Issue 15
The newsletter of South and North & East London Branches
Spring 2017
Tall Ships to Gather at Greenwich National Maritime (NMDG) report that an international fleet of Tall Ships will gather in Greenwich over the Easter Bank Holiday from 13th to the 16th April for the Royal Greenwich Tall Ships Festival 2017. A similar event attracted over 1 million people in 2014. This year crews will celebrate for 4 days with special festivities to mark the start of the Rendez-vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta. International ship-themed entertainment, music and fireworks will light up Festival sites at Maritime Greenwich, SE10, and Royal Arsenal Woolwich, SE18. The race will mark 150 years of the Canadian Confederation – with the ships leaving Greenwich for Portugal, Bermuda and Boston USA before finally arriving in French Canadian city of Quebec. The ships will be anchored in the Thames alongside two Tall Ships festival villages located at the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site in Greenwich town centre, and the Royal Arsenal Riverside in Woolwich. From 5pm on Easter Sunday, the Tall Ships will take part in a spectacular Parade of Sail along the River Thames before starting the transatlantic race, organised by Sail Training International. Hundreds of young people will be joining the Tall Ships crew as they set off for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure on the high seas, passing key London landmarks including Cutty Sark, The O2, Thames Barrier and the Woolwich Ferry.
In this issue: • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Local Campaigning Chairman's Reports AGMs Future Events London Socials London Walks Tall Ships EA Navigations Peruvian Wharf Carpenters Road Lock Canal Camps London Liveaboards Committee Members and Contact Details
Cover: Paddington Basin at night . photo Chris Bushill
Photo - Shtandart on the Thames, James M Pilgrim
Sign up for Crew! National Maritime advertise that for £2,000 + VAT you can take part in the Regatta by signing up to be a crew member on board a Tall Ship or help give a young person the opportunity to sail the first leg of the Regatta from Royal Greenwich to Sines, Portugal. For more information contact https://www.nmdg.co.uk 1
Transfer of Environment Agency Navigations to Canal & River Trust We are pleased to be able to give some extracts from a speech by John Dodwell, a volunteer Trustee of the Canal & River Trust, made in October 2016 to the Great Ouse Branch of the IWA. John who in the early 1970s was the IWA General Secretary was, among other things, asked to discuss the proposed transfer to the Canal & River Trust of the Environment Agency navigations. He set the scene by talking about C & RT. The Canal & River Trust was set up in July 2012. The Trust is a charity and is not part of Government. As a result, the Trust is not part of Defra and so hasn’t been facing the sweeping cuts still affecting Government departments. Another of the big advantages of the Trust is that, through having the 15 years grant contract with Government, it can plan ahead in a way BW simply couldn’t. The Trust can - and does - seek charitable donations and is more attractive to volunteers. Unlike the BW days, every pound the Trust earns and every pound saved is kept by the Trust. So gone are the dispiriting days when staff efforts to increase income or save costs just meant a reduced Government grant. C & RT Trustees are similar to the non-executive directors of a company. They set the policies and strategies and then leave it to the staff to implement them. The Trustees are accountable to the national Council. This is made up partly of elected members from various groups, such as boat owners and volunteers and nominated members (e.g. anglers, ramblers), and the chairs of the regional waterways partnerships. These partnerships comprise various local people with a great interest in the waterways who can bring their connections to the Trust. The partnerships help the Trust spread into the community and local government. This enables the Trust to influence planning matters – both long term and short term – and also holds out the possibility of getting money. The Trust is quite a sizeable charity – well within the UK’s top twenty. There are about 1,600 staff. Net assets are over £700m – mainly the Endowment Fund which produces investment income. GROSS INCOME (£) Investment income (incl. higher property development profits in 2014-5) Boat licences and moorings Cable companies and other utility income Third Parties’ contributions for repairs & maintenance BW Marinas gross sales Donations Miscellaneous Government contract TOTAL
2015-6 47m
2014-5 49m
2013-4 42m
36m 26m 20m 7m 2.5m 2m 50m 190m
34m 26m 18m 7m 1.6m 9m 39m 183m
33m 25m 14m 6m 1.2m 3m 39m 163m
Note the spread of income – about 25% from property rents, etc; 19% from boats, etc; 26% from Government. Please note the £2.5m donations. Although small, it would not have happened in the BW days and it’s indicative of the future. SPENDING (£) General waterways maintenance Repairs and maintenance funded by third parties e.g. towpaths Cost of earning the gross income Pension fund payments Miscellaneous TOTAL
2015-6 128m 17m
2014-5 118m 15m
2013-4 111m 10m
39m 7m 4m 195m
38m 7m 4m 182m
31m 7m 5m 164m
That sets the financial background in which the Trust operates, looking after about 2,000 miles of canal and river navigations. A fair bit of the voluntary income comes from over 18,500 Friends’ monthly donations. Statistics indicate over 4m people visit the waterways in a typical 2 weeks period – the Trust aims to get more of them as Friends. 2
Maintenance Most of what the Trust looks after is at least 200 years old – some parts are about to celebrate 250 years - and it’s a bit like looking after an old house – what’s going to go wrong next? However, there is a regular inspection programme of all the major infrastructure items. The Trust has a considerable array of different structures: 336 aqueducts, Nearly 3,000 bridges, 1,900 culverts, 1,583 locks, about 750 major embankments about 850 major cuttings, 74 pumping stations, 129 river weirs and 73 reservoirs. That’s quite a lot to keep an eye on and is not the full list, which is in the Annual Report. In the context of the possible EA navigations transfer, note the 129 river weirs a reminder that the Trust is already experienced in running river navigations. The Trust keeps an eye on all these structures. They are graded from A to E with A being Very Good and E being Bad. They are also graded 1 to 5 according to Risk of Failure with 1 being not very important to 5 being serious. So A1 is good and E5 is awful. You’ll be pleased to know the Trust doesn’t have any E5s.
