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Introduction
There is great demand for residential moorings in London
which far outstrips the supply. The result is that they are hard to find and
often expensive (in central London for some years have been as much as
£3,000 a year for an officially-recognised residential mooring, and I
recently of mooring fees of £7,000 per year on some of the newer sites).
British Waterways have a waiting list of boats wanting residential moorings on
the canals in London, and the last time I heard, this was running at about 350
boats. Even in outer London, I have heard the figure of £6,000 per year
mentioned in connection with the soon-to-be-opened new marina at Cowley Peachey
(near Uxbridge).
On the canals
Most canals, including those in London, are administered by
British Waterways . They no longer formally concern themselves with whether a
boat is used as a residence or not, but the proprietors of individual mooring
sites may impose their own restrictions (which may in turn be the result of
decisions imposed by the local planning authority). However some sets of
moorings, although basically for non-residential boats, do allow a few
residential ones as a security measure. All boats on BW waters have to be
licensed, and to do this one needs either to have a home mooring or to register
your boat as "permanently cruising". In the latter case there are fairly tight
restrictions on how long the boat is allowed to stay in one place.
BW London Region covers most of the Grand Union south
of Cowley lock (just south of Uxbridge), the Paddington Branch, Regent's Canal
(including Limehouse Marina), Hertford Union, the River Lee and part of the
London Docklands waters (including Poplar Marina). They administer some mooring
sites themselves and are, of course, aware of all others. They publish a useful
booklet showing the location of all mooring sites with contact details. They
can be contacted at : The Toll Office, Delamere Terrace, London W2 6ND,
 (020) 7286 6101, fax (020) 7286 7306.
If you're looking for a mooring further out, then it may be
worth your while contact BW Grand Union South, who manage the Grand
Union northwards from Cowley Lock to well beyond what anyone might consider the
edge of London. They can be contacted at Watery Lane, Marsworth, near Tring,
Herts, HP23 5LZ,
(01442) 825 938.
On the Thames Tideway
The Navigation Authority is the Port of London
Authority (Devon House, 58 St Katherine's Way, London, E1 9LB,
(020) 7265 2656), but all moorings are run by independent
businesses. There are some marinas – South Dock, St Katherine's Yacht
Haven , Chelsea Harbour, Poplar Dock (run by British Waterways) and
Limehouse Basin (run by the Cruising
Association on behalf of British Waterways). There are long-established sets of
residential moorings alongside Cheyne Walk in Chelsea and a few other small
sites.
On the non-tidal Thames
This is the part of London's waterways that I know least
well. The Navigation Authority is The Environment Agency, (Thames
Region) (Kings Meadow House, Kings Meadow Road, Reading, Berks, RG1 8DQ,
(01734) 535 000). As one cruises the Thames one sees lots of
moorings, including quite a lot of static houseboats (such as at Tagg's Island,
Hampton), and quite a few marinas, but I don't know how many of the latter
accommodate residential boats.
Hiring a boat to live on
I am asked about this from time to time. There are
houseboats on the Thames for hire, but it is very unusual top find any on the
canals, possibly because it is not a category of use recognised by BW's
licensing arrangements, except under a fairly expensive "hire-and-reward"
licence.
General advice about living afloat
The best source of this is the Residential Boat Owners
Association .
| Other web sites worth visiting include : |
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that of Robert Laws, an experienced residential boater
from Cambridge |
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and Martin Chinnery's
Houseboats and live-aboard cruising site . |
OTHER PAGES IN THIS SECTION
Click on the
icon to go to the page |
MAP |
PHOTOS |
FACILITIES |
The Grand Union Main Line South of Watford
(including the Slough Arm) |
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The Paddington Branch |
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The Regent's Canal |
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The lower part of the Lee Navigation |
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The Bow Back Rivers |
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The Thames Tideway |
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Residential moorings in London
(Top of this page)
|
 Guided towpath walks
(external link to London IWA
site)
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