: Planning and Development Comminee I REQUEST FOR FUNDING rom : Director of Planning and Development

ate : 21 August 1996 Ref: TP/9/5

PURPOSE OF TECE REPORT

The purpose of the report is to seek the Council's financial commitment to the Millenium Link.

BACKGROUND

The aim of the Millenium Link is to restore navigation to both the Union and the Forth and Clyde Canals, creating links from coast to coast and from Glasgow to Edinburgh. The project aims to provide improved towpaths and provide access to the canals for millions of local people and .visitors. It is proposed to make the canal fblly navigable by the year 2000, and for the following ten years to continue work on improving navigable standards and environmental protection. It is anticipated that the propods will result k 1500 new jobs during constxzadiorr. and 4000 permanent new jobs with up to €400m private sector investment. Details of the project are given in the appendix.

Last year British Waterways on behalf of a broad partnership of public organisations and interest groups submitted a bid to the Millenium Commission. The bid was given a B ljsting and hrther information was sought. A revised bid was made in November 1995.

In April 1996, Council agreed to support the aims of the Millenium Lmk, and undertook to play a full part in the project.

ritish Waterways has now received a clear indication the bid has been successful and fbnding of some 532m will be available, subject to confirmation of financial support fiom the fknding partners. British Waterway is ROW seekmg formal commitment and financial support from North Lanarkshire Council.

ding package for the period 1996 - 2010 is 29533 with approximately 232m being the Commission. e remainder of' the fbnding come from the European nterprise agencies he business community, th oluntary sector and Ioc s. The contribution being SOU orities is 25m betw between 2001 and 2810. s involved are ci

onshire Counc 78

As reported before, a relatively small financial input from the local authorities would result in a hnding package which is likely to bring major economic and social benefit to many parts of central Scotland.

It is proposed that the riparian local authorities contribute flm annually for five years, and that this contribution be split in proportion to population as follows -

Authority Population % pp Contribution (E)

City of Edinburgh 44 1,620 23.37 23335 West Lothian 146,730 7.77 77,653 142,610 7.55 75,472 North Lanarkshire 326,750 17.29 172,923 1 10,220 5.83 58,33 1 City of Glasgow 623,850 33.02 330, 154 97,790 5.18 5 1,753

TOTAL 1.889.570 100.00 1.ooo,ooo

It can be seen therefore that the sum being sought from North Lanarkshire Council is €1 72,923 each year for five years, commencing 1997/98.

COMMENTS

It is considered that the project will bring substantial benefits to North Lanarkshire, particularly to the northern area, and as noted above, the Council has already confirmed its support for the project. There has been no budget allocated at this stage however for the sum requested, and therefore, the matter will require to be fkther considered by the Policy and Resources Committee.

It is recommended that :-

1 The Council affirms its support for the project

2 The Planning and Development Committee agrees in principle to the hnding seqcestttd.

3 The matter is referred to the Policy and Resources Committee iK- [w Staraley c Cook irector of Planning and Development

For further information, please contact Shirley Linton 01236 72213 1 ext 2206 rlRlu?hnf

Camlachie. Chiircli. Kii kiiililloch. Maryhill) :;t Mary's Cllurch Choir. Representative C~ouricil Kirkiritilloch Rotary Club Parkview Residents' Kirkiritilloch. WlieczzLirs' Chest Club. Cardross. Liiilithgow Twirrning Association St Mary's Parish Church. Busby Cathcart. Association. Platforin Kirkiritilloch. Woodllee Iiospitdl. Lenr!? Clirystori Mary Russell School. Prince & Princ-ess of Wales St Michael's Addictioii CraiqJocl;har?. Paisley I lospir e. Glasgow Group C,lydebaiik Last silt1 COMMUNIW COUNCILS MiI Milaap Cciilre, Hotary Clt~b01 Kirkiiililloch The Iravellers' Prolect (.critml Glasgow Rotaiy Cl~bof I drbert (Corriiiwi1ity Central lHs11. Abroiiliill Clydcbairl\ i:oii~iTrur-llly Mootliesburri Aim Rotary Club of I irdittryow Maryliill). Aririarlale ( UiltlCll For~lrll Developiiient Group. arid Bo'ness The Volunteer Centre Aucl lllilflCll Cedridys.

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rc 0 0 c 3 : 0, Y - I. - 3 0 x 0 E --. 5. 3 ID P 3 3 D" CCI % U 3 ID -, w VI CT (D 7 2 !% 2. 5; Obstructions and dereliction will be clearccl. Natiiral Iiabitats will be improved

ant1 the level paths will provide ;I uniquely accessible recreational environment

for families, the elderly, and wheelchair users.

