A rosy view

[Boaty Jo]

From the Guardian

 

A nice view .

Are there really almost 10,000 livaboards?

[Boater Sam]

The Guardian !

Not to be trusted, they want no B*****.

[Athy]

Yes, that's where it's from.

Despite a couple of minor errors, it'a an informative piece which should make more people interested in the restoration of canals - and in supporting and/or participating in that restoration. 

[alan_fincher]

1 hour ago, Boaty Jo said:

Are there really almost 10,000 livaboards?

Only on the K&A!

[Alan de Enfield]

1 hour ago, Boaty Jo said:

 

Are there really almost 10,000 livaboards?

Don't forget that there is 'more than just C&RT' waters.

 

From a 2010 report by AINA :

 

There are over 8,000 km of navigable or formerly navigable inland waterways in Great Britain. The AINA membership comprises 21 different navigation authorities who are responsible for the 5,658km of currently navigable inland waterways in Great Britain. However, the great majority of these waterways are the responsibility of the three largest navigation authorities – British Waterways, the Environment Agency, and the Broads Authority.

 

There are 88,267 boats which are licensed to navigate the inland waterways operated by the 21 AINA members10. However, only a very small proportion of these boats are used by the occupants as their main place of residence.

 

The 2008 boaters’ survey conducted by British Waterways included the question “Is your boat your main residence?” 18% answered yes as main or Monday-Friday residence, and extrapolating this to the (approximately) 30,000 privately licensed boats, British Waterways estimates that approximately 5,400 boats on its waterways are used for residential purposes.

 

People living on their boat as their sole or main place of residence are identified by the Government as an example of a household group. “Strategic Housing Market Assessments – Practice Guidance” by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) published in March 2007 to support PPS 3, refers to barges used for residential purposes as a different type of accommodation and minority and hard to reach household group, under chapter 6 on “Housing Requirements of Specific Household Groups”.
Living afloat contributes towards increased choice in housing types and lifestyle and social inclusion. No comprehensive survey of this household group has been undertaken so it is not possible to establish the actual percentage of the total housing accommodation in England and Wales that this household group represents.

 

I would not be surprised if in the last 10 years (since the survey) if the total numbers of people actually living on boats is well in excess of 10,000.

 

I seem to remember some figures from C&RT where they now estimate over 5000 living 'within the M25 Ring'.

 

 

[alan_fincher]

As a point of order......

"There are now 38,000 narrowboats.... ... on 3,000 miles of navigable waterways."

As CRT have formally said they can't currently know from their records how many licensed boats are narrow beam, and how many are wide beam, I suspect the Guardian probaly can't know this either.

They seem to be taking "narrowboat" as synonymous to "barge" or "boat".

[Athy]

16 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

They seem to be taking "narrowboat" as synonymous to "barge" or "boat".

I think you've hit the nail on the head. It's an intelligent and readable piece written by a journalist who has no great knowledge of canals (hence the use of "barge", the mention of the Berkshire and Wiltshire Canal, and so on.) They can be forgiven, this time.

[pete.i]

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/spotlight/drifting-into-the-future-at-4mph-a-rebirth-awaits-for-britain%E2%80%99s-canals/ar-BBRRk76?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=mailsignout

 

A little more optimism amongst the general doom and gloom that seems to pervade the canals (especially on this forum.)

[cuthound]

2 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

As a point of order......

"There are now 38,000 narrowboats.... ... on 3,000 miles of navigable waterways."

As CRT have formally said they can't currently know from their records how many licensed boats are narrow beam, and how many are wide beam, I suspect the Guardian probaly can't know this either.

They seem to be taking "narrowboat" as synonymous to "barge" or "boat".

 

Well, that will scupper CRT's plans to charge sidebeams more for their licences ?

[David Schweizer]

2 hours ago, Athy said:

I think you've hit the nail on the head. It's an intelligent and readable piece written by a journalist who has no great knowledge of canals (hence the use of "barge", the mention of the Berkshire and Wiltshire Canal, and so on.) They can be forgiven, this time.

Are you challenging the name of the canal Mike, or it's almost non existence?

[dmr]

Thats quite a good article for the Guardian, and the first Guardian article I have read for some time that does not manage to include any anti-Brexit propaganda.

It feels like its mostly based on an interview with the WRG which is probably why its good.

 

............Dave

[Athy]

1 hour ago, David Schweizer said:

Are you challenging the name of the canal Mike, or it's almost non existence?

The name. As a member of the W&B trust for some years now, I can vouch for its existence!

[alan_fincher]

2 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

Well, that will scupper CRT's plans to charge sidebeams more for their licences ?

That's why they are (allegedly!) now insisting you supply a width for the vessel.  Apparently althugh previously thee was a box to record it, it was not mandatory to supply it.

[WotEver]

2 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

Well, that will scupper CRT's plans to charge sidebeams more for their licences ?

Are sidebeams powered by sidevalve engines?

[cuthound]

13 minutes ago, WotEver said:

Are sidebeams powered by sidevalve engines?

 

No, spillchuckers ?

[David Schweizer]

9 hours ago, Athy said:

The name. As a member of the W&B trust for some years now, I can vouch for its existence!

 

So can I,  the Semington end is only a few miles from my home.

[Lily Rose]

On 06/01/2019 at 22:12, David Schweizer said:

 

So can I,  the Semington end is only a few miles from my home.

 

I can vouch for its existence at the Abingdon end too. A few years back I walked the full length of this section, must have taken at least a minute.

 

Actually it probably took slightly more but that was only because of how badly overgrown it had become since it was opened about 10 years ago and then (it seems) promptly forgotten about.