Photo - Stoppage on the Regent’s Canal. The Trust held an Open Day and the public were able to climb down into the Lock.
Over the last two years or so, the maintenance staff have been reorganised. There used to be 11 regions, each with their own construction team (concentrating on stoppages and other significant works) and their own customer services team – looking after water levels and lock equipment and a host of matters. Each more or less did things their own way – and certainly never moved outside their own area. Now, there is one national construction team, loosely grouped into four areas – and 10 customer service groups. The construction team consists of highly skilled heritage craftsmen. They are, in effect, the Trust’s directly employed team and “competing” against outside contractors. Best and more consistent practice is being followed. This is helping to get more work done. This winter we should see 228 stoppages, compared with last winter’s 170.
Dredging. Dredging is an issue on river navigations as well as the canals. • • •
Every waterway is surveyed by Trust staff for depth every 8 years to see if it complies with a minimum operating channel standard. Complaints from users play a large part in dredging planning when specific dredging is targetted. Please bear in mind how important this is – the staff can’t see what’s under the water. They need your help. Dredging spending is going up. £4m was spent in 2013-14. Over £6m was spent in the next year and about £7m last year. This is part of a commitment CRT gave to spend £80m in its first 10 years, knowing there was a backlog to catch up.
EA NAVIGATIONS The current Government is broadly in favour of the idea of the transfer from the Environment Agency to the Trust and detailed discussions are taking place between the Trust and the EA. The Trust controls some 2,000 miles of inland waterway – including a number of river navigations. That’s about 65% (by length) of all the navigable ones. The EA has about 30%. From time to time – the early 2000s and more recently – the idea of combining them under one roof has been mooted. The EA is not objecting in principle to the transfer – unlike their attitude 15 years or so ago. 3
Photo - Dredging on the Severn, a C & RT river navigation
As users of the EA navigations know, they are not high on the EA’s priorities list – despite the EA saying about 15 years ago that it would treat its navigations better. The Trust’s income has risen since it was formed in 2012 and the sums spent on maintenance have also increased – about 15% up over the last three years. There hasn’t been a similar increase in EA spending – quite the reverse. Indeed, figures from IWA show that in 2013-14 the Government grant for the EA Anglian waterways was over £3.4m but in the following year was just over £1.8m – a pretty drastic fall of nearly 50%. John comments that that doesn’t fill him with hope for the future of the EA navigations, especially when you take into account that navigation structures slowly deteriorate until the time comes when they need large expenditure.
Whilst the Trust’s main responsibility is to the waterways already under its control, its charitable objectives relate to all the navigations in England and Wales, not just the ones it controls. Hence the idea of merging the waterways under the umbrella of the Trust – an idea being very firmly pursued by IWA and others. What does a merger mean on the ground? It’s important to emphasise that no one is talking about the Trust taking over all the EA responsibilities for rivers. Flood control, land drainage etc. would remain with the EA. If towns flood, people have no cause to come knocking on the Trust’s door - unless the Trust had been negligent or had done something wrong. The Government are unlikely to be willing to pass flood and drainage control over to a charity. For example it is likely the Denver Sluice would stay with the EA. We are talking about the navigation structures, mainly the locks and the lock cuts being transferred. Such a split isn’t at all unusual. It happens on river navigations the Trust already controls, for example, the Trent, Severn, Lee, Stort, Kennet, Bristol Avon, Aire, Calder, Don, Yorkshire Ouse, Soar. Also look at other charitable navigation authorities looking after river navigations, such as the Warwickshire Avon and the National Trust’s River Wey. The conclusion is that there is nothing unusual in river navigations being run separately from flood and drainage control etc. With the Thames, there has been concern about the lock keepers. But other river navigations have them – for example, the Severn and the Trent. Trust and EA staff have been engaged in looking at how the various river structures should be split up. For example, are weirs there for flood control or for navigation? Taking the example of the Severn, weirs are not flood control mechanisms but are to maintain navigable depth. On the Trent, there are some large EA weirs with flood control devices. So, with the EA waterways, there needs to be an agreed split. So what are the perceived advantages? John suggested they include •
• • •
Moving the EA navigations from an organisation where it is inevitable that they are a very minor part of a very wide ranging regulatory body to one where navigable waterways are at the heart of what it does. Operational efficiencies. The ability of a charity to attract more volunteers and also donations – something which is now beginning to be embedded in the Trust in a way John doesn’t think it ever could be with the EA. And importantly, the opportunity of stopping the decline of these great river navigations.
But it has to be considered why should the Trust take on the responsibilities of the EA waterways unless there is some financial package? Look at the National Trust which nowadays looks for an endowment fund if it is asked to take over an old mansion. There are various answers to the money problem but it is one which needs to be resolved as the Trust isn’t in a position to take on the liabilities without knowing how they are to be paid. So watch this space. 4
London Canal Museum Exhibition The Regent’s and Hertford Union Canals have provided work, rest and play to East Enders for almost 200 years. While the water, locks, towpaths, and appeal to local people remain a constant, there have been big changes alongside. Few historic buildings remain and these are too often at risk. Laburnum Boat Club, supported by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, has been gathering stories, photos, articles and information about the Hertford Union Canal and the East End reach of The Regent’s Canal. East London’s canals were once a centre for manufacturing, especially from timber, due to their proximity to the docks through which much of the wood was imported. The memories of local people, many of them still living, portray a lost world of industrial London in which the canals played a central part. It was also a world of comradeship, hard times, and sometimes of dishonesty and danger. Material from the Laburnum Boat Club project has been redisplayed in this exhibition by London Canal Museum. This is the third and last exhibition arising from the Laburnum Boat Club project. Previous exhibitions covered the Hackney area and the Hertford Union Canal. The exhibition can be seen during museum opening hours. The Canal Museum’s normal opening hours are 1000 to 1630, Tuesday to Sunday, and also on bank holiday Mondays. Closed on other Mondays.
