BW's Chairman Raises Sankey Hopes… on the Anderton Lift
by Peter Keen

At the end of Dr. George Greener's visit to the Sankey in October, he was sufficiently persuaded that SCARS' restoration plans are worth following up that he offered to host a further meeting to move the project forward. This was taken up at once by St. Helens' Marc Cole, who provided Dr. Greener with a list of invitees from St. Helens, Warrington, Knowsley, Halton, Wigan, West Lancashire District Council, and the North West Development Agency, who responded enthusiastically to his subsequent invitation to join him for a Presentation and lunch aboard BW's launch, the Edwin Clarke, on the River Weaver.

In his presentation Dr. Greener, referring to the recently announced lists of future restoration schemes BW envisaged being involved in between now and 2020, stressed that a restoration scheme does not have to be on the BW priority list for progress to be made. BW would offer appropriate support to any scheme which merited it. He then went on to tell the guests what he had found on his visit, and what he had reported to his Board. He said he had been impressed by the amenity value of the Sankey Valley Park; the 'string of pearls' benefits of the World of Glass, Bewsey Old Hall and the Catalyst Museum; and the possibilities for development in the wider region arising out of restoring and extending the Sankey. He concluded by offering the full support of BW, and setting out the outcomes for this meeting: to establish in their minds how BW could contribute towards the project, to confirm that it was practically possible to carry out the work, and to obtain from all those present confirmation of their commitment to the proposals.

Derek Cochrane, BW's North Western Regional Director, then spoke on how the scheme is seen in the regional context. He began by listing the recent restorations projects with which BW has been associated, and described the methodology by which they had been achieved - Process, Problems, Persistence and Patience. He gave instances of problems which became the opportunity for solutions which in themselves added greatly to the benefits of the restoration. The most spectacular example being the Falkirk Wheel - where the impossibility of building locks in the area available brought into existence a structure which is already a major tourist attraction in Scotland. Such a result is not opportunistic but arises from a managed sequence of events. From the initial idea comes a feasibility study, general master plan, more detailed feasibility studies - then the actual work. The necessary funding is not usually obtained from a single source. All those who grant funding will need regular updates on what has been achieved. BW has the staffing and the experience to be able to deliver to those expectations, and can also offer support, including PR exhibitions and media presentations, as well as filling the role of contractor for the actual work.

Marc Cole, Head of Economic Development for St. Helens MBC, then gave the meeting a brief history of the canal, describing how it had been treated since abandonment. He pointed out that the line of the canal has been preserved by all the local authorities involved and that, with the support of those present, the Sankey could become another successful restoration. He envisaged the challenge to be in two parts - the restoration of the existing canal and the opening of the proposed link to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, thus maximising the associated regeneration benefits. The way forward from here is to secure the support of the partners present in principal, to get the project included in regional strategy documents, to commission an updated detailed feasibility study, and to submit funding applications for a phased programme of action, after which work could commence.

Next Alan Bates, BW Waterway Manager, spoke on the practical issues involved in restoration as experienced by other restoration projects. The proposed work could create a pattern of nodal points, Liverpool, Widnes, Warrington, St. Helens, Rufford, Wigan, Manchester etc, all linked by water, generating visitor growth and increased spend at those nodes. Key issues to be considered would be an adequate water supply, the number and nature of the current obstructions, major structures, in-filled sections and the amount of dredging needed. Chemical and toxic materials would require special treatment, but addressing the contamination issue would act as a regeneration focus which could help to develop the region's potential. Alan gave some detail on how these problems might be solved with respect to the Sankey, and was able to give an approximate cost per mile of carrying out the project, which compared favourable with some of those schemes recently completed. He spoke further on the proposed link to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, mentioning the topography to be overcome, whether the link was the shorter one eastwards towards Wigan, or the further one westwards towards Melling. Issues would be the need for locks, the water supply, probably involving back-pumping, and land ownership. An integrated approach was needed for this project, with public consultation a vital part. A series of presentations would be staged to inform and draw support from the public, whilst funders would need to be reassured that visitor numbers, increased spend, increased property values and more jobs would be forthcoming to justify their investments.

As the launch moved away from the jetty, and lunch was being served, Dr. Greener summed up the presentations and the issues raised, and invited the representatives around the table to respond. All present agreed to support the proposals in principal. Adrian Hardy from Wigan said that the town has a number of on-going projects with which the proposed link would fit nicely. Heather MacManus, from West Lancashire, was equally sure that taking the link in the opposite direction through her District would deliver definite benefits. It was eventually resolved, with some seriousness, that building both links might create the most economically productive solution... Warrington's Alan Turley had come fresh to the project, but had had no difficulty in seeing the advantages of the restoration for his Borough. Ian Lifford, who has been a long-standing supporter of restoration in Halton, stated that the proposed Waterside Development at Widnes envisaged the Sankey as a major, positive feature. St. Helens' other representatives, Bob Massingham and John Whaling, who is their Principal European Officer, both showed their enthusiasm for the project. Significantly, Jerry Spencer, Regeneration Policy Manager at the NW Regional Development Agency said he was impressed by the enthusiasm of the meeting, that the Agency is presently working on a strategy to cover all the region's waterways, and that these proposals fitted in well with their hopes for imaginative projects which brought benefits to such a large area of the Region. Our Chairman, David Long, said he was pleased that the Society's patient work of promoting the Sankey, and keeping it on the agenda of the Local Authorities was at last bearing fruit in this period when the economic benefits of waterway restoration were being realised so spectacularly elsewhere in the country - and particularly in this Region, and he had high hopes for the future.

While the boat rose in the Anderton Lift to the canal above, BW, whilst making it clear that it has no wish to dominate the proceedings, offered help in drawing up a working brief for consultants, for this group to consider soon. Marc Cole said that St. Helens is willing to take the lead in organising and funding this particular phase - which Derek Cochrane said was a method which had already proved to be successful in other completed projects. Before our journey ended, Jerry Spencer encouraged us by saying that the RDA is willing to participate, funding permitting, but emphasised that it is not interested in just clearing up past mistakes but also in creating new sustainable facilities within the Region.

MORE PICTURES FROM THE CRUISE OF "THE EDWIN CLARKE", DECEMBER 2002

Foreground: Ian Lifford (Halton), Alan Turley (Warrington), opposite: Bob Massingham (St. Helens), Jerry Spencer (NW Development Agency), Derek Cochrane (BW), John Whaling (St. Helens), Faizul Chowdhury (BW), Adrian Hardy (Wigan)		Foreground - Derek Cochrane talking with Jerry Spencer; opposite: Heather MacManus (West Lancs. District); David Long, George Greener, Marc Cole
From left: Ian Lifford, Alan Turley, Heather MacManus, David Long		Foreground - Marc Cole in discussion with Bob Massingham, Jerry Spencer, and Derek Cochrane
Bob Massingham and John Whaling compare notes		Our Caption Competition - Jerry Spencer makes his points to George Greener as the trip comes to its end on the Trent and Mersey after the journey up the Anderton Lift

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