Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Written Evidence


Memorandum submitted by British Waterways (Appendix 29)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  1.  British Waterways welcomes the provisions of the NERC Bill. The proposed changes to the delivery bodies will bring greater coherence to the delivery of sustainable rural development. The proposed change to the statutory provisions underpinning the Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council will ensure they more appropriately reflect its recent activities.

  2.  Whilst not always immediately perceived as an agent of rural development, British Waterways (BW) has demonstrated that it can make a valuable contribution to the regeneration and sustainable development of rural communities—on a local basis and along waterway corridors.

  3.  As an operator of waterways and of associated leisure and tourism businesses, as well as a developer of waterside property, BW is able to deliver direct economic, social and environmental benefits and act as a catalyst to other sustainable development.

  4.  At present BWs regeneration activities are restricted to the corridors of the waterways it owns or manages. The recent End to End Review of BW recommended removing this restriction. BW's contribution to sustainable rural development nationally could be much enhanced if its power to undertake regeneration activities could be extended to the corridors of waterways that it does not directly own or manage (but without any encroachment on the powers or activities of the host navigation authority).

  5.  Such extension to its powers would make BW's regeneration expertise (particularly in the field of sustainable waterside developments) available nationally to the benefit of a broader range of rural communities. Given that the Bill already contains a Part devoted to Inland Waterways, it is an ideal vehicle for such a modest extension to BW's powers.

BACKGROUND TO BRITISH WATERWAYS

  6.  British Waterways is a public corporation, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in England and Wales. It cares for a 2,000-mile network of canals and navigable rivers across the country. Its aim is for a sustainable and integrated network of waterways throughout Britain providing maximum benefit and enjoyment to society.

  7.  BWs activities have always extended beyond the role of a navigation authority and it has a very broad range of powers to engage in complementary business activities including leisure and tourism activities, property development, water sales and telecommunications.

  8.  As a not-for-dividend organisation it works with a broad range of public, private and voluntary sector partners to unlock the potential of the inland waterways and generate income for reinvestment for the benefit of the millions who visit and care for the waterways. Our navigations are visited over 160 million times each year by ten million people, who spend around £1.5 billion annually. In addition, BW estimates that waterway restoration has acted as a catalyst for £2 billion of regeneration investment.

DRAFT NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND RURAL COMMUNITIES BILL

Part 1—The Agency and the Commission

  9.  BW supports the proposed rationalisation of delivery bodies for sustainable rural development. Of the constituent members of the proposed Integrated Agency, BW has most dealings with English Nature (BW manages a large number of SSSIs on its waterways) but also has important dealings with the Countryside Agency, particularly as regards the recreation elements of its work. The integration of these agencies will be beneficial to BW in enabling a more "joined-up" approach in their regulatory impact on BWs activities.

Part 3—Flexible Administrative Arrangements

  10.  BW welcomes its inclusion in the list of bodies that will be enabled, by mutual consent, to carry out eligible functions of another body or of the Secretary of State. BW anticipates that, in its case, the opportunities given by these provisions will more likely be of a local nature at first but are none the less valuable for that. For example, BW carries out various flood control functions and the Environment Agency has significant navigation authority functions. Undoubtedly there are some locations (such as at the interface of BW and EA waters) where savings and efficiencies can be made by one party, by agreement, carrying out the functions of the other.

Part 4—Inland Waterways

  11.  BW welcomes the modernisation of the statutory provisions underpinning the Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council (IWAAC). The Transport Act 1968 introduced provisions aimed at transforming the inland waterways from primarily a freight facility to primarily a leisure and amenity facility. IWAAC was established by the Act specifically to advise BW on amenity issues at a time when the organisation had to undergo a change in its skills and culture to complement that transformation.

  12.  In more recent times the focus of IWAAC has often gone beyond the activities of BW alone and has, for example, looked at waterway restoration priorities of derelict waterways primarily not owned by BW. It is appropriate that, as its focus develops beyond BW alone, the responsibility for funding the body should be removed from BW and BW should cease to have a formal role in the appointment of Council members.

