Canalboat Nomads, UK Freeture, Fear New Regole affonderanno il loro modo di vivere
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/08/29/britain-boats-canals-nomads-london/
di BestButtons
Canalboat Nomads, UK Freeture, Fear New Regole affonderanno il loro modo di vivere
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/08/29/britain-boats-canals-nomads-london/
di BestButtons
8 commenti
I haven’t seen this reported in any news here for some reason.
> In November, the Canal and River Trust (CRT), the nonprofit organization charged with managing 2,000 miles of historic canals and rivers in England and Wales, will announce an overhaul of regulations and licensing fees that itinerant boaters fear could force them off the water.
> Among the changes believed to be under consideration: higher license fees, permit systems to limit the number of continuous cruisers in some areas and rules that would require them to travel more miles each year, potentially splitting them from shoreside jobs and schools where children are enrolled.
Thought it looked familiar…totally irrelevant but Im usually rubbish at geolocation..
https://maps.app.goo.gl/AHFLZK8faTjjyA139?g_st=ac
Oi! have yu got a license for that alternative lifestyle??
Disgraceful and short-sighted. As inflation continues, jobs are related by AI. Without viable cheaper alternatives, you will get unplanned developments. Shanty towns and real police no-go areas are coming, apparently.
Surprised the article doesn’t use the normal term of “Bargee Travellers”.
The issue is that the original regulations were not implemented anticipating the volume of those who now live full time in the canals. This is a common theme for van dwellers also. I know several folk who abuse the system even while i support their desires. I was recently in London and some of the communities of canal dwellers i saw were shanty towns of run down boats. I think people have the right to seek alternate ways of living however once existing resources are pushed and there is no sustainable self governance, this is inevitable and not particularly unfair.
Of all the stuff that needs fixing…
It’s almost as if the people governing this country are unable to prioritise the bigger issues. Because they’re crap.
As hinted at in the article, some of the boaters are there through lifestyle choice but many of the ‘continuous’ cruisers they’re because they can’t afford housing otherwise. They tend to be pretty bloody minded people as well – you have to be, to survive winters on a boat.
Unfortunately this seems to blind them to the fact that they’re not the only users of the waterways and sizeable minority of boaters do not care that they need to share with other people, and routinely moor in ways which obstruct pleasure cruisers, anglers and watersports.
The Marcus chap mentioned in the article has lead a campaign against a CRT proposal for safer mooring in Hackney, describing it as a ‘cull’. These types of people have damaged the informal system for everyone, leading to CRT being more heavy handed.