http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latest.cgi News, pictures and comments from Britain's best-selling waterway magazine. (Version without external links.) http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=1798 British Waterways, and its property development partner, have suddenly withdrawn the controversial planning application for Marsworth Yard.<div><br></div><div>WW understands that Aylesbury Vale District Council had advised BW that there was little chance&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;application&nbsp;being&nbsp;accepted&nbsp;in&nbsp;its&nbsp;current&nbsp;form.<br><div><br></div><div><div>BW's statement says:</div><div><br></div><div>"The planning application by H2O - a partnership between British Waterways and the private sector company, bloc - for the redevelopment of the largely derelict site at Marsworth has been withdrawn following discussions with the local planning authority. &nbsp;The decision is based on the need for further work on the issues surrounding the demolition and clearance of the site. H2O remains committed to its objective of bringing this underused canalside site back to life at the same time as improving the local village environment by removing the derelict concrete batching plant. H2O has undertaken to carry out further consultation with local residents and the local council before submitting an improved proposal."</div></div></div> Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:47:42 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=1449 <span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; "><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">August's<span style="font-style: italic; ">WW</span>has two passionate, well-argued contributions from Mike Palmer (chairman of the Waterway Recovery Group) and Malcolm Turner (chairman of the Trent &amp; Mersey Canal Society) about the role of volunteers on our waterways.<div><br></div><div>We only had space to print an edited version of their views in the printed magazine, but it seemed a shame not to give people the chance to read a fuller version. So here's the unedited version.</div><div><br></div><h3>Mike Palmer - Chairman, Waterway Recovery Group<br></h3><div><span style="font-family: Arial; ">The nice people at Waterways World asked if I could write a some words on British Waterways and Volunteering. Then BW launched its 2020 vision and announced it wanted to be a Third Sector organisation and the discussion suddenly got a lot bigger ! But I will stick initially to the brief and talk about BW and volunteers at this point in time:</span><br></div><div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><br></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; "><b>THE WHOLE VOLUNTEER THING</b></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; ">BWs Volunteering Policy has been an ongoing development since 2000 and, thanks to some good champions within BW and considerable campaigning from external bodies, it has now got to the point where it is both ready for implementing and has support from the very top. It has been acknowledged that volunteers could make a significant contribution to almost all aspects of BW at almost all levels not just the inevitable example of litter picking but in management, administration, customer relations, heritage, engineering, operations, etc. People at the highest level talk about it being a massive untapped resource. Most importantly if you delve deeper the reason given for involving volunteers is<span style="text-decoration: underline; ">not</span>saving money but getting much better links with all those communities that one way or another support (or should support) the waterways, getting a more diverse and resilient organisation and opening up the organisation to the huge range of skills, experience and opinions that waterway enthusiasts (or potential enthusiasts ) possess. Unfortunately if you ask for a summary it tends to come out as well it would help plug our funding gap. Which really is not the main benefit in my opinion. However lets gloss over that minor detail and, now they have a policy and a few key employees in place, Id like to suggest some practical points to drive the implementation forward:</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><br></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; ">1) Make sure every member of BW staff attends a Working with Volunteers seminar. Nothing fancy or costly just a few hours to put over the basics. Because in my experience its no good just having a few volunteer officers, you need to ensure that all the staff understand about volunteers. Too often I have had fantastic support from some BW staff only to be let down by others with a small but key role to play. These seminars need to concentrate on three areas <i>firstly,</i>they need to lay to rest all those traditional ghosts regarding volunteers taking jobs, doing low quality work, being unsafe, that sort of thing. I dont think there is much resistance to this within BW but it still needs to be addressed officially.<i>Secondly</i>there needs to be a real explanation of the motivations of a volunteer. Because that is utterly key to both managing volunteers and getting the very best out of them. Volunteers are not doing it for a living do not attempt to manage them as though they are. This will also mean considering all those other Third Sector workers people in rehabilitation schemes, offenders, retraining, etc. they too have different motivations and will need managing differently.<i>Thirdly</i>, and closely allied to the second point, is that you need to have a very different attitude if you are ever going to inspire volunteers . Put simply, if you cant see the difference between <i>Yes, if</i>.. and <i>No, until</i>. then you are never going to get on with volunteers.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; "><br></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; ">2) Once these seminars are in place BW are going to need to allocate decent resources to ensure that attempts to involve volunteers are successful. I say again that volunteers are<span style="text-decoration: underline; ">not</span>free labour, the benefits lie elsewhere. BW need to learn to properly value these benefits, understand how they are making their organisation better and accept the costs. As an aside this means that managers need to have a clear steer about how they are to value these benefits in their accounts and reports so they can justify the costs.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><br></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; ">3) Then there are all the support issues regarding volunteering. Currently if you want to promote the waterway, or contribute to restoring its heritage, or run education events then you are expected to accept all of the risk. Why? You are not the main beneficiary thats more likely to be the general public, the waterway itself or even British Waterways. Surely if BW are truly in partnership with its volunteers then the risks must be controlled and acceptable in the same way as they are with their employees. Recognition and adoption of the risk by BW would be a clear indication of full integration with volunteers.