Boat-dwellers fear review could end lifestyle

Keyworker Alain Gough-Olaya lives on a houseboat in Hackney

Alain Gough-Olaya lives on the houseboat he built while living in the Midlands, before he moved to London to take up a role as a community mental health nurse in Hackney.

He is what is known as a continuous cruiser, a boat-dweller who doesn't have a permanent mooring, and moves between temporary moorings up and down the River Lea - and beyond - every 14 days.

For access to these, as well as services like bins and places to pump-out waste, he pays about £1,600 a year to the Canal and River Trust (CRT).

"We pay a licence which isn't really the equivalent to rent, it's more the equivalent to council tax," explains Alain. "That licence pays for all of our facilities and our ability to be on the water."

Alain pays an annual licence fee which allows him to move between moorings every 14 days

But whether he can continue this lifestyle may depend on the outcome of a review of boat licensing which started in January and is being carried out by an independent commission.

The legislation around the use of waterways hasn't been updated since the British Waterways Act 1995, and the authority which runs them believes a fresh look is required.

"The number of boats has doubled in the last 30 years, and we've seen more people choosing to live on the waterways which has really brought the canals to life," says Matthew Symonds, from the CRT.

"But it also brings challenges in how you manage large numbers of boats in confined spaces, and how you make sure it's fair for everybody."

The Canal and River Trust has established a commission to review the 30-year-old legislation

Boat-dwellers fear new legislation might affect continuous cruisers particularly, putting pressure on them to find a much more expensive and elusive permanent mooring.

Alain says it could force itinerant boaters like him off the waterways altogether, meaning he would probably have to leave the capital and his nursing position.

"I just wouldn't be able to do this job, I just wouldn't be able to live in London. I would have to be elsewhere."

Londoner SJ lives on a boat because she can't afford to rent a home

Student and part-time carer SJ is originally from south London and also has her own boat on the River Lea, which she is currently refurbishing, due to the cost of renting a home.

"About three or four years ago I realised I couldn't afford to live in London anymore," she says. "And this is where I grew up. And that's not really fair."

As a continuous cruiser, SJ is also worried about what the review will mean for her and her lifestyle. She says she wouldn't be able to afford to pay for a permanent mooring, even if she could find one.

SJ lives on a houseboat as a continuous cruiser with a temporary mooring

The National Bargee Travellers Association, which represents travelling boat-dwellers, believes changes to the legislation could end the continuous cruiser lifestyle and see thousands of boaters made homeless.

It told the BBC: "The most likely result of an abandonment of the British Waterways Act 1995 will, in reality, be a highly conflictual, unpleasant and incredibly expensive process whereby boaters with no other place to go refuse to leave their homes, whilst the CRT spend millions on legal battles and enforcement to put them out on to the streets."

Continuous cruisers live in houseboats without a permanent mooring

The CRT is clear that boaters' licences and fees are set in place until 2028 so no changes are expected before then.

It says it plans to engage with boaters and other stakeholders over the next few months.

The commission's report on its findings will be submitted to the CRT's board of trustees in September before a decision is made about how to proceed.