People will visit, walk, riiti, cycle, fish. The entire length of the canal system will

beconie ;I tnajor ktndinark ancl the Millenniiirn Wheel will attract thousands of

visitors in its own right.

A Milleiit~iuirr Fiind grant represents the only chance for this vision to be

realised. l'lic Millenniuni Isink will create a broad grccii corridor linking urban arid rural, people and jobs, the second and third millennia - and the old rivals, IXnburgh and C ;lasgow. By restoring the two 1,owlarid Canals arid their environs, it will providc a natural focus for leisure and cultural activities, bringing 110 kni Firth of For:h of valuahlc watcrwaps and towpaths back into full use and supporting a chain of aniciiiries and visitor attractions right across Scotland. 'l'inie and again we have found that oncc waterways arc brought Firth 01 Clyde back to life, land-based activity will follow: and far more people :ire ;t t t t to ic t c w pa t s and s 11r undi ng amenities than act ual iy t :I I ra c cd L 1 11 ro kc Glasgow to the w:iter.

A new momentum At its peak, constrLiction work will generate 1,500 jobs, with more than 4,000 permanent new jobs created by associatcd development in the canal corridor. l'rivatc sector invcstmcnt is expected to reach L4001n. (hnrnirnitics that once turned their hacks on the canals will have a ~iewfocus as the wntcrside becomes ;I desirable residential and business location with car& and restaurants, sliLops, galleries and museums. As wcll :IS jobs there will he training, not least through expanciing llritish Watenwys' existing partnerships with training agencies; and the new opportunities will extend to rural arc:is, where iincrnploymerit is One of the obstructio"1s nut o r i o usI y rec;i I c i t ra n t . on the

4 85 Despite their long decline the I:CW pe~pletoday CZ~IIrei11ei11bcr the jAo\vl:ti1*3C::tnals at the height of tlicir glory, yet only a kcv generations ago these Lowlancl Caiials are in remarkably remarkable feats of engineering were the vitar arteries of good shape. Only 5 out of their 110 Scotland's industrial strength, prc-dating lie railways :is n mc:ins of shifting vital raw materials and finished goods. krns have I>een lost altogether, and l'he 1;orth and (:lyde was built as a se:^ to scii ship we kiiow that re-opening these cnnal, wllilst the IJnion (':anal was an inland witenvay des ig ne d for 1) ;i rges. '1 'hc heritage that surro LI nds t 11c 111 sectlol~:;is t)oth techiically includes no lewer tlian 3 1 lisrcd biiilcimgs, 30 ancicnt nrunuments, 5 sites of special sciciitific iiitert.st, 100 bridges, f e 3 si 1) I c ;I 11d e c o 11 o iiiic a 11 y viab le. 49 aquec1L1cIs, 35 10 and Scotland's oiily cmal timid.

Restoring the links In the road-dorrIinated culture of thc 19fiOs, tile I:ortli aid Clyde mci Union Canals were finally closcci :o navigaiion :~ndbroken into short sections with limited LISC. I3orIi canals became badly silted in plnces, old fittings decayed, opcning bridges were removed and some structures b;tcanre derelict. Even so, the channels remain substan:i:tlly intact with ICw major obstacles.'l'hc longest break in the route is 3 kin. A complete restoration of thc L.owlailc! Can:lls :vill create a unique community asset and retreat.: sociirl and economic links between cities, towns :~ndvillages along the

way. 'The 1 i in i ted progra m ines wh i c 11 I j :ive 3 1r :.xly t a kc n pl ace have given an enticing glimpse 01- the potcntial benclits.

Open to ideas

After 1eng thy disc iiss io n s w i rh pl :in n i I'.g a U th 1) r i t ies , 1 I is t o r ic Scotland, and environmental gruups we know that our plans have widespread support. Local communities across (kntral Scotlmd have heen involved in developing ideas for the p'oject. in one of Edinburgh's largest peripheral housin;; estates, whcre significant inlill has taken place, the potentiai for recreation and new jobs h:is won 'I'he Millcnniuin I,inlc some of its most enthusiastic supporters.