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><br></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; ">4) There is also the issue of honesty and respect although I would hope that this would be threaded through all of the above I have stated it separately here because it is a two way street. If we are expecting BW to understand that we have evolved from that wonderful band of enthusiasts who patched locks with balsa wood and chewing gum then we have to accept that they have moved on from the organisation that closed those locks and dropped those bridges.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><br></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; ">5) Finally both sides have to understand that, although no-one could doubt thecommitment of existing enthusiasts to waterways, we are not really the target of all this. Whilst we have much to give, and groups like WRG are determined to lead by example, the aim is to get the whole community to actively support the waterways. Lets try not to fall out as we move to what might be the only sustainable solution for waterways.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><br></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; "><b>BW's 2020 VISION</b></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; ">So BW have announced they have been thinking about the future and they now want to be a Third Sector organisation. This is in response to the new wind blowing through politics with regards to funding the public agenda. Rather that individual government departments giving out cash directly, it is now devolved down to more local organisations - Local Authorities, RDAs, Health Trusts, etc. who decide the best way to spend it based on their agendas. So, instead of chasing funds from DEFRA, BW want to chase funds from just about everyone in an attempt to get contracts to deliver all those diverse bits of the public agenda that DEFRA currently funds heritage, tourism, freight, social inclusion &amp; exclusion (they are different you know!), regeneration, etc.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><br></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; ">This leads to lots of questions (such as Didnt you try this 10 years ago?, How on earth can chasing lots of little contracts be more secure than one big annual payment from government?, Are you really ready for the cut-throat world of charities bidding for contracts (read the Guardian on any Wednesday for relevant horror stories)? ). However there is no point in me dealing with these questions because a) it is slightly off-topic and b) you can all ask the BW directors yourselves by going to their road-shows.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><br></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; ">So lets give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that in ten years time we now have a sort of wet National Trust looking after our waterways. It would certainly seem that a Navigation Authority with a charitable aim of Waterways for ever, for everyone*, would be desirable. One that is no longer the Governments political football and is unaffected by the whim of Treasury. An organisation whose diverse funding streams were underpinned by contracts that promised to deliver public benefits to the widest range of stakeholders. It all sounds very desirable.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><br></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; ">In the light of this proposed metamorphosis is the question of volunteers still important ? You will not be surprised to hear me say it is even more important than ever and Ill give two examples one practical and one strategic.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><br></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; ">If you only get funding for things because they can<span style="text-decoration: underline; ">deliver</span>public agenda items then how do you expand or improve the network? Will a hard pressed health authority invest in a regeneration project on the grounds that it will deliver benefits in a few years time? Who will take the germ of an idea and develop it up to the point when it represents an sensible case. The answer is, of course, volunteers just like the olden days.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><br></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; ">On a more strategic level all these contracts only succeed if you have fully engaged with the stakeholders. It doesnt matter how many posters you put up saying Its your waterway. Unless they actually feel part of it they will not support (demand even!) the funding of it . This involves exactly the same techniques as engaging with volunteers. Indeed you could logically argue that stakeholders are just volunteers who stay at home ! If you cant convince volunteers, who already have an interest in waterways, that they are part of the fabric of waterways then how are you going to convince the other stakeholders you desperately need?</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><br></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; "><b>SUMMARY</b></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; ">I think that the next 12 months are going to be key to BWs long term health. I truly believe, irrespective of their long term ambitions, the need for BW to engage with volunteers is essential and should be at the top of their agenda. It is an indication of both how committed they are to a sustainable future and how fit they are to achieve it.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><br></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; "><b>PS</b></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; ">I have only talked about British Waterways in the above but I am pleased to say that the Environment Agency have just presented a comprehensive report on volunteering to their Board and indeed AINA (representing the Navigation Authorities) are holding aconference on the subject in the Autumn. In fact, it is so important that the IWA is thinking of writing a policy on it !</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><br></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; "><br></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><span style="font-family: arial; "><h3>Malcolm Turner - Chairman, Trent &amp; Mersey Canal Society<br></h3><div><div>People volunteer to help projects for a variety of reasons. They may want to show support for the restoration of a piece of history which has fallen into disrepair such as the Anderton Boat Lift, the reward being to see it in operation again. Or they might see an opportunity to get some hands on experience with something such as a boat restoration like Symbol, where the result may be the chance to take the tiller. They may offer professional support if they have qualifications or just time to get stuck into the mud if they have an office job. What I've never yet met is somebody who turns up without any idea of what they want their efforts to achieve. Yet this year I've seen or had communications from organisations who quite literally want volunteers to replace paid labour.