London moorings—Bargees opposition
The National Bargee Travellers Association London (NBTA) suggests that moorings rings could be installed on the long stretches of the towpath which have been concreted over, writes Mike Todd.
I take it that they are primarily considering the section from Little Venice to Limehouse, but my observations are that the section from Little Venice to Bulls Bridge is different in many ways.
Utility Companies
As far as I have been able to see, most of the hard surfacing of the towpath is the result of selling way-leaves to utility companies, allowing them to bury pipes or cables under the surface.
If this is the case then it probably means that it would only be possible to put rings into the coping stones and, with heavy usage and a not very strong structure, would lead rather quickly to collapse of the edge into the canal.
A long section runs through adjacent to Regents Park. Much as I would have loved, on each occasion I have cruised that way, to moor there—it is very attractive and convenient for all sorts of things—I can imagine that the high net worth neighbours would do all they could to prevent such a development.
Not going to happen
Now I accept that that such opposition is not itself a principled reason for preventing the right to moor that otherwise exists, but from where we are today (ie reality) it is not going to happen any day soon.
As a result we have to make better use, across a wide range of types of user, of the limited resources that exist. That is always going to involve compromise, and like it or not, unless NBTA engages in that debate constructively, its needs will not be recognised and the voices of those who are prepared to discuss with some give and take will determine the outcome (as far as I can see this is broadly what has been happening).
Development of marinas
Elsewhere on the network the need for more, safer mooring has been met in greater part through the development of marinas, supported by some private off-side provision. It is highly likely that, other than where it is possible to use existing water spaces, land values in central London would lead to such an exorbitant rent that none of the people seeking moorings could afford it.
Land generally supports many layers of dwellings (ie apartment blocks) whereas canal moorings are single layer and therefore a much more extravagant use of scarce land. It also highlights the fact that those seeking to live more or less permanently on a canal boat in central London wish to do so at a cost far below the going rate.
At the moment the net value of primary legislation is not high enough to justify Government making legislative time available to alter the creaky legal basis for the way in which canals are used. If, however, some groups push too hard and shift the balance of legislative benefit too far, then new laws there will be.
A scarce recourse
On the one hand, this might be a relief to many in CaRT who struggle to manage a scarce resource with antique laws that reflect a very different age, beware what you wish for! It is highly likely that any tiding up will close off the many loopholes that can currently be exploited by those with determination to push at the boundaries.
New law would most likely cater for the majority of usage looking forward and marginalise even further those who do not fit into such simple definitions.