Nick Corrigan has been living on a boat for the past eight years, and regularly moors on the Regent’s Canal.
As an itinerant boater, he rarely stays in one place for more than a couple of weeks.
But Nick has said that his lifestyle is under threat after the Canal and River Trust (CRT), a charity that manages some of the capital’s waterways, revealed it would be setting up a commission to review “the legal framework around boat licensing”.
Some “continuous cruisers” fear the move is a bid to remove many of the legal protections they enjoy in the hope it will push them off the waterways.
It comes after recent changes to boat licenses by the CRT, which added a surcharge for itinerant boaters, as well as efforts to introduce more chargeable moorings and ‘no mooring zones’ to its waterways.
Boaters who have a permanent home mooring are not charged the surcharge, but do pay more for their mooring.
The National Bargees Travellers Association (NBTA), an organisation that campaigns on behalf of itinerant boaters, has described the announcement of the new commission as a “deeply worrying escalation”.
It points to claims by the CRT that these boaters concentrated in areas of high demand create “challenges…from an operational, financial and reputational perspective”, as evidence the review is designed to specifically target their community.
“They think that the community – even when operating entirely within their rights and the law – are a nuisance, a burden and an embarrassment, and they want to get rid of us by finding methods for circumventing legislation designed to prevent discrimination,” a NBTA spokesperson said.
The CRT has said that it does not know what, if any changes, the commission might recommend.
But Nick fears that the result could be increasing the distances itinerant boaters have to travel or reducing the length of time they can stay in any one place.
“The CRT are now referring to us as problematic and legally challenging,” Nick said.
“I have followed the rules for eight years and now I’m being told I’m no longer welcome on the waterways.
“If you look at the last two years with licence and mooring changes, there’s a history of them trying to find ways to get rid of this community.
“Even if nothing changes, the social contract will be broken because we will feel as if the CRT are explicitly against us.”
He added that he did not know what he would do if substantial changes were made to how he could use the waterways.
“I certainly could not afford to, nor do I want to, live on some marina in the suburbs in only one place,” he explained.
“I like being out on the water, this is the way I live. I will keep fighting to maintain that lifestyle.”
Matthew Symonds, head of boating at the CRT, says the charity “does not recognise the NBTA’s assertions”.
He added: “It is our charity’s job to manage the canals fairly for all – including for those living afloat. This means interpreting and applying legislation that dates back many decades.
“Some boaters tell us that the legislation doesn’t go far enough, while others believe there shouldn’t be any regulation of boater activity at all.
“So, without prejudging what the commission will conclude, this is one area that it will consider over the months ahead.”