</div><div><br></div><div>The canal world is a very special and unique one. When it emerged on the landscape there were no roads, no cars, no railway lines and no trains. If you wanted to go somewhere, you had two choices, walk, or if you were lucky, you could travel by pony and trap or by a cold, drafty coach pulled along rutted pathways which soon became quagmires when it rained. If you had fragile goods to transport, you suffered losses through breakage, and saw your profits tumble and your costs rise.</div><div><br></div><div>In the canal age, you could travel in relative comfort. With a stove to keep you warm and a cabin to keep out the wind and rain. The journey was smooth and although perhaps not quite as fast as a coach and horses, you ended the day feeling a lot less tired and weary. If you had fragile goods to move around the country, you could move a much greater quantity, with much fewer breakages.</div><div><br></div><div>Wasn't that a really important and major step forward in the process of making Britain Great?I certainly think so, and I know a lot of people involved with the canal movement who agree with me.</div><div><br></div><div>Unlike most other breakthroughs in science and technology, much of the fabric of the canal age is still intact and working, in many cases in it's original state, everything is there to inspire thousands of volunteers to help keep it alive and around for another couple of hundred years. But the organisation we have to manage this national monument has always suffered from the whims of government strategies, and while having some good years has probably had many more leaner years financially. So too have the Museums which celebrate the canal age. Gloucester has recently closed and all of the others are perpetually strapped for cash. Isn't it criminal that such organisations should be placed in a situation where they feel the best they can do is ask for volunteer help no experience necessary as full training will be given British Waterways has been underfunded over the last few years and have started to welcome the help of volunteer groups and organisations to help in projects. Indeed with the new regions within BW the co-operation of volunteer groups is a key part of their way forward. They've recognised for some time now that canal societies registered as charities and the IWA and other groups can get access to funding they apparently can't. Ellesmere Port Boat Museum, now the National Waterways Museum had a very successful Easter Festival, thanks to the return of the Historic Narrow Boat Owners Club, some excellent weather, and lots of volunteer assistance. But some of that assistance was sought from within other volunteer groups, who can ill afford to lose members.</div><div><br></div><div>Surely that shouldn't be so. The politicians, ministers and civil servants who are saying no to the funding that BW and the waterways museums need, are the same people who fall over themselves to support and fund thousands of much less important projects, even projects in foreign countries. As I write this, the expenses scandal within Parliament is dominating the news, These are the very people who seem happy to let us pay for every aspect of their daily lives, plus a fat pension, while letting a national treasure deteriorate.</div><div><br></div><div>Canal Societies, the IWA, and all the other projects to restore canals, boats and associated artifacts need volunteers desperately, and they need them now. Isn't it scandalous that museums which should be publicly funded, and BW which in effect is probably the last of the old nationalised industries, should be put in such a position that they need to look for volunteers as a means of free labour.</div></div></span></p></div></div></span> Mon, 6 Jul 2009 16:09:14 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=1303 WW contributor Martin Clark highlights on his Pennine Waterways website that Manchester City Council is considering putting a safety fence in alongside the Rochdale Canal.<div><br></div><div>The move follows the death of a man who climbed into the canal - but could have worrying implications for all canals in urban areas.</div><div><br></div><div>You can submit comments to the <a href="http://www.publicaccess.manchester.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=KIG6C3BC02600&amp;searchtype=WEEKLY" classname="" target="" name="">City Council website</a>. Pennine Waterways has <a href="http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/news2009a.htm#rochdale1" classname="" target="" name="">more details of the proposals</a>.</div> Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:05:04 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=1298 <div>BW is proposing to become a "third sector organisation" by 2020 - in other words, much more like the National Trust. In BW's words:</div><div><br></div><div>"British Waterways, the last remaining part of the British Transport Commission still in public ownership, is proposing that its 200 year old waterway network is moved out of direct state control and into a new 'third sector' or trust organisation within the next 10 years."</div><div><br></div><div>But before then, the existing waterway units will be reshaped into smaller ones, which BW says will be "closer to the customers". A layer of management will be removed, resulting in 100 redundancies. The main changes are:</div><div><ul><li>"New" Central Shires unit: T&amp;M from Sawley to Stoke, Coventry, Ashby, Soar, GU Leicester-Harborough. Not clear where the office will be.</li><li>New South Wales &amp; Severn unit: Mon &amp; Brec, Severn, Worc &amp; Birmingham..</li><li>New Peak &amp; Pennine unit (based in Northwich): Cheshire Ring, Rochdale and Huddersfield Narrow.</li><li>New Kennet &amp; Avon unit (based in Devizes).</li><li>North Wales &amp; Borders moves to Chester.</li></ul></div><div>The new strategy will be debated at public meetings throughout 2009. You can read <a href="http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/media/documents/twentytwentybrochure.pdf" classname="" target="_blank" name="">the BW summary on their website</a>.