What is an End of Garden Mooring?
Single long-term moorings against private residential property or land are often called end of garden moorings. Even if you own the property or land, Canal & River Trust is the owner of the canal bed, so permission is needed for the exclusive right to moor there.
► The applicant must own the property or land and the boat
► The property or land must be on the offside, backing directly onto the canal
► The potential mooring should be for one boat only
► The potential mooring should be for leisure use
► The occupying boat must fit within the boundary of the property or land
An End of Garden mooring does not allow:
- Subletting
- Residential use
- Business use
- Multiple boats
Applications concerning multiple commercial use should be directed to the Trust’s Business Boating Team. The Business Boating team can only accept commercial applications for multiple boats. Applications for single commercial moorings or for private residential use cannot be accepted.
How do I obtain an End of Garden mooring?
If you are considering applying for permission to moor against the offside of your property or land, you’ll need to submit an application to create a recognised mooring location. This application is subject to a £90 fee, which reflects the administrative costs and time taken to investigate the possibility of a new mooring location.
Each application is assessed on an individual basis, by a number of teams within the Trust, taking into account factors like:
- location and navigational safety
- mooring conditions and environmental impact
- property and boat dimensions
If approved, a mooring agreement will be required, with a yearly mooring fee, which is in addition to the boat licence, insurance and boat safety certificate.
If the application does not meet the criteria, unfortunately we will be unable to offer an approved authorised mooring, and an alternative mooring will need to be sought.
I already have an End of Garden mooring agreement, can I make changes?
Any changes to boats need to be checked with Waterside Mooring in the first instance, so that we can conduct due diligence checks and update the mooring agreement, if appropriate.
Any other changes are not permitted. Moorings are not transferable upon house sale or change of boat ownership. Any moorings vacant for over a year may require a reassessment before a mooring agreement can be set up, to ensure that there have been no changes that would impact on the original criteria agreed.
I have submitted an application to create a new End of Garden Mooring, can I moor there while my application is in process?
No, unfortunately we cannot authorise mooring at the location until the application has been through the assessment process. This is because it may cause navigational safety issues, or impact upon the surrounding environment.
Regardless of how fitting the location may appear, there may be factors not visible that affect the suitability of a long-term mooring there. For this reason, we cannot allow moorings to be taken up until an application has been approved, and an annual agreement set up.
Why has my application been rejected when there is a similar existing mooring already?
Our application criteria is reviewed regularly, to ensure we’re imposing appropriate requirements, so that any resulting moorings will not impact negatively on their surroundings.
Any existing End of Garden moorings that were historically approved under old criteria will eventually be re-assessed under updated criteria, as properties are sold over time, or moorings lie vacant. Since moorings are not transferable, the application process would need to be repeated before the mooring could be used again. If it did not meet the current criteria, it would be declined, and the mooring location removed from our records.
Application Form
If, after reviewing the above information, you believe that your request meets these criteria, you can download the application form here:
Application to create a new End of Garden mooring
Please note that due to the nature of the assessment process, a decision may take some time. We aim to complete simple assessments within 8 weeks of receiving a complete application, but if a more complex investigation is required, we may need longer to complete this and will let you know if this is the case.
If you have any questions about the End of Garden mooring process that are not answered here, please contact the Support Team with your query: waterside.mooring-enquiries@canalrivertrust.org.uk