Bangor Wharf Proposals (2015)


Bangor Wharf's days could be numbered as a low-level open space. The One Housing Group has unveiled plans (November 2015) to build residential blocks opposite the Reachview flats near the Consitution pub.

To the untrained eye this site looks like a dead space waiting to be filled. However, this is one of only four potential access points in Camden that have been earmarked for sustaining water-borne transport. For an explanation see the report prepared by Regents Network in 2010.

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Are there other uses for this site?

We should capitalise on the unique features of this site. The offside wharf is only a few yards from the road and would provide an ideal facility for the fuel boats to load and unload their supplies for the benefit of the boating community. Can you think of other uses for the ground floor areas that sustain rather than merely observe canal life?

Some unanswered questions

Q: how did these plans manage to reach this stage without the canal users being aware?

Q: was the CRT consulted?

Q: was the IWA consulted?

Q: were any members of the London Waterways Commission consulted?

Q: how many planning officers or advisers were involved and how many of them are aware of the Blue Ribbon Policies in the London Plan?

Q: is the council committed to revival of the canal for transport or does road transport take priority?

Q: will the conveyancing solicitors and estate agents be advising the homebuyers that the canal was built before their homes and that they must expect boat traffic in their vicinity?

Q: will there be any light industry left in this part of London at the end of this decade or is it going to become a high density suburb?

Q: has anybody started to think about S106 agreements and, if so, how will the canal benefit?

What happens next?

The proposals are at a very early stage and we have an opportunity to influence them while the developers are inviting feedback. It looks unlikely that this site will realise its full potential again as a wharf but there are opportunities for compromise. The authorities have clearly been caught napping because nobody has taken into consideration the Blue Ribbon policies of the London Plan and now is the time to put some of them into effect.

If you would like to get involved then please send an e-mail to friendsregentscanal@gmail.com