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Key quotes include:</div><div><br></div><div><div>"We propose the start of a gradual migration from the public sector to the voluntary sector"</div><div>"It will take up to 10 years to implement"</div><div>"Privatisation is not a viable or desirable option for the waterways now, or in the long-term"</div><div>"Our property endowment is important to our future success. We will need to retain what we have and, where sensible, extend it... we will need to continue to receive government funding"</div><div>"In April last [?] year we began a programme of savings including a restructure... to not only achieve economies of scale but also more responsiveness to local authorities and individual communities"</div><div><br></div></div><div><br></div><hr>The full BW press release is:<div><br></div><div><div>British Waterways (BW) is today announcing to staff, customers and stakeholders the results of a major strategic review which it believes will form the basis for the continued renaissance and long-term sustainability of the 2,200 miles of canals and rivers in its care. The key proposals are to: increase efficiencies; open up new funding and partnership opportunities; create closer links with local communities and; start a gradual move over the next decade towards the waterways achieving a third sector trust or charitable status.</div><div><br></div><div>As a first step, BW is proposing an internal restructure of its operations in England and Wales with the creation of 11 smaller, hands-on waterway units, the removal of a layer of management and, subject to consultation with staff and trade unions, approximately 100 redundancies from office staff. Together with other planned changes these proposals would enable approximately 10m per annum to be redirected to waterways maintenance.</div><div><br></div><div>The newly established 11 waterway units in England and Wales will focus solely on delivering BWs core maintenance programme to ensure high levels of efficiency and customer service. Whilst the units will be more evenly balanced in terms of waterway length, number of waterway structures and customer base, the exact boundaries between each will be the subject of a customer consultation. Certain functions currently carried out in existing waterways units, such as managing moorings, developing partnerships and carrying out major engineering projects, will be undertaken by specialist teams.</div><div><br></div><div>In the revised structure, additional focus will be put on working with volunteers and local communities, whilst the creation of a new regeneration directorate will build on the ability of the waterways to kickstart regeneration and contribute to social inclusion. The directorates aim will be to develop new relationships with community stakeholders and funding bodies at both a local and national level.</div><div><br></div><div>Robin Evans, BW chief executive, comments: In the last decade we and our partners have successfully eliminated a massive backlog of safety repairs on our canals and rivers, we have generated record levels of third party and commercial investment, and the network is bigger, busier and in a better shape than for generations. The waterways are visited by millions of people each year and offer a huge range of public benefits, including leisure, health and wellbeing, flood mitigation, wildlife havens and investment opportunities. This is an extraordinary change from the 1950s and 1960s when, with the exception of a few enthusiasts, the waterways were largely looked upon as derelict ditches and a public health risk.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite this turnaround the waterways today still face serious challenges. The global downturn has reduced our ability to earn additional funds for the network, public funding will come under considerable pressure for the foreseeable future and we are already short of the money required to maintain the network properly.</div><div><br></div><div>With this in mind, our absolute priority must be to maintain investment in the waterways and this means reducing spending elsewhere. Our proposed new structure will both redirect important funding to essential maintenance work but also make us much more responsive to customers and partners. </div><div><br></div><div>In the longer term, British Waterways believes the time is right for some fresh thinking about what the waterways mean to Britain and how their sustainable future might be secured. Next month it will be launching a public debate on the role of Britains former industrial canals and rivers, highlighting their considerable modern-day contribution to society and seeking views on its proposals for how they should be used, run and funded in the future. Central to the debate will be BWs view that the time is now right to consider the option of changing its structure to turn it, by 2020, into a third sector public interest company or trust. Such a change could: stimulate far greater participation in the waterways by volunteers and other individuals; enhance openness and accountability for communities and waterway users; create opportunities for new sources of income such as grants and donations and; ensure the historic network is held in trust for the nation. </div><div><br></div><div>The waterways are still likely to require public funding some time into the future, however BW believes that in the long term this could evolve from annual deficit funding into a contract with Government. This would allow BW greater certainty in planning future expenditure and give Government a clearer understanding of the public benefits, such as flood control and public open space, which the waterways deliver.</div><div><br></div><div>Robin continues: Over the last year, at our Annual Meeting and elsewhere, waterway stakeholders have told us that we should get closer to local authorities and communities and adapt ourselves to be more responsive to volunteers. Many organisations have shown how this approach can add to their stability, both financially and practically. I believe that the best way to embrace this is to start the gradual process which could see the ownership structure bring a greater sense of belonging and responsibility to communities and individuals, and eventually move into the third sector.</div><div><br></div></div> Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:54:23 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=1279 The Treasury has announced, a day earlier than expected, that British Waterways will be allowed to keep its property portfolio - at least for now.<div><br></div><div>The property had been considered for sale to raise funds for the Government. BW had lobbied furiously to keep it; property development is one of BW's main sources of income for the money used to maintain the waterways.</div><div><br></div><div>In the short term, though, BW has been told to place its property in a "dedicated, wholly-owned subsidiary of British Waterways", which the Government says will give it greater clarity on where the money goes. The new company will have its own board, meaning also that BW itself will be able to concentrate on the core task of running the waterways.</div><div><br></div><div>And in the long term? The options are still open. The Treasury says only that it is important that BW keeps the property "under current economic conditions"; for the long term, the Treasury will continue to talk to BW about "the appropriate business model to provide a sustainable future for the waterways".</div><div><br></div><div>BW is anxious, though, to deny that the new subsidiary is "a first step towards disposal", and Robin Evans, BW's Chief Executive, called the announcement "the right decision".