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British Waterways and the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust pilot the third sector

As part of its plans to establish a ‘national trust’ for the nation’s canals and rivers, British Waterways (BW) together with the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust (KACT) are piloting an innovative approach to managing the 200-year old Kennet & Avon Canal.  The launch of the initiative will give the people that use and waterway and the communities that live alongside it a much greater say in how the canal is managed. 

Following discussions, which also included representatives from the Inland Waterways Association (IWA), the KACT and BW will work together in setting up a Waterways Partnership Board for the canal.  Members will be drawn from the highest level from the five local authorities and other key stakeholders who came together and led on the canal’s restoration.

The pilot includes reviewing the current plans of both organisations including development, operations, funding requirements etc. and by September agree and produce a combined Waterway Area Plan for the canal corridor which can be implemented by all partners. 

It is hoped that the pilot will provide BW with valuable information and experience on how to put waterways on a 'more sustainable footing' and ensure the lessons are incorporated into the consultation on the setting up of a new third sector body.

Commenting on the pilot David Rees chair of the KACT said: “To ensure and safeguard the future of the Kennet & Avon Canal, and as a model to be considered for other waterways, it is essential that decision making and engagement comes closer to the people and organisations which it serves and is more integrated into local communities.  A key feature will be the drive to attract more volunteers to the canal. We can achieve this by offering new opportunities and demonstrating  that it's worth getting involved because there is a real chance to make a difference.”

 

Simon Salem, marketing director at British Waterways, said: “Local communities are crucial to the sustainability of their waterways.  We hope we will learn a lot from this pilot and that it will inform further discussions on British Waterways' proposed move to the third sector.” 

Clive Henderson IWA national chairman said: “We are delighted that this approach is being looked at as a model for ensuring firm local partnerships, as we want more local accountability. We are pleased to be part of that development process and will continue to help support it.”

 

ENDS

 

For further information:

Gill Owen or Jonathan Ludford at British Waterways tel: 020 7985 7263

 

 

British Waterways (BW) is the guardian of 2,200 miles of historic canals, rivers and docks in England, Scotland and Wales.  The 200-year old network, one of the finest examples of industrial heritage in the world, comprises the country’s third largest collection of listed structures and a wealth of important urban and rural habitats that support a variety of familiar and endangered wildlife.

 

The waterways are busier than ever, attracting over 13 million people each year for walking, cycling, angling, boating or simply for peace and relaxation.  BW works with local communities, businesses and councils to unlock the potential of the waterways to benefit waterside areas and to secure the funds needed to maintain and repair the system. 

 

BW is a public corporation responsible to Defra and to the Scottish Government.  It has proposed moving the waterway network out of direct state control and into the third sector as a way of giving stakeholders a greater role in the running of their local canal or river and opening up new funding streams.

 

www.britishwaterways.co.uk

 

The Kennet & Avon Canal in 2010

In 2010 the Kennet & Avon Canal celebrates the 200th anniversary of its opening in 1810. The canal winds its way 87 miles from Reading to Bath, before joining the River Avon and linking to Bristol. The canal is a 200-year-old feat of engineering, originally built as a trade route, now supporting a thriving leisure industry following a record £25 million restoration project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

 

The Kennet & Avon Canal is managed and maintained by British Waterways, in partnership with the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust, local authorities and numerous volunteer groups. The canal is a diverse wildlife habitat, home to an impressive array of historic industrial architecture, a leisure boating route, a long distance path, a holiday destination and much more to many thousands of people who visit each year.

 

The K&A 200 steering group, including British Waterways, Kennet & Avon Canal Trust and VisitWiltshire has joined forces to promote the canal during 2010, its bicentenary year. Through a series of activities and events, organisations, local groups and national bodies will be celebrating the canal’s history, enjoying its beauty and looking forward to its development beyond 2010 as a much-loved asset to the communities through which it passes and connects.

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Leeds Canoe Club “sping cleans” river Aire

Leeds Canoe Club is often out on the river Aire at Kirkstall at the weekend, but on Saturday 24^th April its members took to the water not just for fun, but with the local environment in mind. Members got together to collect 2.5 tonnes of litter from the section of the river that the club uses for its regular coaching and practice sessions.

 

Chairman Steve Henderson commented: “The amount of rubbish in and around the river isn’t pleasant for us, other river users, local residents, or wildlife. Leeds Canoe Club uses the section of the Aire by Morrisons supermarket and the Leeds Rhinos training ground two to three times a week from April to September, and as our summer coaching sessions have just started up for this year we thought it would be a worthwhile effort to give it a sping clean”.

 

Around 35 club members spent the day out on the water in canoes and kayaks and walking the river banks, collecting items ranging from drinks bottles, fishing line and footballs, to more unusual finds such as a plastic saxophone, cans of Spam, an electric blanket, a To Let sign, fire extinguishers, car parts, and around 50 feet of wire fencing.

 

The total weight of the rubbish collected was 2580kg (2.5 tonnes), the equivalent weight of a small Asian elephant!

 

Event organiser Aaron Stephenson said: “We’re really pleased with how the day went, it was a fantastic club effort. The external support we’ve had has been great, too. Egger Timberpak kindly donated a skip, Leeds City Council provided litter picking sticks and bin bags, and the National Tidy Campaign also sent bin bags and high visibilty vests. Leeds Rhinos did us a huge favour by allowing us to place the skip in their grounds, and Morrisons donated vouchers to help with costs”.

 

The club is now looking forward to a summer of messing about on the river, with less of the mess!

