The latest 'Living on a boat in London'

[Alan de Enfield]

Daily Telegraph today (Sunday 16th August)

 

The new affordability: are narrowboats the way to beat London's rising house prices? Londoners are taking to the waters to escape the rising tide of house prices - and beating the system at the same time

Moorings in Chelsea, Battersea and Wandsworth are sought after as many are on 50-year leases. Others have a rolling one-year lease and the cost is determined by the length of boat, but a 50ft boat would cost about £10,000 a year to moor in Chelsea and around £6,500 in Docklands.

 

Alternatively, you can get a continuous cruising licence, which means you need to move to a new mooring space every 14 days. This may suit old-style bohemian boat-dwellers but are less practical for the new generation of young accountants and lawyers who live on boats and need to be at their desk by 9am the next morning.

About 10,000 people live on the capital’s waterways – a 36 per cent rise in the last five years, and Hackney has seen numbers swell by 85 per cent.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/11804150/The-new-affordability-are-narrowboats-the-way-to-beat-Londons-rising-house-prices.html

 

[valrene9600]

These frquent press articles become boring after a while.

[magnetman]

Alternatively, you can get a continuous cruising licence, which means you need to move to a new mooring space every 14 days.

 

Have they read the guidance. So journos do their homework ?

[Southern Star]

The answer to the UK's housing crisis is not for people who have no interest in boats to be forced to live on boats, but to launch a massive house building programme, and if that means concreting over the Green Belt and telling the NIMBYs to go do one, then so be it.

[Arthur Brown]

Moving frequently is better for some than others! You need to move lots of miles so that you don't get back to any place too soon.

[ditchcrawler]

The answer to the UK's housing crisis is not for people who have no interest in boats to be forced to live on boats, but to launch a massive house building programme, and if that means concreting over the Green Belt and telling the NIMBYs to go do one, then so be it.

They dont want to live in the Green Belt they want to live in the City

[TheBiscuits]

The answer to the UK's housing crisis is not for people who have no interest in boats to be forced to live on boats, but to launch a massive house building programme, and if that means concreting over the Green Belt and telling the NIMBYs to go do one, then so be it.

Nah. It's getting over this "I need a 3 bedroom house for me and the cat" thing.

 

My mum was one of 9 children, and grew up in a smaller house than I, my wife and my cat live in.

 

All three of us are happier living on the boat than in the house - it's about a quarter of the size (volume) of our lounge.

 

If we accept as a society that we don't need to avoid our fellows at all costs, we might be able to start a saner conversation about housing.

[patty-ann]

My cottage seems to large though much smaller than the "family war zone" resided in for years.

Ive decluttered extensively during renovating and when manage to get to boat realise that have enough space to live in..happiest and more at peace there surrounded by very few possessions. I live in my lounge, sleep on settee and upstairs is ..well another space.

Small spaces OK if, as above one can either live alone and be at peace with just self or co-exist amicably with who ever shares with you.

London's affordable housing crises will not resolve by taking over waterways congestion will simply move from land to canal.

I don't know what the answer...maybe building large barrack style buildings and allocating a bed sit type room a person for those on low wages..not ideal but is anything affordable in London come under "Ideal" banner.

I think you have to get to certain stage in life to realise excessive personal possessions = clutter that fills up houses, reducing clutter increases living space.

[Bacchus]

The answer to the UK's housing crisis is not for people who have no interest in boats to be forced to live on boats, but to launch a massive house building programme, and if that means concreting over the Green Belt and telling the NIMBYs to go do one, then so be it.

 

Canals are an extremely inefficient use of space in a city, not just the land and towpaths etc, but the hard barriers between other pockets land and the necessity for bridges etc, and as Ditchcrawler said, the people want to live in the city so before concreting over the green belt you would be far better off concreting over the canals. A new block of flats housing hundreds could be built on the footprint of just a handful of narrowboats housing half a dozen.

 

I am not advocating this BTW, there are many other social benefits to the canal for non-canal users in the city. Cycle paths, place to dump stolen bicycles and shopping trolleys, places to practice graffiti without being hit by a train...

 

The most sensible approach to easing the housing crisis would be in finding (and funding) ways to make Scotland, the North of England, and the Midlands more desirable places to live. We have plenty of space without concreting over the green belts, but the problem is that nearly fifty percent of the population live in ten percent of the country.

[bassplayer]

These frquent press articles become boring after a while.

As does copying them on here to whip everyone into a frenzy...

[DeanS]

Moving frequently is better for some than others! You need to move lots of miles so that you don't get back to any place too soon.

 

Maybe you only have to move 1 lock mile every 14 days...who knows.

[Alan de Enfield]

As does copying them on here to whip everyone into a frenzy...

 

Definitions of "Frenzy"

 

1. A state of violent mental agitation or wild excitement.

2. Temporary madness or delirium.

 

Have not seen much of either in this thread.