</div> Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:42:50 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=1274 Budget Day is a big deal for Government agencies every year, but never more so than this year for British Waterways.<div><br>On Wednesday, Alistair Darling will be announcing - or, perhaps, tucking away in the corner of an obscure document on the Treasury website - whether British Waterways will be allowed to keep its commercial property portfolio, or whether it's to be sold off. The Treasury is desperately in need of "quick bucks", and BW's property is a very tempting target.<br><br></div><div>BW has been frantically fighting a rearguard action to stop the sell-off. There have been briefings hither and thither, even advertorials in the Times, and the organisation has subtly shifted its public face from "aren't we clever to earn all this money?" to "look what public benefit this brings you". The Inland Waterways Advisory Council, a Government quango that advises on waterway policy, joined in last week with a press release urging the Treasury to leave BW alone - no small achievement given that other navigation authorities have been privately sceptical of BW's property activities for several years now.<br><br></div><div>For although the phrase "British Waterways' property" might conjure up images of lock-keepers' cottages and picturesque old wharves, in reality, BW has long since sold most of those off. With the proceeds from this, and other activities, it built up an impressive estate of "mixed use" commercial/residential developments, business parks and the like. A good investment in the boom years, no doubt, but perhaps not looking so clever now.<br><br></div><div>The IWAC release puts up a strong defence, signing off with a remark that "a number of important reports are due to be published in the next few months which quantify the public benefits provided by the waterways and review alternative methods of funding... the Government should wait until it has a full appreciation of the public benefits that might be put at risk".<br><br></div><div>If we were to bet on Wednesday's announcement, though, we'd expect that the Government <span style="font-style: italic;">will</span> announce a sell-off of BW's property. That probably won't be the whole announcement: there'll be a little balm to soothe BW's pain. DEFRA (the Government department in charge of BW) is already undertaking a review of BW's work, which could well now focus on "can volunteers cut BW's costs?" and "should local councils pay for the waterways?".<br><br></div><div>But that's just speculation based on our reading of the jungle drums. We'll find out on Wednesday.</div> Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:38:18 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=1264 We're taking a break for a week and will be posting updates again in a week's time. Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:00:25 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=987 Good news for river boaters from the Environment Agency: licences are to rise less than originally expected.<div><br></div><div>According to the Agency, "In response to the economic downturn and recognition of concerns raised by boating representatives, the Environment Agency has reacted quickly to reduce its previously agreed charging increase by 4%, which will ease pressure on boaters. This reduction, to 7.8%, has been broadly welcomed by customer representatives."</div> Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:05:42 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=983 We're delighted to report that, earlier this evening, Stroud District Council voted to take on the restoration project for the Cotswold Canals' "phase 1a" (the Stroudwater and Thames &amp; Severn Canal from the Ocean, Stonehouse, to Brimscombe Port).<div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>The restoration was jeopardised when British Waterways pulled out last year. SDC has now agreed to become lead partner and, crucially, to take on the 11.9m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.</div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>Congratulations to the Cotswold Canals Trust and all involved.</div> Tue, 16 Dec 2008 23:22:30 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=979 <p><img src="http://www.waterwaysworld.com/images/wey_arun_map.jpg" /></p>January's WW is now landing on doormats all across Britain, and due to a production error (you only ever notice these things when it's too late...), the edges of the map of the Wey &amp; Arun Canal were accidentally cropped off. Here's what it should have looked like. Mon, 15 Dec 2008 10:50:19 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=959 The Environment Agency has withdrawn its plan to sell off lock-keepers' houses on the Thames - and confirmed that every lock will continue to have a resident keeper.<div><br></div><div>Only five of the EA's 57 houses will be sold, and those are all away from the locks. The 45 locks will each continue to have one or more lock-houses each with a resident keeper. The staff currently resident in the five houses to be sold will be encouraged to move to a vacant lockside property, but the EA has promised that no lock-keeper will be made redundant or homeless.Thames campaigners are, understandably, jubilant at the decision.</div><div><br></div><div><div>According to Howard Davidson, regional director of the Environment Agency: "We have listened carefully to staff, MPs, river users and those who live in the flood plain, who all raised objections to our original proposals announced earlier this year.We have carried out a full review into this, and issues such as flood risk and our response to incidents outside normal working hours have been key.As a result, we have reached the conclusion that keeping a resident lock and weir keeper at each of our 45 sites along the Thames is the sensible way forward."</div></div> Thu, 4 Dec 2008 11:17:13 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=945 BW has announced an 8.5% rise in licence fees next year - or a 6.2% increase taking into account yesterday's cut in VAT.<div><br></div><div>Controversial plans to charge wide-beam boats and continuous cruisers more have been dropped - but the continuous cruiser 'issue' is still on the table, and BW is now considering a roving mooring permit system. Wide-beam boaters appear to be safe for now.<div><br></div><div><div>BW's full announcement runs:</div><div><br></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">The great majority of those responding to the final phase of consultation (primarily national boating organisations) were opposed to any redistribution of licence fee increases between wide and narrow boats or between those with home moorings and those without. BW has therefore decided not to accept in their entirety the BWAF proposals. The decision also has regard to the deteriorating economic climate which could weaken demand for boat licences in 2009. Fees will therefore rise by less than the 11.2% increase previously outlined for most boaters.