The original reason this website was set up, the campaign by British Waterways to remove all liveaboard boaters from the Kennet and Avon who have no permanent mooring. The so-called continuous cruisers.
In January 2020 BaNES Council attempted to close the 14-day moorings at Mead Lane, Saltford following a long campaign by local residents hostile to liveaboard boaters. Allegations were made that the mooring of boats had damaged the river bank. A decision was made to carry out a structural survey, which took place on 3rd September 2020. The survey by Atkins Global engineering consultancy found that there was no damage to the bank from moored boats.
BaNES Council is holding another consultation about the moorings at Mead Lane, Saltford, on the River Avon. The deadline is 31st October 2019. Please respond to this so that the views of boaters without a home mooring are heard. The survey is here:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/MeadLane
There will be a a drop-in consultation session for the boating community on Tuesday 22nd October 2019 between 5pm and 8pm at Bath Cricket Club, North Parade Rd, Bath BA2 4EX. Please go if you can and make sure that BaNES Council understands how important it is for liveaboard boaters to continue to be able to moor at Mead Lane for 14 days and how this can make the difference between being able to renew your licence with no problems and having your licence restricted to 6 months or renewal refused with the consequent risk of Section 8 and homelessness.
A ‘Boats Are Homes’ demonstration in London will take place on 24th May 2019 starting with a rally on the Grand Union Canal next to Paddington station at 1pm and marching to the Canal & River Trust office at Little Venice, handing out leaflets to the public.
On Saturday 25th May at 12 noon the Paddington Party and Flotilla will begin on the canal near Paddington station.
The Boaters’ Cafe Club outreach boat Litania will be at Bathampton Wharf next Tuesday 5th December 2017 from 12 noon to 4pm.
Come and be crafty and make some colourful woolly things to yarnbomb along the canal at a later event in early spring! Clare Brown will be running the workshop, aimed at liveaboard boaters who would like support with wellbeing and mindfulness.
The Boaters’ Cafe Club outreach boat will be at Dundas basin next Tuesday 7th November 2017 from 12 noon to 4pm. The main attraction is a spoken word and poetry workshop with Dru Marland. The workshop is aimed at boaters who would like support with wellbeing and mindfulness. The loose theme of the workshop will be “outsiders”.
Please respond to Mead Lane consultation below
As liveaboard boaters without home moorings are being unlawfully forced by CRT to travel longer distances to avoid having our homes seized and removed, many of us have also been forced to use cars to get to work and take children to school, when previously we could rely on cycling and public transport. Many are now having to travel to work or school from places that are much further away, including rural Wiltshire and Berkshire, where public transport is poor or non-existent.
Nick Brown of NBTA met with CRT yesterday. This is his summary of that meeting.
“Meeting with CRT in MK: Head of Legal (Jackie Lewis), another of the Legal Team (Tom Deards), Head of Boating (Mike Grimes) and Matthew Symonds.
We are still mulling over the conclusions but suffice to say the meeting didn’t go well they conceded very little (if anything).