To Find London Canal Museum From King's Cross Square, at the front of King's Cross mainline station, walk alongside the station, down York Way. This is the opposite side of the station to the concourse. You need to walk away from the station to York Way, then turn left onto York Way. Carry on until you see a traffic island in the middle of the road with a right turn, this is Wharfdale Road. Follow Wharfdale Road until you see New Wharf Road which is the second turning on the left.
The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of The Inland Waterways Association or of the London Region or its branches. They are, however, published as being of interest to our members and readers. The IWA accepts no liability for any matter within this publication. Editor: Chris Bushill, 52, Brycedale Crescent, Southgate, London, N14 7EU. chris.bushill@waterways.org.uk Published by the IWA, North & East and South London Branches at: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham, Bucks, HP 1WA. Tel 01494 783453 The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee. Registered in England no. 612245. Registered as a charity no. 212342 Registered Office: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA Tel: 01494 783 453 Web: www.waterways.org.uk 5
Region Chairperson's Column Can I start by wishing you a Happy 2017? This is the year when you have a chance to elect a new Region Chairperson. Look out for the announcements in the next few months if you would like to replace me. We also have vacancies on the Regional Committee. We meet 5 or 6 times a year in the Canal Museum near Kings Cross. If you would like to be involved in the work we do for the canals in London why not drop me a line and I can give you some more information. This year we will, hopefully, be celebrating the reopening of Carpenters Road Lock and the rest of the Bow Backwaters. This is the culmination of years of campaigning by North and East London Branch. Chelmsford Branch will continue its support for the Essex Waterways and the good work they do on the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. Other branches are arranging rallies, working parties and other activities across the London Region. It looks like being another busy year. The Canal & River Trust have recently carried out a survey of boats in the London area. Their data shows that boat numbers in London have increased by 57% since 2012. Over half of those responding to the survey, said their boat is their primary residence. We have been asking CRT, for many years, to provide more facilities, including moorings, on London’s waterways. We believe that facilities for boaters in London are hopelessly inadequate to meet spiralling demand from both prospective residents and visitors. For example, in central London, Transport for London’s Zones 1&2, there are only seven public water points, five sewage and five refuse disposal facilities to serve all of London’s residential and visiting boaters! As you may know, CRT have announced that they will be consulting widely on a review of the structure of boat licensing. At national level, we believe this is a one-off opportunity to address some of the issues caused by the current licensing system. We have a number of radical ideas that we could suggest to CRT but I would like to hear from you on what sort of licence fee structure you think CRT should operate from April 2018. My e-mail address for your ideas is paul.strudwick@waterways.org.uk. Finally preparations are once again underway for IWA’s premier event in London, Canalway Cavalcade, over the weekend of the 28 April/1 May 2017. We expect around 120 boats to attend the event and this year’s theme is Waterway Tales. If you can’t come by boat why not join us for a day, the nearest tube station is Paddington. It is a really great family day out. Cavalcade is ALWAYS looking for new volunteers to help us run the event and there are a variety of jobs that need doing throughout the weekend. If you fancy dipping your toe into the water of volunteering please contact the team via the on-line volunteer form which is on the IWA Cavalcade page of the IWA website or email them at cavalcade.volunteer@waterways.org.uk Paul Strudwick Chair Person London Region The Inland Waterways Association Twitter Paul@greenboater
6
Peruvian Wharf A strategically important protected wharf in East London is set to return to operation after its acquisition by the Port of London Authority (PLA). Peruvian Wharf in Newham will be developed as a centre for low-carbon transport of building materials in East London. The wharf has been protected since 1997 under the Mayor of London’s policy to safeguard strategically placed wharves for cargo handling. The PLA completed the acquisition of the site after a long battle over the wharf’s planning status, subsequently acquiring the site when the former landowner didn’t reactivate it for cargo-handling. “We’ve fought long and hard to get Peruvian Wharf back into use,” explained PLA chief executive, Robin Mortimer. “It’s ideally placed to service East London’s growth, underlining the importance of retaining strategically located sites for cargo handling. “The river will play a key role in servicing the construction of at least 260,000 new homes and communities, offering 360,000 jobs. This will help keep tens of thousands of lorries off London’s roads every year, reducing air pollution and improving local people’s quality of life.” The PLA has paid more than £3 million for Peruvian Wharf. They will initially complete a new access road to the site, prior to letting it on a long-term lease to the Brett Group, the independent construction and building materials group. Brett will develop an integrated terminal on the site, which is expected to be operational late in 2017. Deputy mayor for transport, Val Shawcross welcomed the news. She said: “Over two million tonnes of cargo are moved between wharves on the Thames each year. This keeps more than 150,000 lorry trips off London’s roads, reducing congestion and pollution. We look forward to seeing Peruvian Wharf back in use and serving construction projects in East London as soon as possible.” Fifty wharves on the Thames have been ‘safeguarded’ for cargo-handling use by the Secretary of State for Transport, following the advice of the Mayor of London and the PLA. Peruvian Wharf is one of three currently vacant wharves promoted within the PLA’s recently published Thames Vision, to be brought back into long-term use. The others are Hurlingham Wharf in Hammersmith & Fulham (currently being used for the Tideway project) and Orchard Wharf in Tower Hamlets.
