Plans for 'boat bar' on River Lee Navigation opposed by police and council

“Serious concerns” raised over the safety of plans for a floating bar on the canal in Tottenham, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans for a boat to operate as a bar on the River Lee Navigation have been submitted to Haringey Council, despite concerns over safety.

Post Bar on the Water, which is owned by The Post Tottenham Ltd, who also own and operate The Post Bar in Tottenham High Road, could be converted into a cafe/bar, operating from 11am-9pm, from April to October, along the River Lee Navigation.

However, the Metropolitan Police and Haringey Council objected to the plans at a meeting yesterday (Thursday 24th) over concerns of public safety and crime and disorder.

Amir Darvish, a council officer, said during a site visit he observed a “significant safety concern” regarding a gap between the vessel and the edge of the footpath where customers were expected to place orders.

He said there was an absence of essential safety measures including “appropriate safety equipment, CCTV, and a documented action plan for managing a hazardous situation”.

Amir said: “These deficiencies raise a serious concern about the logistical capacity to respond sufficiently to incidents at the location.”

He also said the owners did not have permission from the responsible authority, the Canal and River Trust (CRT), who themselves said there was “no available mooring suitable for this type of operation”.

Licensing team leader, Daliah Barrett, said it was the first time the council had dealt with a boat-related application and the owner, Michela Brennan, by coming to the council first, had put the “cart before the horse”.

Daliah said:“Had the application with the CRT been done some of these issues I am sure would have been picked up and addressed.

“The safety around how the boat was going to be used and how to make that a practical thing would have been covered if an application to the CRT had been done in the first instance so it’s a bit difficult.”

Dahlia also said the CRT could “say no” at some point and the council would not be able to “override” them.

The police suggested conditions including installing CCTV, keeping an incident log book, controlling the volume of music and obtaining permission from the CRT to permanently moor the vessel which the Michela agreed.

During summaries, Michela said she would “see” what the council decided and whether the CRT also approved the plan.

The committee will deliberate on the application and announce the result, either to reject or approve, in five working days.

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