1. Present

2. Apologies

Del Brenner

Roger Squires

Dave Bedford

Cllr Martin Klute

Cllr Paul Convery

Cllr Paul Tomlinson

Caroline Neller

Rod Gray

Penny Gamez

3. Introductions

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

4. Phone masts in conservation area.

4.1 Vodafone has submitted a planning application to erect masts overlooking Packington Bridge near Holborn Studios. Details are available on our website.

5. Dead Dog's Basin

5.1 On 4th February Camden Council granted planning permission to demolish and redevelop the Camden Lock Market site. This will involve opening up the Dead Dogs Basin and then constructing an intrusive restaurant over it. Extracts from the planning officer's report are on our website.

6. Little Venice Festival.

6.1 The annual Canalway Cavalcade will take place at Little Venice from 30th April to 2nd May.

7. Bi-centenary celebrations (12th August)

7.1 The official opening of the Regent's Canal occurred on 1st August 1820. Four years prior to that, in August 1816, there was a separate opening ceremony when the first phase of construction was complete. This connected the Paddington Arm to Camden Town. Suggestions for bi-centenary celebrations in Camden are welcome.

8. Friends website changes

8.1 Our website is being redesigned to meet mobile-friendly standards. This is to allow a wider audience to share information about events and issues.

8.2 The events page serves as an archive of historic information as well as a diary of upcoming events. We welcome any contributions (e.g. photographs and stories) that would be suitable for this archive.

9. Exhibition of wooden boats of Bengal

9.1 The Friends of Regent's Canal had been approached by Friendship Bangladesh (via Islington Council) to give support for a "Live Art" exhibition of hand-built wooden boats. The proposal is to build a boat at Islington Green and launch it on the canal at the Angel Canal Festival on Sunday 4th September. The meeting agreed unanimously to support this project. Further information is available in their proposal document.

10. Changes along the canal

10.1 The chair gave a short presentation on recent changes that have changed the character of the canal.

10.2 A selection of the images is available here.

11. East End Canal Festival

11.1 Carolyn Clark told the meeting about a canal festival at the Art Pavilion and canalside in Mile End Park on 26th June. This is part of the East End Canal Heritage Project. Further information is available on our website.

12. Holborn Studios update

12.1 Vince McCartney gave an update on the continuing survival of Holborn Studios in the face of adversity from Galliard Homes. He also described some of the current developments in Shoreditch and Bishopsgate. A copy of his statement is available here.

13. Bangor Wharf

13.1 There were several discussions about an unpopular planning application, submitted by 'One Housing', to convert Bangor Wharf into a high density housing complex. This would plunge the canal and neighbouring buildings into the shade, changing the character of a sunny stretch of the conservation area and would squander a prime site that could help to revive local light industry and water-borne freight operations.

13.2 The meeting agreed unanimously that the chair should write to the council, on behalf of the Friends, to object to this application.