Photo – Oxford Canal Braunston - Not Peruvian Wharf! 7
From North & East London Chairman, Tim Lewis The work of the branch recently has involved consultations with outside organisations involved with waterways and/or with interests within our branch area. One of these organisations is the Port Of London Authority (PLA) which covers the tidal Thames via the PLA Harbourmasters Recreational Navigation Group and the PLA River Users Consultative Forum. Although the Thames is generally covered by South London Branch, most narrowboats leave and enter the Thames from within our Branch area and it is interesting to see the incident reports which show that particular attention must be made to ensure the narrow boats are not swamped through taking in water via ventilation openings and faulty weed hatches. We are pleased to note that the volume of commercial traffic on the Thames is growing. Much relates to the new Thames Tideway Sewer. Discussions continue with the PLA about the effect of proposed new bridges on tall ships using the Thames. We are also participating in the Greater London Plan policies review in particular their Blue Ribbon Policies which cover all waterways within the GLA boundaries. Back on the canals we are presently in the middle of the CRT winter maintenance works. CRT are holding an open day at St. Pancras lock over the weekend of 4th & 5th February. These are usually very popular and give a good insight as to what goes into lock maintenance works. Visitors will also be able to see the new footbridge crossing the canal below the lock giving access to Camley Street Natural Park, which is under construction. We are pleased to see that work is progressing at Carpenters Road, the works being partly funded by the IWA. The lock was due to open in the spring of 2017 however it now looks like this will be delayed until the August bank holiday. The Branch is concerned that work has not yet started on the removal of the Crossrail Dam on the loop. We are pressing for news of a start date for this work. To continue the work in the Olympic Park, CRT has set up an organisation called The Friends Of The Bow Back Rivers, details can be found on their web site. It was nice to see a number of our members taking part in the St. Pancras Cruising Club Boat Show cruise. For a number of reasons the cruise went to the the Isle of Dogs rather than the Royal Docks but it was really good to see narrowboats using Three Mills Lock and moored up with the lights of Canary Wharf in the background. We continue to monitor planning applications that affect the waterways within our branch area. We have noted a marked drop in applications and that most of these are tidying up or further detail on previously consented schemes. Roger Wilkinson is to be congratulated on receiving a Living Waterways Award for the work of the London Towpath Walks Group. He collected the certificate at a recent event in Birmingham. This was a major achievement and recognition of many years commitment to spreading the word about London’s Canals. CRT have now introduced bookable moorings at Little Venice. The moorings will cost £10 per night and can be booked for up to seven nights in a single visit. See the CRT web site for details. The Branch ran its stand at the Angel Canal Festival in September. The event had its usual high attendance. 8
Towpath Walks Gain Award Roger Wilkinson advises that ‘Towpath Walks’ were a finalist at the Canal & River Trust Living Waterways Award Ceremony at Birmingham Town Hall on Wednesday evening, 14th September 2016. The Towpath Walks were classed as "Commended", in the Education & Learning category. The certificate was awarded for all the walks and all the guides (since 1977). The text in the C & R T brochure of finalists' projects reads: Towpath Walks As part of its campaign to maintain public access to the waterways, the Inland Waterways Association has been running guided towpath walks in London for nearly 40 years. The walks, which have so far brought over 15,000 people to London's towpaths, enlighten participants in the historical importance of canals and their new role for leisure and tourism. Knowledgeable guides, each with their own area of expertise, fascinate and entertain walkers with stories of the development of nearby neighbourhoods, as well as the canal itself.
Roger Wilkinson with the Award Photo by Jas Sansi / CRT Roger writes: If you would like to become a Guide for the Towpath Walks, you would be very welcome. We have a vacancy for a guide, and we would be very pleased to hear from you. If you're not sure about it - don't worry, we will brief you well. Just ring us, or email us, and the rest is plain sailing. To go on a Towpath Walk, simply turn up. No advance booking is needed. The Walks are normally on Sundays, starting at 2.30 pm. Regular charge is £10; concessionary rate is £8. For further details, look on the IWA website www.waterways.org.uk, or contact Roger Wilkinson at 020 3612 9624. See below for a list of all the walks planned this year.
9
IWA TOWPATH WALKS SOCIETY, London Programme of Towpath Walks up to August 2017 Date 15 January Sunday Start 2:30pm 5 February Sunday Start 2:30pm 19 February Sunday Start 2:30pm 5 March Sunday Start 2:30pm 19 March Sunday Start 2:30pm 2 April Sunday Start 2:30pm 16 April Sunday Start 2:30pm 30 April Sunday Start 2:30pm 7 May Sunday Start 2:30pm 21 May Sunday Start 2:30pm 23 May Tuesday Start 2:30pm 28 May Sunday Start 2:30pm 4 June Sunday Start 2:30pm 18 June Sunday Start 2:30pm 2 July Sunday Start 2:30pm 16 July Sunday Start 2:30pm 6 August Sunday Start 2:30pm 20 August Sunday Start 2:30pm
Route Start (Tube Station) King’s Cross (taxi rank) Regent’s Canal: King’s Cross – Granary Square – St Pancras Regent’s Canal: Little Venice – Camden Warwick Avenue The Olympics – Three Mills – Bow Back Rivers Limehouse – Thames – Docklands
Bromley-by-Bow Westferry DLR (by Cycle Hire Point) King’s Cross (taxi rank)
Regent’s Canal: King’s Cross – Granary Square – Camden Regent’s Canal: Little Venice – Camden Warwick Avenue
King’s Cross (taxi rank) Regent’s Canal: King’s Cross – Hitchcock’s Hackney Baker Street (Baker St North/ Lords exit) Regent’s Canal: River Tyburn – Little Venice Grand Union Canal: Uxbridge - Denham Uxbridge (High Street exit) Limehouse – Thames - Docklands
Westferry DLR (by Cycle Hire Point)
Grand Union Canal: Uxbridge - Denham Uxbridge (High Street exit) Regent’s Canal: Mile End - Limehouse
Mile End
Regent’s Canal: Little Venice – Camden Warwick Avenue East India Docks –Thames - Docklands
East India DLR (by zebra crossing)
The Olympics – Three Mills – Bow Back Rivers Grand Union Canal: Kensal Green – Little Venice Regent’s Canal: King’s Cross – Granary Square - Camden Regent’s Canal: Islington – Mile End
Bromley-by-Bow Kensal Green King’s Cross (taxi rank) Angel
Tow Path Walks’ Charlie Forman at Three Mills leading an Olympics – Three Mills – Bow Back Rivers walk last year
10
Update on Carpenters Road Lock Carpenters Road Lock photos Tim Lewis
Roger Squires Reports
The re-opening of Carpenters Road Lock is to be put back with a hopeful date of the August Bank holiday weekend. The restoration, planned to be completed in spring 2017, will re-open the waterways in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and create plenty of new opportunities for boaters and visitors. Canal and River Trust are looking for people to be part of a new friends group who will champion the newly restored lock and wider Bow Back Rivers. Roles will include supporting and running events, supporting the schools programme, social media promotion, heritage learning and promotion and being a representative for activities or interest in the waterways. If you are interested visit: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/volunteer/opportu nities/OPP0004727-friends-of-bow-back-rivers
11
