Non-auction moorings at Gasworks

I'd like to use narrowboatworld's Right of Reply to add a bit of balance to the recent 'Cutting London Moorings' article, which gave only a partial account of the planned development at the Gasworks site, writes Andrew Bailes.

The main concern I'd like to address is that moorings will be ‘auctioned off at the inflated prices that London Moorings now command'. The site is in fact being developed by www.londonwaterwaysprojects.co.uk whose aim is to develop non-auction moorings which will be priced based on cost to develop and operate rather than to maximise profit.

Application process

Moorings developed here and elsewhere in London are intended to be offered through an application process that focusses on creating a community and supporting people who are finding liveaboard boating in London increasingly difficult through changes in their circumstances.

They might be suitable, for instance, for a family with a child who used to moor in town some of the time and out of town at others but now find they just can't get into town because it's all too busy, or perhaps for boaters who used to travel these canals and can't double moor (increasingly a necessity in London) because someone aboard is elderly or disabled and needs access to the towpath.

Community engagement

The application process will also consider community engagement, and may be (where relevant) inclusive of conditions such as a commitment to a minimum number of hours per month volunteering in the local community, be that land-based or boating or both.

The mooring sites London Waterways Projects want to develop are also intended to serve as a revenue stream for other positive developments on the network, for instance co-operating with CaRT and local councils to develop public moorings on currently under-used stretches of towpath and arranging for boaters' rubbish to be collected by boat.

The sites are also intended to be used to piggy-back facilities for the wider boating community, helping to mitigate problems caused by CaRT's running-down of London's facilities.

Direct response

These ideas and actions were conceived as a direct response to recommendations from the GLA Moor or Less Report, and specifically to address:

Recommendation 1: Mooring Supply

Recommendation 3: The Auction Process

Recommendation 4: Community Moorings

Recommendation 5: Facilities

Beyond the moorings the wider remit of Waterways Projects is to make the case for boats and boaters with planning authorities and to engage with surrounding community groups (addressed in Recommendations 2 and 6 of the GLA report).

A worthy project

An example of some of this would be their involvement in planning applications and ongoing dialogue with a number of London Boroughs and Housing Associations to make provision for and encourage a better understanding of boaters' needs. A worthy project, I hope you'll agree.