  13.  In terms of stakeholder engagement with BW, there has now for many years been a close direct engagement between BW and user organisations with an interest in the waterways (boaters, anglers, walkers and others). This engagement is currently maturing into a more formal arrangement under BWs "Openness & Accountability" initiative with the planned creation of the British Waterways Advisory Forum, a body with a membership of all relevant user organisations with national scope.

  14.  Part 4 of the draft Bill does however provide an opportunity to implement a very recent recommendation of the End to End Review of BW that would enhance BWs ability to further contribute to sustainable rural development. The Review Team have only recently concluded their work and their Report is to be published shortly. It therefore was not possible for their recommendation to be taken into account in the preparation of the draft Bill.

  15.  The Review Team's recommendation on the geographical extension of BWs property development powers is directly relevant to BWs ability to contribute to sustainable rural development more extensively. Although the formal response of Defra to the Review will have to await the publication of the Review Report, the Waterways Minister has indicated to BW that he is supportive of this specific recommendation.

ENHANCEMENT OF BRITISH WATERWAYS' CONTRIBUTION TO SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT

  16.  In November 2000 British Waterways launched its Rural Regeneration Strategy, to provide a co-ordinated framework for action, partnership and investment in waterway corridors in rural areas. The strategy promotes inland waterways and their corridors as agents for the sustainable development of rural areas, delivering economic, environment and social/community benefits.

  17.  In its paper "The Economic Impact of Inland Waterways in Rural Areas" (June 2004), BW demonstrated how the economic components of its Strategy had progressed and, through seven case studies, showed the results of some of the initiatives it had undertaken. The paper illustrated how these projects, some very modest, some more significant, had contributed to sustainable rural development, particularly the in creation of local employment.

  18.  The regeneration of waterway corridors benefits the economy of rural areas through:

    —  Creating and sustaining employment, particularly through recreation and tourism developments and activities. This is especially important in the context of agricultural change and the need to ensure the survival of local services. People visiting waterways in rural areas also spend money on goods and services in local shops, pubs, restaurants etc, which are not necessarily alongside the waterway.

    —  Facilitating and encouraging waterside development, especially in market towns. Developments by water typically command higher premiums than at other locations. This is particularly true for the residential sector, but commercial developments can also benefit.

    —  Attracting inward investment to rural areas, from both private and public sources.

    —  Providing opportunities for developing skills and training eg through undertaking canal works through employment training schemes such as New Deal; creating opportunities for learning craftsman skills through heritage and countryside projects.

    —  Improving the external image of and range of facilities and services in rural areas, thus indirectly encouraging enterprises to locate and invest in an area.

  19.  As well as the economic and social returns to the community from appropriate development, BW benefits as well. One of BWs objectives is to move towards greater financial self sufficiency. Already a substantial proportion of its public functions are funded from its business activities. As a public body however it seeks to ensure its business activities always enhance the waterway environment.

  20.  At present BW powers confine its regeneration and development activities to the corridors of the waterways (and docks) it owns or manages. BW could play a valuable role in regeneration alongside other waterways through a modest adjustment to its powers.

  21.  As indicated above BW has a broad range of business and commercial powers not shared by other navigation authorities. Other navigation authorities have expressly welcomed the prospect of BW being able to undertake appropriate development activity alongside their waterways. They recognise BWs expertise in ensuring such activity is sensitive and complementary the waterside environment.

  22.  For example, the Broads Authority (Britain's third largest navigation authority) has expressly welcomed BW's recent creation of a waterside pub partnership in a joint venture with Scottish & Newcastle. The Chief Executive has indicated that he believes such partnership "could deliver the `perfect blend' of a pub company's expertise in efficient operation of such businesses, with BW's expertise in waterside interface, regeneration, community involvement, social responsibility and sustainability." He has expressed the wish that the partnership could explore opportunities in the Broads.

  23.  Extension of BW's development powers to other waterside vicinities than its own network would not encroach on the powers or functions of the "host" navigation authority. BW would be in the same position as any other local business operator.

  24.  BW is accordingly working with Defra to seek a modest addition to Part 4 of the draft Bill (one clause would be sufficient) that amended s49 of the Transport Act 1968 by removing the current geographical limitation of BW's property development powers to the vicinity of the waterways it owns and manages and extending them to "the vicinity of any inland waterway, reservoir or harbour in Great Britain".

British Waterways

February 2005





 
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