IN a victory for the bargee traveller community, Hackney Council will not apply its proposed Smoke Control Order to moored boats.
Following representations from the National Bargee Travellers’ Association (NBTA) and its members in the council’s consultation in 2024, the authority decided not to apply the controls to boats. A key reason was “greater recognition of the different circumstances that apply to boaters who don’t have access to the same choices for heating as those living on land.”
Concerns about how the controls would financially impact boaters and their ability to heat their homes, and also about how the controls would be enforced, played a part too.
The Environment Act 2021 removed a partial exemption for vessels from the Clean Air Act 1993, meaning local authorities have the power to apply Smoke Control Areas to vessels moored within those areas.
An extract from Hackney Council’s email informing NBTA of the outcome read:
“I am writing further to the public engagement process carried out on proposals to introduce a new Smoke Control Order within the London Borough of Hackney. Following the end of the engagement period, we considered all of the objections we received. Thank you for taking the time to respond and I would like to assure you that your comments were taken into consideration during the decision making process.
“On May 19, 2025, cabinet approved a new Smoke Control Order which will apply borough-wide. This effectively consolidates all of the previous historic Smoke Control Orders into a single order. The date when this will come into effect is December 1, 2025.
“The new Smoke Control Order does NOT apply to the waterways within the borough. We listened to the objections that were raised, and we recognise that more time and support is needed before extending the controls to cover the waterways.
“Points were raised by both those living aboard boats and those living on land. The main points raised during the engagement are: concerns about how the controls would financially impact boaters and their ability to heat their homes; requests for more information about the air quality benefits that might be secured by extending the smoke controls; greater recognition of the different circumstances that apply to boaters who don’t have access to the same choices for heating as those living on land; and concerns about how the controls would be enforced.
“Hackney is partnering with other London boroughs on a project to engage liveaboard boaters to find out more about current heating methods and the challenges faced in transitioning to cleaner fuels. Through this, and by communicating with DEFRA, a coordinated approach to enforcement can be agreed which focuses on securing compliance through education rather than issuing fines.
“In addition, Hackney will be seeking sources of funding to provide a degree of financial support to those who would be affected by the extension of smoke controls. It is expected that a further engagement process will take place in the future once progress has been made with gathering information and securing funding.”