Concern as Number of Boats Used as Homes in London Soars The number of boats on London's waterways has "exploded" according to the latest research issued by CRT with, they say, the differing needs of liveaboard boaters placing unprecedented pressure on the waterways’ infrastructure. Their data shows that boat numbers in London have increased by 57% since 2012. Over half of those questioned said their boat is their primary residence and half of those who answered a question about length of time living on a boat said they had done so for less than 3 years. The biggest issue for those cruising London's waterways is number of mooring places. The survey provides a clear picture of the changes that have been happening in London over the last few years and for some alarm bells might be ringing in terms of how the picture might further develop over the coming few years. The Inland Waterways Association is calling on CRT to speed up the introduction of more facilities, including moorings, on London’s waterways and warning people thinking of living on boats in London to seriously assess the implications of adopting that lifestyle. IWA believes that facilities for boaters in London are hopelessly inadequate to meet spiralling demand from both prospective residents and visitors. For instance in central London – TfL’s Zones 1&2 – there are only seven public water points, five sewage and five refuse disposal facilities to serve all of London’s resident and visiting boaters. In addition, moorings are also seriously overcrowded, with boats frequently moored three abreast, presenting potentially significant risks to occupants in the event of fire. Paul Strudwick, chairman of IWA’s London Region, said: “We can readily understand why more and more people struggling with the London housing ladder are wondering if a boat is a viable and affordable option, but we would urge them to properly assess if it will work for their personal circumstances, as the restrictions of living aboard a boat full time mean that sometimes it’s no bed of roses.” IWA is also maintaining its call on Canal & River Trust not to issue ‘continuous cruising’ licences to people who cannot or do not intend to comply with the requirements, and to enforce mooring rules fairly but firmly in London and elsewhere for the benefit of all in the boating community. Email us your thoughts about the moorings and facilities situation in London - iwa@waterways.org.uk
Moored Boats Near Kings Cross
12
IWA Strengthens its Support for Restoration IWA has two core ambitions – the protection and restoration of our nation’s waterways. Protection is ably managed through our branch network and through our Navigation Committee led by Gren Messham, and has enjoyed a number of successes this year, most notably with regard to progress on our EA transfer campaign and attendance at the HS2 Select Committee, where we obtained beneficial route alterations at Fradley. Our representations regarding the siting and potential navigational hazards at the proposed Boston Barrier have secured a public inquiry and we are successfully keeping pressure on Canal & River Trust to improve the accuracy of its winding hole data. Restoration of our waterways and IWA’s desire to see abandoned and non-navigable waterways returned to navigation, plus the creation of new routes which will usefully link existing waterways, is hugely important as we plan our objectives for the coming ten years. Earlier this year, a review of the country’s restoration projects highlighted some concerns. As a result, IWA is stepping up the level of support it offers to restoration and is also working to improve the full nationwide coverage for restoration projects. As a first step, a small working group of experienced individuals was set up to provide high level input to trustees, and as their recommendations were developed their work was shared within IWA, and the final recommendations were accepted by trustees at their most recent meeting. The working group recommended that IWA be more proactive and utilise our expertise and high level lobbying experience to promote the restoration movement and help resolve its issues. At the moment the waterway restoration sector comprises around 100 restoration schemes. Some projects are currently ‘resting’ or are in a defining and scoping phase, while others have seen some major construction progress over the last few years. This number of projects in such different stages of progress calls for a sophisticated response from IWA, and so the working group recommended the launch of a Restoration Hub, supported by full time employees, and with three main elements to its structure: Supporting: The Hub will act as a co-ordinating point for all restoration enquiries, provide up to date guidance, and develop a broad range of online resources on IWA’s website. The Hub is already fielding a good number of detailed enquiries from IWA branches and waterway groups and, over time, will track trends and identify patterns to further tailor IWA’s support and feedback to those in the restoration sector. As this expertise will be coordinated by Jenny Black (IWA's Volunteers Coordinator) and her team at Head Office, we aim for enquiries to be managed speedily and effectively. Enabling: Practical assistance will continue to be provided to restoration groups through WRG Canal Camps. Site visits will be coordinated and organised by Jenny and her team and attended by restoration experts who have been chosen for the specific skills and experience required by each scheme visited. We are also improving the support provided, with written follow-up reports and further direct involvement as appropriate. Championing: IWA is a face and voice for the waterways restoration movement at a national level. We will be selecting Restoration Champions to provide visionary leadership and to inspire, motivate and energise projects at a local, regional and national level. IWA will continue to work closely with navigation authorities, particularly CRT with whom we jointly arrange forums for restoration project officers and workshops for restoration groups’ communications volunteers. Together we also organise the movement’s annual restoration conference, the next of which will be held on 1st April 2017. National chairman, Les Etheridge, commented: “Our recent research reinforced just how important restoration is to IWA’s members and volunteers. We are determined to continue IWA’s historic leadership in this sector over the coming years as we look forward to bringing more miles of waterway back into water and restoring heritage structures back to former and perhaps even new levels of glory.” 13
Pre-bookable Moorings in London Canal & River Trust report that boaters who want to have the certainty of a guaranteed place to moor in central London are now able to pre-book a spot in Rembrandt Gardens, Little Venice, through the Canal & River Trust’s licensing web portal. They say: Research over summer showed that the perception of having trouble finding moorings was putting people off visiting the capital and the Trust is trialling these paid for pre-bookable short-stay mooring spots in response. If the trial is successful the Trust will investigate introducing pre-bookable moorings at suitable places across London’s waterways, while ensuring that use is balanced with existing visitor and casual towpath moorings, and longer-term moorings. Matthew Symonds, boating strategy & engagement manager at Canal & River Trust, said: “The pre-bookable moorings at Little Venice will provide a guaranteed place for boaters to pull up in one of the most picturesque parts of London, close to the heart of the city and with great transport links. As anyone who has boated in central London recently will tell you, it can get very busy, and it’s more important than ever that we manage the finite space fairly to meet the needs of a wide range of boaters. This is an added extra service for boaters who want the security of arriving in the capital and knowing they’ll have a space.” Boaters can reserve pre-bookable moorings by visiting www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/bookablemooringslondon The moorings will cost £10 per night and can be booked for up to seven nights in a single visit. The Trust carried out the survey between Friday 30 June and Friday 26 August 2016. The Trust say that they have been carrying out further engagement work including ‘surveys of boaters and other stakeholders in London to help inform the wider London mooring strategy’.
