A houseboat community in Battersea could be forced to disband by redevelopment of Nine Elms, it is feared.

Tideway Village, a collection of 30 boats on the Thames, sits on the perifery of a site earmarked for a huge housing complex.

The boats do not feature on the plans, leading residents to suspect they could be forced out if the council approves the proposals.

Madeleine Treharne Jones, 27, a PA to a bank manager said: “There’s no official guarantee that we will be able to stay in our homes.

“We all look after each other’s cats and plants. It’s a great big family and we don’t want to break it up.

“We are pretty cross about the way we have been treated.”

The community, which is home to 100 people, features barges, eco boats and even a fishing trawler from the Caribbean.

It was created 10 years ago and marketed as affordable housing in a traditionally expensive part of London.

St James, which is part of the building giant, Berkeley Group, originally proposed to replace the village in favour of a floating garden.

This idea was scrapped after a resident campaign in the summer.

However, residents have received no official confirmation that their homes are safe - and fear they could be forced out.

They fear this could come in the form of cutting off supplies to electricity, water and sewage - or charging extortionate amounts for access to the river.

Nine Elms, home to Battersea Power Station and New Covent Garden Market, is to play host to a village of new homes by 2026.

The American Embassy also plans to move to the area from its current location in Mayfair.

A spokesman for St James said: “St James has no intention of cutting off services to the riverboat community and just last week wrote to them to confirm that a specialist consultant had been appointed to better understand the services currently provided and ensure continuous supply throughout the proposed redevelopment process.

“We therefore hope that residents should be reassured that we are taking their requirements into consideration in formulating our proposals and will be undertaking further public consultation in late September.”

The plans will be available on the council website within the next week. For more information, visit tidewayvillage.blogspot.com.