</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">The net (ex VAT) price of BWs boat licences in England and Wales will increase by the following amounts from 1 April 2009. Figures in brackets show the effective increase for individual boaters after taking account of the reduction in the VAT rate just announced. </span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Leisure business licences<span style="white-space: pre;">: </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">7.5%</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Gold licences<span style="white-space: pre;">: </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">8.2%<span style="white-space: pre;"></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">(5.9% taking VAT into account)</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">All other licences</span><span style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">: </span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">8.5%</span><span style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">(6.2% taking VAT into account)</span></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Simon Salem, BWs marketing and customer services director, comments: We are shelving plans to introduce a higher fee for wide beamed boats and for seeking government support for the abolition of the rivers only licence fee. However, we continue to support the view expressed by many boaters in the 2007 consultation that it is unfair that continuous cruisers do not make a contribution to the cost of maintaining the waterways that is commensurate with those who take a home mooring.</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">We appreciate that this is a difficult issue and not all boaters agree on either the extent of the problem or on the solution. Sales of continuous cruising licences have been growing significantly and, despite the terms and conditions of the licence, there is evidence that a growing number choose to remain on temporary moorings in relatively narrow geographic areas. The risk of congestion on particularly popular waterways therefore presents a management challenge that we must address.</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">BW is therefore considering workable policies to implement during 09/10 that will encourage the proportion of boaters without a home mooring but who wish to remain within a specific area of the network to choose an appropriate mooring option. The option of a roving mooring permit could cater for those who like to have no fixed base and cruise short distances between temporary moorings within easy reach of their work or other land-based commitment. By purchasing such a permit, they would no longer be classified as continuous cruisers.</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Alongside proposals for a roving mooring permit BW will continue to examine alternative options relating to the structure and pricing of continuous cruising licences. Any proposals, which will seek to avoid penalising those who genuinely cruise extensively around the network, will be discussed with BWAF and other representatives of national boating organisations. They will also take account of any relevant market research. No further formal public consultation on the matter is planned.</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Boat licence fees for Scotland are currently being consulted upon with a proposed 6.3% licence fee increase from April 2009. Transit licences are due to be held at 2008 prices.</span></div><div><br></div></div></div> Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:40:34 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=888 That didn't take long: the Inland Waterways Association has come out strongly against BW's new mooring plans.<div><br></div><div>Roger Squires, chairman of IWA's Navigation Committee, said:</div><div><br></div><div><div>"IWA is diametrically opposed to the line being taken by British Waterways. We have said we are against open auctions and cannot see the need for them when every other operator in the market place, including their own marina operation BWML, uses a fixed price list. This uses the system of comparables used by Estate Agents and is seen by all as a tried and tested and transparent system.</div><div></div><div>"I am additionally concerned that research conducted into online auctions suggests that often people are drawn into the need to 'win at all costs' and through this process may end up bidding more than they can afford or originally intended."</div></div> Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:01:05 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=887 British Waterways has announced that the "mooring tenders" system is to be modified to become an open auction, in a similar vein to the well-known eBay auction website.<div><br></div><div>Boaters bidding on moorings will be able to see the current high bid and make their own bids accoridngly. The new system is expected to go live in the first half of 2009 after software changes have been made to BW's auction website.</div><div><br></div><div>BW chief executive Robin Evans also said several further refinements were being considered. "We have gained useful insights from the consultation," he said, "which has influenced our decision to use the web-based system to allocate vacancies at fixed prices in some situations - e.g. when a new site opens with multiple vacancies. We will also be looking at the trade's suggestion to offer use of the site to private mooring operators for advertising their vacancies, and even to facilitate short term mooring exchanges (or mooring swaps) between customers. A further idea we will consider is to advertise vacancies on a metre by metre rather than per berth basis."</div><div><div><br></div><div>For those with an existing BW mooring, the price they pay will now be reviewed every three years rather than every year, with "cost inflation" increases in the intervening years.</div><div><br></div><div>The full report can be seen at http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/mooringconsultation08 .</div></div> Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:03:55 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=848 Huw Irranca-Davies, the MP for Ogmore (Mid-Glamorgan), has been confirmed as Waterway Minister by DEFRA. There are no navigable waterways in his constituency. Tue, 7 Oct 2008 10:58:50 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=839 <span style="font-style: italic;">WW</span>understands that Jonathan Shaw, currently Waterways Minister, has left his post in the most recent reshuffle. New ministers have been appointed at DEFRA but as yet there is no details of their individual responsibilities. Mon, 6 Oct 2008 12:58:04 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=784 British Waterways has dropped a bombshell by announcing that it intends to adopt dramatically different licence prices for next year.<div><br></div><div>The proposals would see <span style="font-weight: bold;">a surcharge for continuous cruisers and wide-beam boats.