Memorandum submitted by Urban Vision Partnership
Limited
I write with reference to the Select Committee
session regarding British Waterways (BWB). Urban Vision Limited
represents Salford City Council in property and regeneration matters
and has had extensive dealings with BWB in connection with the
Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal.
The City Council has established regeneration
aims and objectives covering the whole of the City and in particular,
those areas more towards the eastern end of the City, which are
showing signs of substantial community decline and large areas
of brownfield, former industrial accommodation. The City Council
has been very successful in transforming the former Manchester
and Salford docks into Salford Quays, which is a world renowned
waterside development, much praised by many bodies and individuals.
Working with both the private sector and other public bodies,
the City Council is keen to ensure that maximum opportunity is
made from all waterside developments and to capitalise upon the
catalytic effect that water can have within a redevelopment scheme
of almost any magnitude.
The former Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal
has been largely infilled in the easterly part of the City, although
it still remains in water in the west part of Salford and onwards
into Bury and Bolton. The upcoming regeneration plans for Salford
Crescent demonstrate through the consultation process and through
the Masterplanning process which completed last Autumn, the importance
of being able to re-open this length of canal, in order to provide
variety and interest within what could become a dense urban landscape.
The public sector landowners in this area, (the City Council,
British Waterways and Salford University) must work together to
achieve the tangible goals through creative use of existing landholdings
and the integration of new water features, plus the re-establishment
of the former canal as a significant water feature in its own
right. If we fail to achieve this, the resultant development will
be substantially depreciated in its quality for the long term.
Our track record on working together over 5
years in re-establishing the first 450m stretch of regenerating
the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal through the Middlewood locks
commercial and residential development scheme, should stand us
in good stead for establishing work practices over the next few
phases to take us up to Salford Crescent, which is referred to
above and can be seen as a major regeneration goal. The close
relationship between the City Council, Urban Vision, the Central
Salford URC and BWB has been essential in demonstrating to the
private sector the necessary commitment to develop true public/private
partnership working.
The City Council is now working with Central
Salford Urban Regeneration Company and North West Development
Agency to acquire the Regent Trading Estate, which is a significant
blockage on the route of the canal, which will be effectively
removed through the joint working of the various bodies. This
again is a major step forwards and we hope to work with BWB and
the private sector to realise the next stages of the opportunity
that is before us in terms of bringing the beneficial effect of
water into our schemes.
A sustainable community should be one of which
people are happy to live, work and visit and as such, we need
to provide a range of facilities including housing, jobs, recreation
areas and schools. Key amongst these, is recreation and linkages
between communities which canals and riverside walkways are extremely
well positioned to achieve. We must continue to work together
on the variety of schemes currently either in train, or in preparation
in Salford and I look forward to developing further schemes with
you in the coming months and years.
If I can assist further please contact me.
Richard Wynne
Director of Property, Urban Vision Limited
Urban Vision Partnership Limited
March 2008
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