"The Sankey Canal - The Gateway to Merseyside"

Halton Borough Council have submitted an outline bid for a Big Lottery Fund's Living Landmarks grant, for a project that would significantly enhance the canal in Halton and St Helens, around Newton and potentially in the Bewsey area of Warrington. Living Landmarks has a budget of £140m to be spent on large projects with individual grants of between £10m and £25m, plus one very large grant of between £25m and £50m.

The Halton end of the project, entitled 'The Sankey Canal - the Gateway to Merseyside', is the Widnes Waterfront European Development Zone to the north-west of Spike Island, but will impact on the canal right through from Widnes up to Fiddlers Ferry through public art, towpath enhancements, more moorings, replacement of the two fixed bridges, improved access from the town centre etc.; the restoration of BARMERE and its development as part of a wider educational facility at the Widnes end of the canal is also planned.

This forms by far the largest part of the project and will set the template for the smaller projects upstream. The St Helens element is part of the Eastside Masterplan around Corporation Street, which will see 200m of infilled canal restored. The work at Newton involves enhanced interpretation of Newton Common Lock (Left, 1960s, by Harry Arnold) and development of the site as a gateway into the Sankey Valley Park.

Over-riding themes through the bid document are community learning, cohesion and health & well-being. The bid is being led by Halton on behalf of a partnership that includes St Helens and Warrington councils, BW, IWA and, of course, SCARS.

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