</span>The surcharge would be 50 per annum for wide-beam craft (or 30 on a river licence), and 150 for continuous cruisers.</div><div><br></div><div>In addition to this, there will be a 6.6% across-the-board increase.</div><div><br></div><div>The suggestions were originally made by the British Waterways Advisory Forum - a closed, invitation-only group set up by BW - and will be subject to a consultation closing in two months' time, on 7th November. If adopted, they are expected to take effect from 1st April 2009.</div><div><br></div><div>For the full paper, <a href="http://www.waterwaysworld.com/downloads/bw_licence_paper.pdf">click here</a>.</div> Fri, 5 Sep 2008 20:42:07 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=701 Apologies from the WW office - we're having a few technical difficulties at present and haven't been able to update the site as we'd wish. But until we get them resolved, here's a lovely <a href="http://www.fenswaterways.com/BostonLink/LiveWebcam/tabid/65/Default.aspx">webcam</a> showing construction progress on the new lock at Boston, on the Fens Waterways link. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:43:34 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=674 <p><img src="http://www.waterwaysworld.com/picoftheday/2008_06/bond_end.jpg" /></p>"What's all this then?" The late Harry Hines, Hugh Potter, and others examine the top lock on the Bon End Canal, close to WW's former offices in Kottingham House in Burton-on-Trent. Parts of the structure were incorporated into the present dry dock at Shobnall Basin.<div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>(Apologies that we haven't been able to post a new picture every day this week - illness in the <span style="font-style: italic;">WW</span>office has left us short-staffed.)</div> Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:14:17 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=667 <div>Under pressure from Thames MPs and Environment Minister Phil Woolas, the Environment Agency has agreed to put on hold its proposed sell-off of Thameside lock houses.</div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>In a statement issued this weekend, it said: "We have agreed to put on hold any changes proposed by the lock house review until we have completed our full review of staff roles, responsibilities, terms and conditions. No action will be taken to sell or rent lock hosues until these negotiations are completed.</div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>"We anticipate that this will take six months, but this guarantee will continue until all negotiations are completed or January 1, 2009, whichever is latest. We will then review the position with lock-keepers and their representatives and with the MPs' group."</div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>Could the EA perhaps be optimistic about the chances of getting more money out of DEFRA - and being able to afford to keep the houses?</div> Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:07:36 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=665 <p><img src="http://www.waterwaysworld.com/images/boat_planner.jpg"></p> We've unveiled two new features on the site this week which we hope you'll enjoy.<div><br></div><div>Our new <a href="http://www.waterwaysworld.com/design/">boat planner</a> is a fun but useful tool which helps you to design your ideal narrowboat. You simply choose your bow and stern style; drag and drop components onto a foot-square grid; and then add lines and labels to finish. You can save your boat, too, and come back and refine it later.</div><div><br></div><div>We'll be adding more features in the weeks to come, so if you have any ideas or suggestions, do let us know - in the comments here, or by e-mail.</div><div><br></div><div>We've also launched our new <a href="http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latest.cgi?type=D">Picture of the Day</a> feature. <span style="font-style: italic; ">WW</span>has a superb collection of archive pictures, from 35 years of the magazine and further back still - but we don't have room to print more than a handful in the magazine. So, most days, <span style="font-style: italic; ">WW</span>assistant editor Chris Daniels will be selecting a particularly interesting photo from the archives, and posting it on our 'Latest' page. Our first picture is from the famous china commercial traffic on the Caldon Canal - take a look. You can, of course, leave comments if you know more about the scene!</div> Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:54:10 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=664 <p><img src="http://www.waterwaysworld.com/picoftheday/2008_06/milton-princess.jpg" /></p> <p>In the 1970s, pottery manufacturer Johnson Brothers of Stoke-on-Trent realised that the carriage of delicate china ware between their different factory sites would be less damaging if carried out by water on the adjacent Caldon Canal. Using two purpose-built catamaran-style vessels, crates of china were carried around a quarter of a mile.</p> <p>So successful was the project that catamarans <i>Milton Maid</i> and <i>Milton Queen</i> were supplemented by the more conventional-style narrowboat <i>Milton Princess</i>, seen here on its inaugural run in 1979. The operation carried on until 1995 when <i>Milton Maid</i> carried the last load from Johnsons Imperial Works to the Eagle Works. Imperial Works closed shortly afterwards and was demolished.</p> Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:59:48 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=646 <p><img src="http://www.waterwaysworld.com/picoftheday/2008_06/towpath-closed.jpg" /></p>Volunteers during an early 1970s workparty on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal beginning to realise 'the impossible dream'. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:51:25 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=636 At an specially called meeting of councillors last night, we hear that Stroud District Council vowed to press on with the Lottery-funded restoration of the Cotswold Canals, despite the withdrawal of British Waterways. 35 councillors voted for their council to become the lead partner taking the Heritage Lottery Fund project forward, with just three against. More news in the next<span style="font-style: italic;">WW</span>. Fri, 6 Jun 2008 09:26:58 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=626 <div>Civil servants at DEFRA, the Government department responsible for the waterways, have been working overtime responding to boaters' letters about the impending sell-off of Thames lock-houses.</div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>The responses are, of course, all the same, which is largely what you'd expect. There's just one problem with them - see if you can spot it in these excerpts.</div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Dear [boater], </span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Lock Houses</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Thank you for your e-mail of 23 May to Hillary Benn. It has been passed to Defra and I have been asked to reply.