Memorandum submitted by British Waterways
SUBMISSION BY
BRITISH WATERWAYS
British Waterways (BW) is a statutory public
corporation created by the Transport Act 1962. It is neither a
NDPB nor an Executive Agency and was established to operate as
a nationalised industry on a commercial basis.
BW owns and is the navigation authority for
some 2,000 miles of inland waterways (approximately two thirds
of the national length).
BW is the third largest owner of historic structures
in the United Kingdom after the Church of England and the National
Trust. Our heritage assets include:
— 2,739 Listed Buildings/structures;
— 42 Scheduled Monuments (including
whole lengths of canal);
— 500 km of conservation areas; and
— 1,000s of potential archaeological
sites.
In addition our waterways adjoin or bisect;
five World Heritage Sites, eight Historic Battlefields and 12
Registered Historic Parks.
Most of our network is at least 200 years old
and is still active and growing in use. Canals began life as the
arteries of the industrial revolution but we are now essentially
a leisure facility with 28,000 licensed craft of which 26,000
are private pleasure craft.
Some 300 million visits are made each year to
our waterways, primarily on our towpath. We provide safe access
for pedestrians, cyclists and anglers for functional (eg home
to work) and leisure (day out) visits.
Our waterways have undergone a renaissance in
recent years and they are now the place of preference for people
to work, live and play. Property adjacent to our waterways commands
a 20% price premium compared to neighbouring property not on the
waterside.
It is this popularity that has made our waterways
the catalyst for urban and rural regeneration in most major cities
and parts of the countryside across the United Kingdom. Between
1990 and 2003 BW restored 200 miles of canal using lottery, European
and RDA funding. On the back of these restorations, there has
been over £2 billion of investment in regeneration alongside
our waterways. Parts of London, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham,
Sheffield, Glasgow and Edinburgh have been transformed following
canal restoration. We have secured funding for four new restorations
in Liverpool, Manchester, Droitwich and Stroud and local societies
and enthusiasts have plans to restore hundreds more miles over
time. Although we are not funded to deliver any of these schemes,
we work hard to encourage the Lottery, the RDAs, Local Authorities
and Europe to support restorations as it is now unquestionable
that revived waterways deliver significant economic, social and
environmental benefits way beyond the actual cost of restoration.
Many of the buildings associated with the original
use of the canal are no longer needed by BW (for example warehouses
and lock cottages), yet they have intrinsic heritage and amenity
value. BW cannot afford to keep and maintain all of these when
they do not provide any economic value to BW. We therefore rely
heavily on the listing process to protect many of these buildings
that give character and a sense of place to our waterways. We
do still retain a significant number of buildings that are excellent
examples of their type to ensure their use, maintenance and setting
are well looked after.
Waterways are an excellent example of adaptation
to modern use. From purely industrial highways they are now essentially
a leisure facility. Their importance, value and amenity derive
largely from their heritage value. The most impressive and outstanding
heritage structures and buildings are well protected and we will
always find the funds to keep them in good order. However, it
is the small redundant features like old lock winding gear, strapping
posts, stables and rubbing strips that cause us greatest concern.
Although small, they add hugely to the interest, character and
history of the waterways. They help visitors interpret the area
and relate the canals to the local community. Ensuring that these
are not lost or that improvements for boating, safety or customer
service reasons do not marginalise them is a constant concern.
The built heritage of the waterways is one of
the key essential ingredients that make the waterways so attractive
and popular. We are very conscious of the need to work exceptionally
hard to keep alive the history and culture of the canals. The
proper care and preservation of these will ensure our future,
but the pressures are enormous and to an extent self generated
as developers increasingly want to rebuild and reshape the land
and buildings around our canals because it is where their customers
want to be.
As part of our drive to manage the heritage
of the waterways successfully we are developing a series of heritage
partnership agreements for key historic sites. These agreements
are being piloted ahead of the new heritage protection regime
for England and will permit greater self-regulation and accountability.
We believe this approach is right for BW and we are working with
English Heritage, local authorities and stakeholders to achieve
this.
There are a very significant number of canal
enthusiasts who support the work of BW and help safeguard the
heritage through their vigilance and enthusiasm. The vast majority
of the nation's fleet of historic canal boats are owned by enthusiasts,
much in the same way as classic car enthusiasts. There are thriving
Historic Boat Owners' Clubs, canal restoration societies, a Horseboating
Society, as well as Friends of Canal Museums and other supportive
organisations.
Our waterways can be thought of as a huge linear
national park—an unbroken and freely accessible corridor
linking London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Reading
and many other towns, cities and countryside across the United
Kingdom. Their history and the historic structures they embrace
provide the character and interest that attract the millions of
visitors each year. It is the very special and different sense
of place and character of the waterways created by their historic
structures that is and will continue to be the reason why so many
people value and make use of them every day.
27 February 2006
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