Friends of Regent’s Canal - Meeting Report

1. Present

2. Apologies

Jim Armstrong

Ron Gooding

Fiona MacLean

Denise Walker

Nic Shore

Cllr Barry Buitekant

Cllr Martin Klute

Paul Strudwick

George Theo

Malcolm Tucker

Richard Elkan

Dave Bedford

David Fathers

Ruth Aplin

Roger Squires

Beryl Windsor

Fiona Cullen

Lucy Rogers

Christine Kemp

3. Introductions

3.1 At the start of the meeting, all the attendees introduced themselves.

4. Tower Hamlets Heritage Project

4.1 Carolyn Clark talked about the 'East End Canal Heritage' project with Laburnum Boat Club, which follows on from the Regent's Canal Heritage project in Shoreditch last year. She showed some of the original material which emerged in Shoreditch. The project focuses on the Regent's Canal from Bethnal Green to Limehouse along with the Hertford Union Canal. The project was still at the research stage, including archival searches with volunteers and interviewing people about their memories. There will be workshops with community groups and 'Now and Then' photography workshops with young people.

4.2 Anyone interested in getting involved in the project should talk to Carolyn on 07773-784517 or send an e-mail to mail@shoreditchtales.com.

5. Changes along the canal

5.1 London - the city that ate itself.

Prior to the meeting the chair had circulated the following article (by Rowan Moore) that had been published in the Observer.

London the city that ate itself.

It included the following reference to the Regent's Canal.

According to Vince McCartney of Holborn Studios, "there will be a corridor of steel and glass from King's Cross to Limehouse" - a distance of about five miles along the Regent's Canal - as waterside spaces are made into flats. This could include his studios, a centre of photography that Helmut Newton described as the "Abbey Road" of the art. Its buildings, arranged around a sociable courtyard and a slice of towpath, also nourish a community of businesses that sustain between 250 and 300 jobs, all of which could go if the site's new owner, Galliard Homes, has its way. "The whole thing is greed-driven," says McCartney. "It's time to say enough. How much development can it stand?"

5.2 Presentation by Ian Shacklock.

review-of-changes.html

5.3 Response from Vince McCartney.

Vince McCartney, founder of Holborn Studios, had created a large image showing all the sites between Islington and Limehouse that had been developed beyond recognition. A reduced copy is available here in PDF format.

5.4 Response from John Bryant.

John Bryant, a local resident, had written to the Friends of the Regent's Canal on a number of occasions to express support for development along the canal. He addressed the meeting with his thoughts and a copy of his earlier e-mail is available here.

5.5 Comments from the floor.

The meeting ended with a general discussion on over-development along the canal.