Protesters outside German Gym, Irene Costello, Beth Palmer, Jamie Carroll, Jake Elster-Jones and Carol Harper
Houseboat owners make waves over king’s cross eviction threat
A GROUP of houseboat residents who face being evicted to make way for the £2 billion King’s Cross development staged a protest outside the German Gym on Wednesday. Holding a placard and handing out flyers, they urged guests attending a play in the venue, organised by London and Continental Railways (LCR) – which partners Argent in the King’s Cross development – to save their homes.
The group are part of a 20-year-old community of narrowboat residents at Goodsway Moorings who have been given three months’ notice to leave the area.
Protester Jake Elster-Jones, who occupies one of the group of nine houseboats with his wife and two children, said: “It is time for the developers to finally take responsibility, sit down with us to work out a positive solution and prove that their commitment to the local community is more than just words.”
A spokesman for LCR said the company had no direct relationship with the boat owners because they leased the land to a landlord.
He added: “King’s Cross Central will include new mooring opportunities for allocation by British Waterways and there has been a great deal of constructive input by LCR and British Waterways into proposed improvements to the canal environment.”