Graphics by Kenneth
At peak points of the season, parts of the River Bure presents a "fairground" scene, akin to a circus ~ so said Arthur Ransome, imaginative literary guru of sailing adventures in his first foray in print on Broadland waters 'Coot Club' published in 1934.
In the late nineteenth century, boats for living, both long term and for summer occupation became popular for utilitarian (like eel fishing) and for pleasure use. The boats were usually simply tethered to unmade muddy banks on the edge of what was fast becoming unproductive (grass, reed and such) compared to arable crops and cattle for example. Invariably known as 'houseboats', the craft were usually built of natural timber and lacked mechanical propulsion.
Today, tough and wondrous glass reinforced plastic is a man~made replacement. Although it is quite heavy, GRP doesn't float on its own; when moulded it can be fashioned into multiple boats on a production line. This enables many people ever more opportunity to go boating.
By the booming boating holiday period of the 1970s and 1980s, houseboats had been saddled with a down beat reputation. More sophisticated motor cruisers had arrived and people were entranced by what some call an 'improved standard of life', as society became increasingly affluent.
As the 21st century ticked over into a highly computerised age, various public serving authorities could use what clout they possessed to turf boats from long established moorings. Ironically, a bunch of 10 residential berths (with complement services and postal addresses), located in a Hoveton riverside mooring basin were officially legalised at a HM Planning Inspectorate hearing in 1999. With a change of ownership in 2015, residential status was lost. Was this localised bureacratic revenge by the authority governing Norfolk and Suffolk Broads waters... Shades of Monty Python comedy sketches. The upshot: the various houseboats moved to other moorings, or became 'roving boaters', going from 'ringle to post' around the rivers.
Bizarrely in 2025, no formal residential boat berths exist on the River Bure and adjacent waters (off the primary navigation). Only a handful of partially recognised houseboat docks survive overall on the constituent rivers of Broadland. Complex land~water planning policies state authorisation is required for a vessel occupied for more than a 28 days and nights, while berthed in one geographical location each calender year.
Countless mashed up words and views swirl around the subject of watercraft accommodation. What is less known are the numbers of people awaiting housing by local councils in Norfolk and Suffolk. North Norfolk District Council ~ covering much of the area north of the River Bure from Coltishall to East Somerton on the River Thurne, currently has around 12,000 individuals awaiting secure housing.
Residential boats could be fully regulated, putting the 'habitual fleet' on a par with other housing in the UK. Aesthetics and structural soundness are two major issues affecting resident craft. One thing is for sure, there is much more depth to the subject of resident boats in Broadland than appears on the surface.
Chris, Ken
Sources: Argola Holdings Inc, Broads Authority, Department for Work and Pensions, Howes Percival, Norfolk County Council, North Norfolk District Council, HM Planning Inspectorate, Residential Boat Owners' Association,
"No person can disobey reason, without giving up his claim to be a rational creature".
Gulliver's Travels, Page 4, Chapter 10, published 1726 by Jonathan Swift
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