Little Venice at Canalway Cavalcade
14
Waterway Recovery Group 2017 Camps WRG still has spaces in its schedule of fun-filled, canal restoring working holidays for 2017! WRG’s week-long holidays, called Canal Camps, offer a unique opportunity to volunteer and learn new skills, whilst exploring amazing parts of Britain’s industrial heritage. These volunteering holidays act as a catalyst to a canal restoration project making significant progress on a site in just one week. Working together WRG volunteers can achieve great things such as building a canal basin and new section of canal, restoring a flight of locks, removing tonnes of rubbish from a canal or even rebuilding a bridge. In 2017 there are 28 Canal Camps planned on 13 different canal restoration sites, offering volunteers the chance to rebuild a weir on the North Walsham & Dilham Canal in Norfolk, restore a lock on the Cotswold Canals, or repair a canal basin on the Stover Canal in Devon. A Family Canal Camp is to be run for the first time – open to families with children aged between 8-14. So it’s already looks like 2017 is shaping up to be a busy year with several new sites and big restoration projects underway. To book a space or to find out more about a Canal Camp take a look at the 2017 Camp Programme pages: https://www.waterways.org.uk/wrg/canal_camps/canal_camp_dates Why your time on Canal Camp is so worthwhile In the summer of 2016 WRG volunteers contributed over £400,000 in volunteer hours towards restoring the canal network of England and Wales. WRG also attracts a wide range of volunteers and its friendship with the French volunteering group REMPART and other European volunteers continues to grow. Over 20 International volunteers from Spain, Italy, Germany and France attended a Canal Camp in 2017. In addition, WRG helped 58 students Duke of Edinburgh Award students complete their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award residential.
David Suchet Supports IWA at Boat Show The Inland Waterways Association gave a helping hand to the Lichfield & Hatherton Canal Restoration Trust’s fund-raising efforts by hosting an appearance by David Suchet CBE, Vice President of the Trust, on IWA’s stand at the London Boat Show on Monday 9th January. David Suchet and trustees of the restoration trust outlined their current “Tunnel Vision” campaign, endorsed and supported by IWA, to raise £1 million before 2019 to install a tunnel beneath the main Birmingham-Lichfield railway line and so secure the restoration of the Lichfield Canal. Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust has also benefited from other assistance from IWA recently, receiving over £4,000 in IWA grants (£2,250 towards road signs to raise local awareness of the canals, and just under £2,000 towards costs for planning applications in respect of works at Darnford Lane). David Suchet is also an honorary vice president of IWA and recently unveiled a historic building blue plaque at 11 Gower Street, the former London home of IWA co-founder Robert Aickman and the first office of The Inland Waterways Association. 15
IWA Input to Update of London Plan The GLA is in the process of updating the London Plan, the strategic document that sets the guidelines for the way London should develop over the next Five Years. It will come before the GLA elected members for adoption in the autumn of 2019. Consultation on the revised draft, prepared by officials, will take place later this year. Section 7 of the London Plan sets out the policy towards the Waterways under the ‘Blue Ribbon Network’. Within this, sub-sections include the use of the network for Passengers and Tourism, the use of the network for freight transport and point up the way the boroughs should identify locations that are suitable for additional waterborne freight in their areas. The Blue Ribbon Network development plans overall are aimed at facilitating the enhancement of the infrastructure for recreational use. The Plan also promotes seeking out opportunities for restoration of the Blue Ribbon Network within the planning process, consideration being given to open out culverts and to naturalise river channels to improve biodiversity. The plan also identifies the River Thames as an iconic feature that should be protected and promoted. London’s Canals and other Rivers and waterspaces similarly should be developed to respect their local character and contribute to their accessibility and enhance their contribution to active water related uses, particularly transport uses, where these are possible. A meeting of interested parties, attended by Roger Squires representing IWA, was held in December 2016 at GLA HQ to start the process of consultation. Delegates were given a presentation by GLA officers of the issues under consideration. They outlined the Mayor’s manifesto commitments under the theme ‘A City for All Londoners’. Attention was drawn to the growing population numbers, the effect on employment numbers, and their housing needs. Detailed consideration was given to the Waterways and how these came within the Blue Ribbon policies for increasing passenger use; tourism; freight transport and recreational use. Passenger transport was highlighted, with the need to develop more piers and facilities to increase passenger numbers. The Safeguarding of Wharves and the need to optimise the use of the waterways, especially the Thames, to maximise freight carriage was also identified. The issue of Recreation Use and the supporting infrastructure requirements were also covered. The Thames Path, boatyard provision, moorings, jetties, slipways and steps were also discussed. The Character of the Rivers and restoration was reviewed, especially in the context of improving water quality. Flood Risk and Water Management was also identified as part of the strategy. Breakout Sessions examined water transport and the competition for the space taken up by the Safeguarded Wharves. Also the forecasts for supply and demand of water freight levels and passenger transport. A second session considered development and recreational issues. The need for a stronger policy on moorings, strengthening the policy on the Thames Path and last, but not least, the contentious issue of restricting access to the river Thames, upriver of Greenwich, to small vessels only. As you can imagine, the commercial river operators especially were not in favour of such a move! The discussions on all the themes were wide ranging and offered officials much food for thought. We now await their drafts of the new plan.
