In London, Houseboats Offer Alternative to High Rent, but New Problems Emerge
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Version 0 of 1. LONDON — In the Little Venice neighborhood of west London, the boats’ names appear as colorful as their paint does. The crimson Mayflower bobs in front of the dark green Esmeralda, not far from the navy blue Globetrotter, moored behind the violet Hobbit. Little Venice, where two of London’s biggest canals intersect, can seem a pocket of picturesque tranquillity and the sweet spot of an increasingly popular mode of residence in the city: the houseboat. But ask a boater along London’s 100 miles of canal network, and chances are they will describe something less than idyllic. David Ros, who has lived aboard his boat, the Elizabeth, since 2006, has endured the vexations, which include the daily struggle with the elements and the burden of emptying the bilge tank. Even the lack of something seemingly as trivial as a postal code can pose problems — whether for ensuring timely and accurate mail delivery, or the quick appearance of the police if summoned to address mayhem on the towpath. Lately, though, the houseboaters are facing a new and potentially bigger sort of problem: urban overcrowding. London housing prices continue to soar, up about 20 percent so far this year. One result is that the canal houseboat — once mainly an alternative lifestyle choice — has become an increasingly sought-after affordable-housing option. “The last two years have been an explosion,” said Mr. Ros, 53, who works as a freelance sound designer and lives alone in his one-bedroom boat. “With the cost of housing so stupidly high, there are a load of new, inexperienced people on the water. And a lot less space.” There are now about 3,000 houseboats in London, twice the number as seven years ago, according to the Canal and River Trust, which oversees the inland waterways of England and Wales. It might not seem a large number. But that growth is stretching the limits of the existing canal support system — including the provision of household water and waste disposal. Although London’s canal network is one of the longest in Europe, nearly twice the length of that in Amsterdam, boaters say its livable stretches are operating near full capacity. “The need to find affordable housing has had a bad effect on life as a boater — at least for some of us who have known it when it was quieter,” Mr. Ros said. Jennifer Jones, baroness of Moulsecoomb and a Green Party member of the House of Lords in Parliament, is part of a local London group that has studied the growing houseboat population. She cited “an appalling lack of infrastructure, such as showers, toilets, recycling, even rubbish bins.” The aptly named “Moor or Less” report, of which Ms. Jones was an author last year, found that the number of moorings and other houseboat facilities in London was being outstripped by the rising demand. There are not enough permanent mooring sites available for rent from the Canal and River Trust or from private operators. That means most boaters in London must now rely on “continuous cruising” licenses, which allow staying at the same spot for no longer than two weeks, before shoving off in search of the next available tie-up spot. Some boaters, of course, do not mind living as floating nomads in the heart of one of world’s busiest cities. Even before permanent moorings became so scarce, Kevin Kibbey had by choice been a continuous cruiser on England’s canals in the six years since he retired as an officer on the London Metropolitan Police force. For the last two years, he has been plying the canals of London, where by day he works as a software analyst. “It means the freedom to change your scenery with the turn of an engine,” he said while applying a fresh coat of dark green paint on his boat, the Rymardas, while temporarily tethered in Little Venice. “Last week, I was at Kings Cross. Next week I am going to Notting Hill.” London’s waterways have not always been residential. Built more than 200 years ago, they are part of the 2,000 miles of a British canal network stretching from the river Thames in London to Manchester and Liverpool in the north of England. During the industrial revolution, London’s canal system was a crucial commercial transport system, conveying some five million tons of freight a year. By the middle of the 20th century, though, canal trade was eclipsed by land-based transportation. The waterways became attractive for leisure cruisers and, eventually, residential boaters. Although the boats are still cheaper than most other housing options in London — where the average rent on a one-bedroom apartment is now more than 1,200 pounds a month, or around $2,000 — the initial houseboat investment is not inconsequential. A new vessel can cost more than £100,000, although a secondhand one can be had for about £20,000, depending on age and quality. (By regulation, a London houseboat can be no more than seven feet wide and 72 feet long.) The annual license costs more than £10,000 for a permanent mooring, or about £1,000 a year for continuous cruising. In the last year, the number of continuous cruisers in East London alone has increased by one-third, to over 1,000 boats, according to the Canal and River Trust. “This is a cause of concern for us, as there is growing pressure on facilities as the numbers of boats using them rises,” said Sorwar Ahmed, the boater liaison manager for the trust. “The system just wasn’t designed to hold so many boats.” With the growing number of houseboats, security has become a growing concern, because the dark and secluded towpaths make boats and boaters vulnerable. Break-ins are an increasingly common occurrence. Although the Canal and River Trust has recently installed new video-surveillance cameras, many boaters say they do not feel safe at night. Wilf Horsfall, who decided to live on a boat three years ago because his London rent was “going up ridiculously,” has experienced the risks firsthand. Last year, he was mugged, at knife-point, just outside his boat. “People have a romanticized vision of living on a boat,” he said, “but they just don’t realize the amount of risks they are taking.” The ordeal exposed another drawback of his chosen residency: the lack of a postal code, which in London is a highly specific number that can pinpoint an address. “When I called the police, they wanted a postcode,” Mr. Horsfall recalled. “It took them forever to arrive.” Safety aside, there are other complications. Mr. Kibbey, for his part, is quick with a list that includes clearing the propellers, fueling up the diesel tank, topping up the water supply and emptying the toilet tank. “These are the things you take for granted in a house,” Mr. Kibbey said. Ms. Jones of the Green Party said that there had been increasingly frequent reports of disputes between residents and boaters, involving complaints that include smoky stoves (many houseboaters use wood as a cooking fuel) and noise late into the night from engines left running to charge the batteries that keep a boat’s lights on. For boaters like Mr. Ros, the barriers to houseboat life are troubling. “Living on a boat provides a wonderful alternative lifestyle, and should be protected,” he said. “It should not be a last resort for those who can’t afford anything else.” |