, relates the time they filmed an episode at Jericho. Whateley says that the majoritiy of redevelopments are “bungled by greedy property dvelopers.” He also adds that he hoped the “absolutely unique Jericho boatyard will not suffer the same fate.”
Good words from Kevin. One wonders why then despite so much opposition from people on development, why is BW still allowing them to go up? After all it was them who decided to let Jericho fall.
The ongoing saga of Jericho in Oxford continues to amaze. The efforts by British Waterways in closing down the yard and evicting the boaters has come to naught so far. Locals applauded as plans for flats on the site were rejected. One local commented “The proposal dumps two large blocks of flats on this site reminiscent of Soviet housing.” (see Oxford Mail) To me that is in essence what much canalside development is becoming. Its becoming repetitive. Utterly boring. Balconies after balconies, flats after flats, and more, more more.
BW’s desire for a portfolio of unhindered canal-side development seems to be finally backfiring. Too many developments are popping up along the canal everywhere. There are many ugly developments that should have never been given the go ahead. The canal is now one linear prime property development site and it has got to stop. There’s less and less space to actually enjoy or benefit from the waterways these days despite towpaths being espoused as the get away from it all thing.
Development is encroaching on the space available and creating an alleyway that will in time be seen as a imposition on personal space. Towpaths will be seen as the route to insanity as one begins to tire and despair of the relentless facades that line the canal in a pretentious mode of embracing the waterspace when all they do is choke it. Take a look at one development in London and what do the property developers say? The canal is a ‘lilly pond’ that enhances property.
Not surprisingly, British Waterways’ own findings a few years back actually went against the very kind of thing that is happening now. British Waterways seems unable to enforce common sense upon new developments, but perhaps that is not surprising in view of its attitude towards Jericho. That is why more and more people need to stand up to it. Perhaps Jericho is the first innings in what could be a series of battles to prevent the waterways becoming a gulag?
Waterscape has announced that ‘Briscombe Port’ won 80,000 from the ITV’s Peoples’ Millions programme. The Brimscombe Port that I know doesnt seem to be the one Watercape know. I have never known it to be called Briscombe Port. I suppose its another of their goofs caused by their desire to get news, or stoppage notices out quickly. Their goofiness, amongst other things, is I suppose why many boaters call it Waterscrape.
Imagine Geneva, faces turned towards the camera, smiling, with the famous water spout behind. Its not people with extraordinary superpowers aka Stuart Damon, Alexandra Bastedo and William Gaunt in ITV’s ‘The Champions.’ Its Thames 21’s ‘Champions’ or to be more exact their Waterway Champions.
Thames 21 has £266,000 from youth volunteering charity v to spend over the next few years to convert (hopefully) 2,500 youngsters into ‘WC’s’ with a sense of love and duty for the London Canal system.
Will it work? Its said by ‘v’ that “Instead of seeing them as a problem to be fixed, we are giving them the chance to become a positive force for change.” Have youngsters ever been a problem? Isnt it often the adults with their type of community, social and political agenda that causes youngsters to be disillusioned? Take Thames 21 for example, their trustees dont even have waterways backgrounds, except for one who just isnt the best trustee possible because he forms the ageis of another organisation that is well noted for its non-transparency. What sort of example is that then?
What will Thames 21 do when one or two of these aspiring youngsters want a job? It’ll probably say ‘you aint got enough experience.’ Its just like many other charities, looking good on the cover but inside full of contradictions because inevitably (as one disgruntled ex charity director recently said to me) all charities exist for themselves! Its time for V to take over! Lets hear it for the real Champions!
Did you know BW has never had a disability officer, or an equality officer? Its odd especialy when BW wants to spend thousands encouraging more people to visit/use the waterways. A significant number of ethnic groups and disabled people live in areas the canal system threads through.
The news has been coming in this week that Eugene Baston is leaving British Waterways. I shant weep tears, for his department wheedled its way out of its obligations as a service provider under the DDA. I just hope his replacement is someone with more awareness and understanding to the plight of waterways users with different needs.
This week everybody’s been commenting on BW’s attempt to spell either Twyford, or even the word lock. The very attractive lock at the top end of the Stort Navigation, has become the butt of jokes in canal related emails and on canal forums. It began life as a stoppage notice for emergency repairs at the lock.
This reminds me of the time when BW(L) sent out about 10 emails, one after the other, trying to correct a mistake. Except the mistake became the correction for an error, the correction of a correction for an error, and so on…
