Change language
Actions
Displays
Remove from selection
Add to selection
Abstract

A long-running towpath battle over acrid smoke from boat engines pouring into canalside homes and noisy generators disturbing the peace may have come to an end.

The Tribune can reveal Town Hall-backed plans to install electric charging points along Regent’s Canal to the rear of Noel Road, in Angel, which would mean boats would no longer have to run their engines or use petrol-powered generators to supply electricity.

Residents in the street – which was home to playwright Joe Orton and author Nina Bawden, who died in 2012 – have attractive south-facing gardens leading onto the canal. They have complained for years about boats running their engines and the use of noisy generators.

A quiet zone agreement was brokered between boaters and residents several years ago by the Canal and River Trust, limiting engine and generator noise to background level and introducing single-line mooring in winter.

Islington Council is now planning to clean up the area further. As part of its clean-air strategy the authority has secured around £50,000 in government funding, which will be matched by the trust, to install charging points and turn the site into a designated “eco-zone”. The charging points will also be fitted on the towpath near King’s Cross.

“It’s very exciting news that the Canal and River Trust have found a way of resolving the pollution issue in Noel Road,” said St Peter’s ward Labour councillor Martin Klute.

“Particularly because it’s positive both for the trust and local residents. I also believe the majority of boaters will support this as many of them are green-minded. It’s a very green solution and should be good for everyone.”

Steve Strickland, a mechanic who repairs boat engines all over London, welcomed the plans. “Some sense at last,” he said. “Some generators are noisier than others but they are an irritant, there’s no question about it.”

However, boater Kyle, 27, who was moored along the stretch of canal near Angel this week, said the affordability of solar panels and their widespread use among boaters may have already made the charging points redundant.

“I think the majority of boaters would be fine with this, but so many are already using solar panels, there’s hardly ever a need to run our engines any more. More and more boaters are getting them because they are cheap and you end up saving so much money. Generators are being used less and less.”

He added: “I know residents complain a lot about boaters running their engines but it’s actually far more annoying for other boaters than residents. They have to experience the smoke and noise from closer by.”

Noel Road resident Dohne Arnold said people in the street had not been consulted on the plans. They only found out on Monday after receiving an email from Cllr Klute.

She suggested the installation of charging points could restrict access on the already narrow towpath.

Sorwar Ahmed, the trust’s boating liaison manager, said: “There is Department for the Environment funding available for electrical charge points along the towpath and we’re looking at how this money could be used to improve the canal. Once more detailed proposals are in place we’ll consult with boaters and residents to get their views.”