BW claimed in its reply to the River Lea mooring plan consultation responses that it had case law to support its statement that its draconian proposals for mooring restrictions did not threaten boat dwellers’ human rights. Boater Simon Robbins made a Freedom of Information request to BW in September asking for copies of the relevant judgements. BW refused Simon’s FOI request. You can read the correspondence here.
We occasionally post news of matters outside the waterways. The eviction of travellers at Dale Farm in Essex now looks likely to go ahead in the next 48 hours. Some boaters who have been threatened with, or have experienced, eviction from BW’s 2,200 miles of waterways will no doubt sympathise with the families at Dale Farm. For more information contact 07583 621312 or savedalefarm@gmail.com. See http://dalefarm.wordpress.com
Christopher Stoner make much use of a case Moore vs British Waterways Board to define their view of ‘bona-fide for navigation’.
We notice that this case is now in the process of appeal;
And so should add an interesting twist or two.
BW have recently amended their Guidance for Continuous Cruisers
and published here
BW’s covering statement in the press release;
“The existing 2004 ‘mooring guidance for continuous cruisers’ has been refined to be more easily understood and to reflect the Judgment in the case of British Waterways v Davies, in which the Court found that moving up and down within a 10 mile stretch of the Kennet & Avon Canal with no home mooring did not amount to bona fide navigation.”
Seems to be a malicious, though not unexpected, rewriting of Judge O’Malley’s judgement which specifically states that this is not the case.
The name of the new waterways charity has been announced. It will be called the Canal and River Trust. You can read one residential boater’s take on the new name on Simon Robbins’ Liveaboard Forum blog http://liveaboard-forum.blogspot.com
The next Kennet and Avon User Group Meeting will take place on Thursday 20 October 2011 at 7pm to 9pm at the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust Offices, The Wharf, Devizes SN10 1EB. It is a public meeting and all users of the canal can attend. Items to be considered for the Agenda may be sent to: British Waterways, Bath Road, Devizes SN10 1QR or emailed to enquiries.kennetavon@britishwaterways.co.uk clearly marked “Agenda”.
Kennet and Avon boaters have published an interim report on the moorings impact assessment survey that was carried out in May and June. The final report will be ready by November. The interim results show that there will be a significant adverse impact on boat dwellers without moorings if the Local Mooring Strategy proposals go ahead.
You can read or download the report in PDF format here K&A boaters survey interim report
The BW Annual General Meeting is on Thursday October 13th at The Bond Company, 180 -182 Fazeley Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B5 5SE at 10.30am to 3.30pm. BW is a public body and members of the public are entitled to go. You don’t have to be a representative of an organisation. This year’s meeting will be an opportunity to ask the Transition Trustees questions, for example how the new waterways charity proposes to safeguard the rights of liveaboard boaters and protect them from unlawful enforcement, summary eviction and homelessness.