</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">British Waterways own 57 houses and have 45 lock sites and some of the houses are not located on the lockside. They have reviewed the operational need for the lock houses, including the impact on boating, water level management and flood risk...</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">British Waterways will still provide the same standard of service in managing weirs and water levels that are an important part of flood risk management on the Thames...</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">British Waterways have had one-to-one discussions with all of those affected and are working out transition plans for the next five years...</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">This is part of a modernisation of the service on the river where they will be changing other ways of working. British Waterways will increase the number of seasonal lock staff when they are most needed in the summer and reduce permanent staff numbers while maintaining the levels of service needed in winter..</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">British Waterways are changing the way that they work to operate more efficiently... The sale of the lock houses will help them raise income which will be invested in further improvements to their service...</span></div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>Or do they know something we don't?</div> Mon, 2 Jun 2008 15:48:24 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=616 In our May issue we promised to make the Waterways Trust's draft priority list of boats available for download. After it vanished somewhere in the office computer system, we've now unearthed it again and you can see it <a href="http://www.waterwaysworld.com/downloads/nwm_priority_list.pdf">here</a> (two-page PDF) - sorry for the delay. Thu, 29 May 2008 15:39:20 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=614 It's around one year ago that the news first leaked that British Waterways was planning to allocate new moorings through an auction, or tendering system. The system finally went live in the autumn and remains controversial even today.<div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div><div>Now, at last, BW has announced its consultation on the issue, giving boaters a chance to make their views known.</div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>Full details <a href="http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/mooringconsultation08">at the BW website</a>. Robin Evans' message in the introduction betrays a surprising degree of exasperation that people haven't responded more favourably:<span style="font-style: italic;">"It is now time forthe debate to move on from 'it's not fair' to consider the subject in more depth and make agenuinely useful contribution to our final decisions." </span>But maybe the lack of what he considers "genuinely useful" responses is an indication that BW is no longer on the same wavelength as most boaters?</div></div> Wed, 28 May 2008 18:18:51 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=592 Due to high winds, the Crick boat show has been cancelled today and the site evacuated. More later. Mon, 26 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=575 Paul Hobson, managing director of recently failed boatbuilders Sea Otter, has provided some background to the company's collapse in a newly issued press release.<div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>He attributes the blame to the company's sole distributor, Walton Marine, cancelling their regular order - but also hints that competition from foreign-built boats may be a factor.<div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">It is with great sadness that I have to announce that Sea Otter Workboats Ltd has gone into 'controlled liquidation' with immediate effect.</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Walton Marine cancelled all future orders on the 31st March 2008, and under the instructions of our accountant, we have spent the last month trying to generate sales (at open weekends and 'special offers'). Unfortunately, this hasn't generated any sales which means we are unable to trade forward. If we were to do so then this would be seen as fraudulent trading and none of us at Sea Otter want to jeopardise our reputation and the reputation of the product by defrauding the general public.</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">All but one customer sale has been completed and delivered. The only boat still in build will be completed and delivered to the customer before the end of May.</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Sea Otter's use of marine grade aluminium alloy is a great example of manufacturing innovation from a small family run business. No other narrowboat, especially cheaply built imported products, provides such a good investment as a Sea Otter.</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Walton Marine will continue to support owners and boats still under warranty and are able to offer a full statutory warranty on all new and ex-display boats available while stocks last. Sea Otter owners have always benefited from very high resale values and we anticipate that with limited supply, values will continue to hold up very well.</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">We will continue to offer boat movements, servicing and facelifts, as this was a separately-run company and we have use of the facility and own the vehicle and trailer.</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Paul Hobson</span></div></div></div> Mon, 19 May 2008 09:59:13 GMT http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latestpost.cgi?post=572 The designer's bible, <span style="font-style: italic;">Design Week</span>, takes an unprompted look at narrowboat design with this <a href="http://www.designweek.co.uk/Articles/138459/Canalside+travesties.html">challenging article</a>.<div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>The headline, 'Canalside Travesties', warns you that it's not going to be a sympathetic hearing:</div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">"Canal boats are basically motorised metal pontoons, comically narrow floating caravans. There is very little nautical about them. That's fine, but I have an issue with the way they are now. They are all weird fakes."</span></div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>Hugh Pearman, the well-respected author of the article, would like to see more "unselfconscious, functional boats" rather than what he describes as historic pastiches.</div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>It's not an entirely fair picture: there are still some very affordable functional craft out there, like the Calcutt Clipper or even some of the narrowboats we've seen imported from China. But could there be an ounce of truth in his portrayal?</div> Thu, 15 May 2008 14:44:20 GMT