Commercial

From being synonymous with inner city dereliction, waterways have now become bywords for urban regeneration and trendy city living. Waterside property now commands a premium of up to 20% and new developments are helping to revive the canals, rivers and docks for the 21st century.

British Waterways London manages a varied estate comprising commercial and residential property, 'brownfield' development land, boatyards, docks, warehouses, lock cottages and marinas. Historically, the only way for us to unlock the value of this property was to sell it. In recent years, however, and with the support of government, we have become much more active in the development and regeneration of waterside land, establishing a number of joint ventures with public and private sector partners.

Today we are directly involved in approximately £3billion worth of development projects in the capital. Our flagship schemes include the 20-acre Wood Wharf in the Isle of Dogs, Paddington Basin and Brentford Lock on the Grand Union Canal, City Road Basin and Limehouse Basin on Regent's Canal and Hale Wharf on the River Lee.

By taking an active role in waterside regeneration, we are able to influence the scale and design of new schemes. We believe that these should embrace and complement the water and, wherever possible, open up and reinvigorate old waterways, attract more boating and leisure activity and protect and enhance the environment.

Our design principals, which underline our commitment to the long-term sustainability of the 200-year old waterway network, are recommended in the Mayor's London Plan for use by the London boroughs when assessing waterside developments.

As a not-for-dividend organisation without shareholders, we also reinvest all of our profits from these schemes to secure the future of the waterways.