London Waterways

London’s Blue Ribbon Network

The Blue Ribbon Network is the name given to London’s network of rivers, canals, docks, reservoirs and lakes. The most famous of these water bodies is the River Thames which has long been a London icon. London also has a network of many miles of canal and hundreds of miles of tributary river, from large well-known rivers such as the River Lee to smaller local tributaries which provide important local features. See Blue Ribbon Network map.

The Mayor sees the value of all of these water bodies as a network. For transport, amenity and biodiversity alike, their value is in being a linked network. The Mayor has set out a series of policies in Chapter 4C of his London Plan to ensure that the Blue Ribbon Network is protected, enhanced and used to contribute to a sustainable future for London.

Every one of London’s boroughs contains part of the Blue Ribbon Network. There are 17 boroughs along the river Thames, 15 with part of the canal network, and 24 boroughs contain tributary rivers.

The main statutory agencies that manage the Blue Ribbon Network are The Environment Agency, Port of London Authority and British Waterways. In addition Thames Water’s operations have major interactions with the network. All of these agencies are members of the London Waterways Commission.

Alongside the important role that statutory agencies play, there are many organisations and partnerships which help to promote and manage parts of the Blue Ribbon Network. Some but not all of these are represented on the Commission.