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In an important first step to the regeneration of the River Lee Navigation in Tottenham, the London Borough of Haringey has granted planning consent for four new business barge moorings at Hale Wharf, Ferry Lane. The application by British Waterways is part of a plan to breathe new life into the area's waterway, with habitat and access enhancements, new visitor moorings, a trip boat and even a working wharf for moving waste and recyclates off the roads and onto barges.

The £1million business barge scheme is backed and funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the London Development Agency and British Waterways and has already received strong interest from prospective tenants, including a gallery, an architect's firm and a regeneration company. It is hoped that the colourful and striking barges will help kick-start regeneration in the area, putting Tottenham's riverside alongside other successful waterway destinations in London such as Docklands and Little Venice.

British Waterways' regeneration projects manager Tav Kazmi explains: "Growing up in Birmingham, I saw at first hand how the revival of once underused waterways can transform whole communities. This is precisely what we want to do in Tottenham and we passionately believe that a more accessible, cleaner, safer and more vibrant river will benefit all members of the local community."

The first two barges will be constructed over the next nine months at a boatyard in Dorset, before being brought by water around the coast and up the River Lee next summer. The vessels have been based on the ‘Lady of the Lea' – the last wooden sailing barge built in London in 1931. These historic craft traditionally plied the River Lee Navigation, carrying cargoes such as gunpowder from Waltham Abbey to Woolwich Arsenal. The barges will provide a distinctive and modern working environment for small businesses.