 

 

Further information on Leeds Canoe Club is available at  www.leedscanoeclub.co.uk

 

Contact: Aaron Stephenson on arran_stephenson@hotmail.com

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18 May 2010

BW’s 2010 works programme reflects boater feedback

 

BW’s latest survey of more than 2,000 boat owners at the end of 2009 shows that opinions about the overall upkeep, value for money and experiences on the waterways remain stable.  It reports that almost nine out of ten boaters (87%) would either definitely or probably recommend boating to other people.

 

Almost three quarters of boaters (73%) think their cruising experience over the past year was as expected or better than expected and 84% think that the waterways represent good or acceptable value for money.  ‘Peaceful and relaxing’ and ‘places where you can escape for a while’ are the two most common appealing characteristics of the waterways.  

 

However, the survey responses also reflect the shortfall in the money available to spend on waterway maintenance.  While approximately half of boaters (49%) think the upkeep of the waterways is good or excellent, a third of boaters (32%) think that the upkeep of the waterways is just OK whilst 17% think it is below standard.

 

The results of BW’s annual survey of boat owners follows the publication of NABO’s 2009 Condition Survey from which BW waterway managers were able to identify more than 190 specific places across the network where boaters had detailed issues requiring urgent attention.

 

Where possible the feedback from the NABO survey has been incorporated into the scheduling of BW’s 2010 maintenance and engineering programme.  By the end of the current financial year, over half (56%) of the urgent issues identified by NABO will have been rectified (of which more than one quarter have already been completed).

 

The range of issues identified by NABO, and the associated cost of each, varies and includes: completed repairs to the previously sticky paddles at Camden Lock (costing £350), works to the previously overhanging trees affecting navigation above Dukes Lock on the Oxford Canal (costing £5,000), the replaced head and tail gates at Middlewich Big Lock (costing £75,000) and plans in 2010/11 stoppage programme to address the water leaks on the Stoke Bruerne flight (at an estimated cost of £20,000).

 

The remaining priorities identified by NABO will either be delivered outside this year’s programme because of limited financial resource or require further investigation.  There are some instances (11%) where BW has considered the comments and, in the context of its wider backlog of required engineering works, has judged that they are not the highest priority.

 

Vince Moran, operations director at British Waterways, comments: “BW’s Boat Owners Survey shows that the vast majority of boat owners think that the waterways are at least reasonably well maintained and represent reasonable value for money.  However it is also clear that there is far more that could be done with the overall upkeep, availability of visitor moorings and clearance of rubbish, litter and weed from the canal, that would improve boater’s enjoyment of the waterways.

 

“Our survey together with the ongoing dialogue with NABO and others is invaluable in helping us prioritise the limited resources available to spend on maintenance and engineering works.  While there will always be difficult decisions about prioritising works to a particular lock or mooring over another, understanding boater’s attitudes towards the waterways and listening to the issues identified by NABO means that we can make sure that we spend our money as wisely as possible.  Doing this will mean that the waterways are safer, easier to use and more pleasant places to spend time.”

 

ENDS

 

For further media information please call Jonathan Ludford on 020 7985 7275

 

Notes to editors:

BW’s Boat Owners Survey 2009 was sent to 8,298 randomly selected boat owners.  More than a quarter (2,122) were completed and returned.  The full results are available to view online at: www.britishwaterways.co.uk/bwsurvey

 

The 2009 NABO Condition Survey identified more than 190 specific locations across the network where boaters has identified issues requiring urgent attention.  This list, showing the status of each issue, is available online at: www.britishwaterways.co.uk/nabosurvey

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Lee Valley White Water Centre

 

LOCOG has given permission for Lee Valley White Water Centre to be the new name of

what’s been called the Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre.

 

This new name will be enormously beneficial to the process of positioning and marketing the Centre which will host the canoe slalom events during the London 2012 Games. It will help create a successful and sustainable white water venue which will attract thousands of visitors, have a strong sports development programme and act as a catalyst for regeneration of the area around it.

 

As you may know the original name was partly selected because the site first chosen for the Centre, but subsequently abandoned, was close to Broxbourne station and the town of Broxbourne itself.

 

The new name because it tackles three main issues:

 

1. making the location clearer and avoid problems with public transport

We want to encourage as many visitors as possible to travel by public transport before, during and after the Games. The name Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre was confusing because the clear indication was to alight at Broxbourne station, some four miles away. We have already been told of people coming to see the construction site who have gone to Broxbourne station – and that’s before the Centre opens! We also foresee similar issues with people arriving by road.

 

2. communicating the offer as clearly and concisely as possible

Canoeing is absolutely essential to the life of the centre and we are committed and enthusiastic about providing elite facilities, pathways to excellence and many development opportunities for new and experienced canoeists.

 

Having said this, the commercial rafting opportunity is central to the financial success of the centre and we need to communicate a clear and compelling offer when we launch and run the centre pre and post Games.  From events we have attended we have found that some potential “general visitors” – those interested in rafting - have the impression that it is a canoe-only venue because of the name.

 

3. leveraging Lee Valley’s reputation for integrity and sporting excellence

In order to make this a commercially successful attraction, it would be detrimental not to include Lee Valley as part of the name as we have done so with our other venues – Lee Valley Athletics Centre, Lee Valley Riding Centre and Lee Valley Ice Centre.  The Lee Valley brand has established a reputation of sporting excellence and high class operations and has been awarded numerous awards for excellence. We feel that linking the name of the Centre directly to the positive associations with the Lee Valley brand and name will assure visitors of the quality of the experience they will receive.