BRITAIN-HOUSEBOATS Rapidly rising London house prices force people onto the canals
Record ID:
144197
BRITAIN-HOUSEBOATS Rapidly rising London house prices force people onto the canals
- Title: BRITAIN-HOUSEBOATS Rapidly rising London house prices force people onto the canals
- Date: 12th August 2015
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 29, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BIKE CYCLING PAST MOORED CANAL BOATS CANAL BOAT TRAVELS UNDER BRIDGE FLOWERS ON ROOF OF HOUSEBOAT HOUSEBOAT CHIMNEY VARIOUS OF HOUSEBOAT OWNER, TARA O'SULLIVAN CLEANING INSIDE HOUSEBOAT O'SULLIVAN STANDING ON BOAT (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOUSEBOAT OWNER, TARA O'SULLIVAN, SAYING: "It just seems a bit silly to be paying so much rent in London. It's just wasting it the whole time. So I thought why not buy a houseboat? Then I can live in London, move every two weeks and be paying off an investment." LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ''FOR SALE'' HOUSE SIGNS LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 29, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BOAT FOR SALE ON THE REGENT'S CANAL PLASTIC BAG CONTAINING RUBBISH FLOATS ON CANAL VARIOUS OF CANAL BOATS MOORED LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 22, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SIGN READING (English): ''CANAL & RIVER TRUST'' (SOUNDBITE) (English) LONDON BOAT LIASION MANAGER - CANAL & RIVER TRUST, SORWAR AHMED, SAYING: "We are seeing more people live aboard and I suspect that people do consider it to be a fairly cheap option, however there are lots of challenges involved with that and a lot of hidden costs that people need to be aware of before they take the plunge." LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 29, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE ON HOUSEBOAT TRAVELLING ALONG THE RIVER LEA HOUSEBOAT OWNER, BLANKA HAY, CYCLING BIKE ALONG THE RIVERBANK TO HER HOUSEBOAT (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOUSEBOAT OWNER, BLANKA HAY, SAYING: "London's quite tough. It's hard to move out. I was living at home for years, and I was setting up a business and I was waitressing. I was completely working, but it wasn't enough to move out and I have a few friends who have boats and after a while, I realised I quite liked the lifestyle and decided to try it out myself." VARIOUS OF HAY MAKING TEA INSIDE OF HER HOUSEBOAT (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOUSEBOAT OWNER, BLANKA HAY, SAYING: "We know that boating numbers have risen, but they haven't given us facilities to match that. There's five water points in central London for thousands of boaters, that's ridiculous. We haven't just appeared on to the scene. They've had years to sort this out." VARIOUS OF CANAL BOATS MOORED AT PERMANENT MOORING ON THE RIVER LEA LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 22, 2015) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) LONDON BOAT LIASION MANAGER - CANAL & RIVER TRUST, SORWAR AHMED, SAYING: "One of the things that we're looking at doing is in fact reviewing the level of services that we have. In a sense the trust has been playing catch-up, because the number of boats on the canals has been growing quite fast and in terms of our investment plans, it's not always easy for us to make those plans to meet demand." LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 29, 2015) (REUTERS) HAY'S CANAL BOAT BY THE RIVERBANK OF THE RIVER LEA. COMMUTER TRAINS GO PAST IN THE BACKGROUND
- Embargoed: 27th August 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: United Kingdom
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA5UWGIEWRFJ1S6ZSDWJEJE52MQ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: High rents and sky rocketing house prices have sparked a 50 percent rise in the number of people living on London's canals, with many seeing life on a houseboat as a viable cheaper alternative to renting rooms elsewhere in the capital.
The Canal and River Trust, who regulate the city's canals, said that there has been a 52 percent increase in the total number of boats in London over the last five years.
In Hackney, an area in east London which is becoming increasingly popular with artists and young professionals, there was an 85 percent increase in the amount of boats last year.
Student midwife, Tara O'Sullivan has temporarily moored her boat next to Victoria Park in east London. She only just bought her canal boat and says it was a sensible purchase instead of renting in the city.
"It just seems a bit silly to be paying so much rent in London. It's just wasting it the whole time. So I thought why not buy a houseboat? Then I can live in London, move every two weeks and be paying off an investment."
Sorwar Ahmed, London boat liaison manager for the Canal and River Trust said that the canal boat lifestyle might not be for everyone and shouldn't be seen as an alternative for cheap housing.
"We are seeing more people live aboard and I suspect that people do consider it to be a fairly cheap option, however there are lots of challenges involved with that and a lot of hidden costs that people need to be aware of before they take the plunge," he said.
Canal life in London isn't without its problems; with the number of boats multiplying, demand for moorings is outstripping supply and as a result costs are increasing too. Those without a permanent mooring are granted a license on the condition that they 'continuously cruise'.
The Canal and River trust specify that during 'cruising', the boat should not be "In any one place more than 14 days," although critics say that the wording is too vague. If boaters violate this condition, they risk the restriction or revoking of their boating license.
Blanka Hay is a continuous cruiser. Her boat was moored near Walthamstow Marshes on the River Lea, north east London when she spoke to Reuters.
Blanka purchased her boat using her father's inheritance and says it was the only way that she could afford to move away from home.
"London's quite tough. It's hard to move out. I was living at home for years, and I was setting up a business and I was waitressing. I was completely working, but it wasn't enough to move out and I have a few friends who have boats and after a while, I realised I quite liked the lifestyle and decided to try it out myself," she said sitting by her boat.
Electricity is scarce living on a boat and basic sanitary tasks such as emptying waste from the toilet require specialist facilities on the river bank.
Many people living on the water say that the facilities for the increasing number of boats are not adequate and blame the Canal and River Trust for failing to adapt to demand.
"We know that boating numbers have risen, but they haven't given us facilities to match that. There's five water points in central London for thousands of boaters, that's ridiculous. We haven't just appeared on to the scene. They've had years to sort this out," said Hay.
Ahmed defended the Trust's facilities that it provides for those living on the waterways.
"One of the things that we're looking at doing is in fact reviewing the level of services that we have. In a sense the trust has been playing catch-up, because the number of boats on the canals has been growing quite fast and in terms of our investment plans, it's not always easy for us to make those plans to meet demand," he said.
With the average property in London on the market for more than 490,000 GBP, that's a rise of 45 percent in five years according to Lloyds Bank.
Slow economic growth combined with wage stagnation means the flood of people looking to live on the capitals waterways doesn't look like it will recede anytime soon. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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