Memorandum submitted by Central Salford
Urban Regeneration Company
RE: BRITISH
WATERWAYS—MANCHESTER
BURY BOLTON
CANAL
I write further to recent discussions with British
Waterways and the Efra Select Committee decision to examine British
Waterways' regeneration and restoration role on the back of British
Waterways' decision to withdraw from the Cotswold Canal Partnership.
Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company (URC)
was set up in February 2005 with a remit to facilitate the delivery
of a major £4 billion private sector investment programme,
including mediacity.uk. The URC's Vision and Regeneration Framework
sets out the regeneration vision for five transformational areas.
One of these transformational areas is the Strategic Transport
Programme, which includes the canal corridors within the URC area.
The restoration and reopening of the Manchester Bury Bolton Canal
forms an integral part of the URC's Strategic Transport Programme.
The URC and British Waterways are working with
a number of public and private sector partners to deliver the
restoration of the Manchester Bury Bolton Canal. Delivery of Phase
1 of this project is already on site and is due for completion
in April 2008. The Phase 1 of the project forms an important element
of the English Cities Fund's Chapel Street Regeneration Initiative.
The restoration and regeneration of Phase 2
of the Manchester Bury Bolton Canal underpins the Crescent masterplan
that has being prepared by John McAslan's Architects at present
and will form a strategic spine through the site and it is this
waterside link that will underpin the comprehensive mixed-use
redevelopment of the area. The redevelopment of the Crescent area
has the potential deliver a major expansion of the University
of Salford. The University site is presently being masterplanned
by Urban Initiatives. British Waterways are one of a number of
key stakeholders involved in this exercise and have to date brought
considerable knowledge and experience to the both masterplanning
exercises.
In looking at how the public sector could deliver
the Crescent masterplan, the URC and Salford City Council have
had initial discussions the principles of a partnership with British
Waterways, in the form of a public sector Joint Venture and working
alongside a private sector development partner to deliver this
comprehensive regeneration project which will contribute to the
expansion of the Regional Centre, Manchester.
In terms of the delivery of the URC's Vision
and Regeneration and in particular the restoration of the Manchester
Bury Bolton Canal, the URC see British Waterways as a key stakeholder
and one that not only brings a great deal of experience and knowledge
to the partnership but also has the potential to unlock funding
to contribute to the deliver of this major project.
The URC is happy to be working in partnership
with British Waterways to deliver Phase 2 of the restoration of
the Manchester Bury Bolton Canal.
Nik Puttnam
Senior Development Manager
Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company
March 2008
| 
