Castle Mill boaters face eviction

Historically, the ownership of the land on the Jericho side of Castle Mill Stream, which flows between the canal and the railway, had not been precisely delineated. Land title derived from a statute from the 1800s, and since then the stream and the banks have shifted—further muddying the legal waters.

With no clear landowner, over the years the owners of various boats, or rafts, took the opportunity to moor temporarily or permanently on the Jericho bank of the stream. Unlike the official canal moorings they had no electricity or water services. On the other hand, the moorings were free, offering, like the canal boats, a distinctive form of affordable housing. Some craft have come and gone, others have sunk or been burnt out. But several have moored there for decades, of which one of the most visible is the the orange narrowboat of Steve Watts a well-known Jericho resident who has been there for 19 years.

Oxford City Council has been concerned about the general safety of the area and put pressure on Network Rail and the Canal and Rivers Trust to sort out the land ownership. Early last year, they finally did so, which meant that boaters were now definitely occupying land owned by Network Rail. In February 2019 Network Rail posted notices asserting ownership. They are being threatened with prosecution by the City Council for allowing the boaters to moor without planning permission. For that reason, they also gave the boaters one month to quit.

Five boaters have stayed put, saying that they would be happy to pay reasonable mooring fees and arguing that they are best people to manage the land. And having responsible owners in place would make the area safer for local residents – on land or water.

The boaters say: “If the land were later transferred to the Canal and Rivers Trust, as some local politicians want, any new moorings would be too expensive for most boaters. Instead we hope to establish moorings managed by the people who live there.”

The boaters have also been working hard to clean up the area and have re-floated one sunken boat. Later this month a commercial company engaged by Network Rail will remove the other half dozen or so submerged or abandoned craft.

The boaters have formed their own company Castle Mill Stream Moorings through which they aim to to apply for planning permission for permanent residential moorings. “We think self-managed moorings would solve everybody’s problems, and are the only way to avoid anti-social behaviour.”

The boaters have ongoing discussions with Network Rail, and also keen to gather support for their cause. “Many local residents say they are pleased to see the clean-up we have carried out, and are outraged by the idea of us being evicted. If you think we should stay there, please send an email to cmsmoorings@protonmail.com and we will forward it to Network Rail.”