[bassplayer]

 

Definitions of "Frenzy"

 

1. A state of violent mental agitation or wild excitement.

2. Temporary madness or delirium.

 

Have not seen much of either in this thread.

This one must be disappointing so far...

[bassplayer]

About 10,000 people live on the capitals waterways

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/11804150/The-new-affordability-are-narrowboats-the-way-to-beat-Londons-rising-house-prices.html

 

Having been whipped into a frenzy...

 

By my reckoning, this means they are claiming there are around 5000 live aboard boats in London. That's about 15% of all boats on entire CRT waterway system. Is this really correct? It would be interesting to see the source of this claim

 

BTW I appreciate the Thames is EA and it also depends on how big 'London' is.

[b0atman]

Convince government and companies that there is a country outside of London that has everything but for a lot less money .

[bassplayer]

Convince government and companies that there is a country outside of London that has everything but for a lot less money .

I agree but people tend to congregate around those who rule like kings, queens...and banks...

 

Things might change the closer we get to a new world order. Then it won't matter where we are physically as we'll all be wired up to a computer...

[Lady Muck]

Having been whipped into a frenzy...

By my reckoning, this means they are claiming there are around 5000 live aboard boats in London. That's about 15% of all boats on entire CRT waterway system. Is this really correct? It would be interesting to see the source of this claim

BTW I appreciate the Thames is EA and it also depends on how big 'London' is.

On CRT waters more like 4000, most of which are permanently moored. They count the whole of Lee and Stort in this too. I'm very bored of these articles. They can't be taken any more seriously than the novelty item at the end of the news and that's what they are. Liveaboards make up a miniscule percentage of Londons population and I can't see this changing as it's not as if we can dig more canals in central London for all these new liveaboards to live on. Whatever the press say the big CRT London liveaboard clearout is well underway and even though I have a mooring, I too will not be surprised if we get cleared out in favour of something shinier, tidier and not liveaboard.

[RLWP]

it's not as if we can dig more canals in central London for all these new liveaboards to live on.

 

Ahhh, but what about the sewers

 

Richard

[bassplayer]

Ahhh, but what about the sewers

 

Richard

Some would argue they are already living on sewers...

[zenataomm]

Sounds like an excellent subject for an independent TV program producer to tackle.

So long as it's done factually ......

 

Winter encroaching

Muddy towpath

Toilet full

Water tanks nearly empty

Trying to drag a full gas canister along rickety towpath on small wheeled trolley

Got to get to work

CRT notices stuck on door

Blah, blah, blah ........

[patty-ann]

Trouble is these articles influence minority of people who believe cheap option for housing and see through rose tinted glasses.

[John V]

Very true Patty-ann

[BEngo]

Are these articles sponsored by Whilton Marina????

 

I think we should know.

 

N

[Lady Muck]

Trouble is these articles influence minority of people who believe cheap option for housing and see through rose tinted glasses.

They don't last though, sometimes, not even a month, once they realise that electricity isn't a magic thing that just appears, that water tanks aren't infinite, that you can't live permanently in Islington unless you fork out £20k a year for a mooring.

 

Or they do do their research and fail at the 'finding a mooring' stage and realise it's just not a goer. I heard somewhere that as many as 70% of new London ccers manage just six months onboard before leaving. It's one reason why there have been so many rented boats (although these are becoming way less now as tenants don't want to cruise the distances that CRT are enforcing on). People can't wait to leave so they get a tenant and move off asap. It's also the reason why some of these rentals are such a state, some needing major work (such as new engines), the major work needed and the problems it has caused being the reason the newbie gave up.

 

I think we've reached or are about to reach 'peak boat'.

Sounds like an excellent subject for an independent TV program producer to tackle.

So long as it's done factually ......

 

Winter encroaching

Muddy towpath

Toilet full

Water tanks nearly empty

Trying to drag a full gas canister along rickety towpath on small wheeled trolley

Got to get to work

CRT notices stuck on door

Blah, blah, blah ........

They don't seem to be interested in any angle other than slightly smug young yuppie types, the only people you ever see interviewed are newbies and the 'doing this for life' liveaboards won't speak to the media for fear of being misrepresented.

Edited August 17, 2015 by Lady Muck

[Morat]

I agree but people tend to congregate around those who rule like kings, queens...and banks...

 

Things might change the closer we get to a new world order. Then it won't matter where we are physically as we'll all be wired up to a computer...

Move the Government to Leeds. The House of Commons is facing a £3bn repair bill so we could offset the cost against that.

I'm sure we could lay on a train to get Her Majesty to the opening of Parliament on time.

 

Also, there's a serious problem with the housing bubble in London which is distorting the market. When foreign investors are snapping up the new builds off the plans and UK residents are therefore forced to be tenants to overseas landlords, we're justified (IMO) to start charging some punitive taxes on non-dom owners of UK property. Of course, sucessive governments are scared that they'll overcook it and push property prices down, which would destroy their chances at the next election even though property prices are (IMO) far too high.