Sankey Canal Restoration Society



Volume 6, Number 2 - Winter 2005/6

Kew v. Queue of the North

In this newsletter we report on the imaginative idea from Grimshaw Associates of an eco-rainforest, dubbed the "Kew of the North", for which a site close to the Sankey at Haydock had been thought suitable. It turned out to be far more speculative than real, and appears likely to drift into obscurity. I think that's a pity. If one pundit thought the scheme a "win-win-win" idea as presented, then with the additional plus of water-borne transport via a restored Sankey and a Leeds and Liverpool Link, as we have proposed, it would be "win-win-win-win", with less traffic on the region's crowded roads.

Earlier this month a newspaper article estimated that bringing our country's waste disposal systems up to an acceptable standard was going to cost from £5-8bn, with some estimates putting the cost at £10bn. As part of that cost, the £150m for the Eco-rainforest, and the £100m for the canals, would seem eminently affordable. The project could deal with much of the compostable waste of St. Helens, Warrington, Halton, Wigan, Manchester, Salford, Liverpool, Sefton, and West Lancashire, all of which have direct access to the proposed canal route to Haydock, and all of which presently recycle a very low percentage of their waste.

Whenever restoring and extending the Sankey is being discussed a major issue is not whether it can be done, but whether the return on the investment can justify the expenditure. The answer is 'yes', but it would take time. As the route both for shipping waste material in and compost products out, the Sankey and its extension would not only quickly justify the investment, it would also breathe fresh commercial life into the Leeds and Liverpool's western section and Leigh Branch, and the Bridgewater Canal.

This proposal should be receiving far more attention from both Local and National Government. We hope it does, soon.

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