We welcome the following to the branch: New Members
Members who have transferred from other branches.
Mr. Ken & Mrs. Tricia Jordan Mr. Warwick Lobban
Mr. Michael J Dyer Mr. Andrew Walton & Family 16
South London Chairman’s report by Libby Bradshaw , for Spring 2017 Happy New Year to you all! I hope you have all had a good Christmas and that 2017 will prove to be a happy year for you. I have recently returned from the annual Boat Show cruise where we took 10 narrowboats through City Mill and Three Mills locks down Bow Creek and into West India Dock. Working on the IWA stand at the Boat Show over the weekend brought its usual range of questions but it was noticeable how many people stopped at our stand having seen the TV programmes done by Timothy West and Prunella Scales. Many were looking to hire a boat for a holiday. Sales and Publicity We have taken the branch stand out twice since last August, firstly to the Angel Festival on Sunday 4th September and secondly to the Sunday of Slough Festival the following weekend. At both we had sales of books and maps etc. together with the Waterways Game. During the past few weeks we have successfully sold a range of IWA Christmas Cards and calendars and intend to start up more sales in the New Year. We are currently reviewing our publicity material and hope to have more panels designed for next year’s outings with the branch stand. Our next event will be Canalway Cavalcade at Little Venice over the weekend of 29th April – 1st May. Any offers of help with the branch stand would be gratefully received. Social Meetings and Branch Outing We resumed our social meetings after the summer break in September with a talk on The River Thames Boat Project by Peter Finch. We heard about the new boat they are having built in addition to the Thames Venturer which should be ready by next May and will be able to come into the canal system. The new boat has been named ‘Thames Discoverer’ and there will be a special event for this on Sunday June 11th. Details are not yet available. We had a branch outing on 24th September on the River Lee from Ware to Hertford and back which was much enjoyed, kindly organised for us by Shea Richardson. In October we had an excellent talk on the River Stort by Roger Squires. In November Fabian Hiscock gave us a talk on The Restoration of Narrowboat Roger and we learned more of the Rickmansworth Waterway Trust. The committee has agreed to give donations to both the River Thames Boat Project and Rickmansworth Waterway Trust. On December 14th we finished the year with Christmas drinks and mince pies with members’ sharing their various exploits on the waterways this year. River Wandle News The half tide weir at the mouth of the River Wandle is being removed after 25 years. I was at the site meeting the day before work started last September. It has become very silted up and is being dredged to encourage wildlife habitats back. Currently fish have been spawning on the tidal side of the barrier only. Land and Water have the contract and are removing the layer of contaminated waste and then dredging the creek. The barge beds will remain and it is intended there should be moorings available, the details of which I am discussing with the project team. I have requested there is a safe haven for boaters as part of this plan and these are not just residential moorings. I have offered to co-ordinate a flotilla of boats to go up the creek and back when it is re-opened. This would be a South London branch event, hopefully with the support of IWA London Region and St Pancras Cruising Club of which I am a member. Email Addresses We currently have email addresses for some of our South London members and the head office database only has a proportion of members’ emails. We know many more of you are on email and we would like to be able to send you updates of activities and events between editions of Meridian Cuttings. Please contact our publicity officer, Lesley Pryde-Coales, at lesleypryde@hotmail.com to be added to our email circulation. Have a good year and I look forward to seeing you around! Libby Bradshaw, Branch Chairman 17
BRANCH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meetings of the North & East London and South London Branches of The Inland Waterways Association will take place as follows: North & East London 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday 21st March at: 1A Sheldon Square Paddington W2 6PY
South London 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday 8th March At: The Primary Room The United Reformed Church Hall Addiscombe Road Croydon CR0 5LP AGENDA
1. Apologies
for absence 2. Approval of the Minutes of the 2016 AGM plus Matters Arising 3. Report from the Chairman 4. Presentation of Accounts 5. Business of the meeting notified under bylaw 1.3٭ 6. Election to fill posts on the Committee 7. Questions
from the floor
The formal AGM will be followed by another activity as per the branch’s social programme CONTACT DETAILS
South London
Chairman
North & East London Tim Lewis e-mail: tim.lewis@waterways.org.uk
Libby Bradshaw e-mail: libby.bradshaw@waterways.org.uk
Secretary
Roger Squires e-mail: roger.squires@waterways.org.uk
Allan Scott e-mail: allan.scott@waterways.org.uk
٭NOTE : Byelaw 1.3 provides that any member of a region or branch may propose business to appear on the Agenda of an AGM of their region or branch, provided that notice of such business is delivered in writing to the Chairman of the region or branch at least six weeks before that meeting. If any such items are received, a revised Agenda for the relevant meeting will be in a Branch Newsletter which is due to be published before the AGMs.
