Regents ramp project stopped

Published: Friday, 04 June 2010

THE construction of the ramp on the Regents Canal, featured in narrowboatworld has been halted as British Waterway did not obtain planning permission.

The large gap shown in Del Brenner's photograph is where two trees were felled by British Waterways in a restricted conservation area, seemingly without consent.

Of what is turning out to be a complete blunder, Del Brenner Secretary of Regents Network, tells us:

"The project has come to a halt. Now that the access ramp, which has been there for nearly 200 years, is being dug away there is a risk of doing damage to the foundations of the house beside it. Also steel piles are being hammered in and there is a problem with the vibrations.

"The neighbour in the house is up in arms as he did not know what BW were up to. You would have thought that BW might have mentioned it to him, and to have made a standard Party Wall Agreement. The lawyers and surveyors are trying to work something out, and it does not look like the project will restart for a while. In the meantime the towpath remains closed, and there is no access to the Regents Canal of course."

There has been very limited information from British Waterways on the new ramp. An Islington Councillor, Martin Klute, remarks that the local residents are appalled by what is planned, and he adds that if BW had only bothered to ask they could probably have got a much better scheme. He adds that BW 'are doing pretty much what they like, and just not bothering to consult.'

However the council have managed to reopen Danbury Street again, as shown in the photograph.

Not ‘permitted development'

According to the Statutory Instrument 1995 No. 418, development can be carried out by a Statutory Undertaker such as British Waterways (a) for the purpose of shipping, or (b) in connection with embarking and loading etc (Part 17, Class B). That is called permitted development, and is in connection with BWs navigation authority responsibilities and does not require planning consent. However, the construction of a ramp at Danbury Street for cyclists and towpath users does not have much to do with navigation, and BW are required to go through the normal planning process just as everyone else has to.

In the same legislation, in ‘Directions restricting permitted development' Part 4 para (2), it states that permitted development "should not be carried out within the whole or any part of a conservation area unless permission is granted for it on an application". This is another clear directive that British Waterways has to get planning permission for the new Danbury Street Ramp as it is in the Duncan Terrace Conservation Area.

Openness and accountability

British Waterways are accountable for their projects and actions, writes Del, and Councillor Martin Klute is quite right to point out that BW 'are doing pretty much what they like, and just not bothering to consult' in the Danbury Street fiasco on the Regents Canal.

All over the canal network British Waterways are carrying out construction and alterations to our canals and surrounds, and much of this should not be carried out by BW mis-using their powers of permitted development. By law they have to gain planning consent in the normal way. The majority of the projects would not be held up by the planning process, and consent would readily be given. But a large number of these projects would undoubtedly benefit greatly from additional scrutiny and a sensible consultation process.