North and East London Chairman Tim Lewis gives a ‘restoration round-up’ at the November branch meeting in Paddington
18
BRANCH COMMITTEE ELECTIONS To facilitate elections at the AGMs, nominations for election to a Branch or Region Committee must be received by the relevant Branch or Region Secretary before or at the AGM (see above). All candidates and their proposers must be paid-up members of the relevant Branch and the candidate must indicate his/her willingness to stand. All elected members of a Branch Committee who have held office for a term of three years have to retire, as does any member co-opted during the committee meetings since the last AGM. Members in either category are eligible for re-election, provided that they are duly nominated as detailed above. A nomination form is printed below. The particulars for each Committee are as follows:
North & East London
South London
Secretary
Roger Squires
Allan Scott
Deadline for nominations
21st March
8th March
Current number of elected members
6
6
Members completing 3 years in post
Ian Israel, Rod Gray, Roger Wilkinson
Shea Richardson, Lesley PrydeCoales
Members co-opted since last AGM
0
0
New blood would be very much welcomed. Please consider joining our committees to have your say on the future of our waterways. Note: Please note that under the new Bye-laws all Committees may vary in size according to the numbers elected. We look forward to receiving further nominations for Committee membership. ______________________________________________________________________
Committee Name:
South London*
Print Name
North & East London*
Signature
*delete whichever does not apply
Date
Candidate Proposer Seconder
19
BRANCH Committee Members Role
North & East London
Chairman
Tim Lewis Tel: 02085300425 / 07802518094 tim.lewis@waterways.org.uk
Secretary
Roger Squires Tel: 02072320987 roger.squires@waterways.org.uk
South London Libby Bradshaw Tel: 02088742787 / 07956 655037 libby.bradshaw@waterways.org.uk Allan Scott Tel: 02086428104 / 07985728844 allan.scott@waterways.org.uk
Minutes Secretary
Vacancy
Vacancy
Treasurer
Ian Israel Tel: 020 84461823 ian.israel@waterways.org.uk
Dorothy Robbie Tel: 02088576367 dorothy.robbie@waterways.org.uk
Social Secretary
Vacancy
Shea Richardson, Tel: 02086770196 / 07803904803 shea.richardson@homecall.co.uk
Newsletter Editor
Chris Bushill Tel: 02082457063; chris.bushill@waterways.org.uk Dorothy Robbie Tel: 02088576367 dorothy.robbie@waterways.org.uk
Membership Secretary
Liz Rayner liz.rayner@waterways.org.uk
Publicity Officer
Vacancy
Lesley Pryde-Coales Tel: 02086799866 lesley.pryde@waterways.org.uk
Sales Officer
Vacancy
Vacancy
Events Officer
Vacancy
Vacancy
Planning Officer
Rod Gray rodgray125@aol.com
Vacancy
Work Party Officer
Vacancy
Vacancy
Committee Members
Roger Wilkinson – London Walks Rep. Tel: 02036129624 / 07896801930 roger.wilkinson@waterways.org.uk
Ex-Officio as Region Chairman South London Representatives
Paul Strudwick Tel: 01245358342 / 07885240291 paul.strudwick@waterways.org.uk Planning and Navigation Matters: Eric Garland Wandle Valley Developments: Shea Richardson Deptford Creek Developments: Eric Garland
If you feel you could help with any of the vacancies above we would love to hear from you!
20
South London Branch Social Calendar 2017 Friday 20th January Branch Annual Dinner at `Caprini’ Restaurant 7.30 for 8.00pm 77 Waterloo Road London SE1 8UD (opposite Waterloo mainline station) Wednesday 8th February 2017 A talk on Working Boats by Kirk Martin Wednesday 8th March 2017 Branch AGM with guest speaker; National Chairman Les Etheridge All are welcome, IWA members or non-members at our meetings There is no admission charge for talks, film shows or presentations but we do ask that you donate a minimum of £2 per person to offset room hire charges and speakers’ expenses, thank you. Unless otherwise indicated, the following South London Branch Social Events will take place at 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. at: The Primary Room The United Reformed Church Hall Addiscombe Grove, Croydon CR0 5LP There is good parking adjacent to the hall and excellent transport links via East Croydon train and tram stations. For more information please contact the Social Secretary: Shea Richardson Tel: 07803 904803 or e-mail: shea.richardson@homecall.co,uk
London Region Socials Combined with North and East London Branch Our Autumn programme of Socials began again in September with a fascinating talk by Chris Bushill on the Stover Canal and Haytor Granite Tramway. WRG members, including Chris, have been busy on work parties there. It was good to explore a totally new area which many people knew nothing about. Simon Judge and Libby Bradshaw gave a talk on Narrowboats to the River Medway in October. This followed the adventures of 10 narrowboats who braved the Thames estuary in May and June to explore the River Medway, tidal and non-tidal, up to Tonbridge. Tim Lewis gave his annual talk: ‘Restoration Round-up, London WRG’ in November and, finally, in December we had our Christmas Quiz and Auction with Mulled Wine and Mince Pies. Alex Nunes set the quiz for us in absentia and we welcomed some new members that evening. Programme for 2017 21st February- Update on Olympic Park Waterways and Carpenters Road Lock - Steven Wilding 21st March - Exploring the Caledonian Canal - Roger Squires (8pm after North & East branch AGM) 18th April - 30+ years of IWA Canalway Cavalcade - Libby Bradshaw, illustrated by Tim Lewis 16th May - A talk on the Regent's Canal - details to be confirmed 20th June - The River Lee from Old Ford to the Thames - Richard Thomas All socials are held at Paddington Central Management Office, 1a Sheldon Square, W2 6PY. Refreshments are available from 7pm and the talks start at 7.30pm. For more information please contact Libby Bradshaw Tel: 02088742787 / 07956 655037 or e-mail: libby.bradshaw@waterways.org.uk For updates and information on all IWA events and branches please go to: www.waterways.org.uk 21
Meeting Locations
IWA South London Branch, United Reformed Church, Croydon
IWA meet here
Paddington Station. Hammersmith & City Line exit
IWA North & East London Branch, London Central, Paddington 22
Waterway Recovery Group in Action at Inglesham Lock August 2016