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By re-focusing our bid, The In our original bid LIXiirst suge covered ;i I'LIII programme of restoration work on rlir canals, Millennium Link pai-tners have canal structures and banks. 'I'he seconcl stiigc been dble to re-exainine the structure of the project. was to be the dcVel0pnimL of the canal corridor through investment in lxisinc'ss, leisure mci The core stages will still tie completed by 2000, ready tourism over an indeiinitc fuiure period.

for Scotland's rniI leii n imi celebrations. The caiia Is w ill A three-stage programme be accessible, walkable .md navigable from sea to sea 'Ilie canals and towpaths will still open to the and from Edinburgh to Glasgow. public by the year 2000, but there will be an extra phase iiom 2000 to 20 10, during which The txilance of etivironincntal and bank protection work navigational s ta rid a rds w i I1 be c 11 ha ii ced 3 rid most of the environmcnrd management and will take place between 2000 and 2010. bank protection work will take place. l'lic canal corridor development hecomes die third stage of the progra1nme.

Looking out for wildlife 'ilie new environiiierital nian:igcitient l~lanwit1 be carried out in small sections aid each ~KX then left to recover. 'l'his appro;ich is known to be inore benrlicial CO plant atid aiiiinal liie tliafi intensive and continuous activity. Ilritish Waterways has been in closc consultation with Scottish Ni~tui-iilI Icritage tli roiiglio t the pla n ri i I 16 t) f the 0id. ' 1'11 e o fliidc bank will continue 10 be sufi.gu;irtltJ :IS ;I wildlifk refuge and thc resrored cti;innel will allow iree niweiiient of species, some 01' which have no o~hersignificant liubitat in Ckntml Scotland. The iniprovcmcnr in W;IICI quality will also bring obvious txncfits 1i)r wildlife.

9 The Millenriium Link In our original hid we asked LIIC Millennium <.:ommission li)r C50 in, to he niaiched from other is the culmination of sourccs. After extending die tin;esc:ilc and re- years of dedication and hard work. Froni private focusing on the core project, wc are now inviting tlic C:oinmission to contr.ibute :I total of 1&30 in. iiidividuals to yovernnient agencies, and from local lktails of the funding pa :tnc.rstiip arc given auttiot-ities to pivate businesses atid canal societies, in t lie appen ci i x .

tiundreds of people have worked to promote the A thorough assessment restoration of the Lowland Canals. IJsing the knowledge gained thr ougli eariier awarcf- winning restoration projccts British Waterways has The process of clearing and upgrading the entire length worked closely with the local authorities involved to produce a collcctive strategy covering recreation of the Lowiand canal system will harness this same and tourism, thc environment, :md economic and spirit of co-operation and enterprise. cmployrncnt issues. This procesi has included the idcntification of developinerit sires, nature Volunteers at work CCI nvcr sa t ion a re as , listed b u i Id i j ~gs and ;i nc ie n I 111 onnmen1s. 'I'his sicidy has bccn cndorsed by 'llie Millcnniuni link steering corninittee, which in cludcs re prcse n tat ives 5-0111 I

< ;c) ni pa 11ie s , corn m un i t y g ro ups I c aria 1 soc i e t ic s and business. Coopcrs and Lybi and have been closcly involved as the project's main aglvisors on econoinic and business cievelopnient. Revenue and financial information is given in the appendix.

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The purpose of The Millennium Link bid is Walkers and cyclists using the iowp;itfi hi1 traliiil- liee exercise or as a pleasant rotite LO visiror to complete the capital funding of this attractions; groups of anglcrs lishing the

ground breaking project - once the work is complete Scotland wlll u np o 11u t eci w;i t ers; school cl-1il cl re11 o II iv i 1111 i le trips; laughtcr echoing across the water Iron1 benefit from a high qiialify asset which will provide free access for canal side cafils; narrow boars and pleasure craft the vast majority whilst gencrntlng income to cover additional gently making their way slang the witc'r past flotillas uf ducks arici the regular spI:ishii~gof' maintenance and administration. There will be no need to seek row i iig teams . revenue funding fro in the M iI leii niu m Commission. It's not diltic,tilt to conjiirr" kip ;I visioit of' the I~\.vlandCanals f~illyresrorcci arid proviciiIig access, exercise and enjoymcnt tor Inillioits of' residents and visitors. Hur how will this vision he maintaiIitlcl?

Visitors and volunteers 'I'he restored canal system will be o17cr:ited and maintained by lhitisli Water-ways usiitg its existing slatutory powers. Diie to the iiicrcascjci use of the wntei7~3y,spending oil tlzc' 1,itwlailci Canals will grow, but rhis will ltc oilser l>jl CXIIYI revenue. An estimated 3.5111 day visitors e:ic,Ii yc;tr will enjoy lke access to the c;ir~:tlside erivironiiicnt, but SOIIIC uses such as boaring and inooring will generate lkes and sli;irgcs. A nuinber of coriirniiiiiry :iiici user gl-o~ip have expressed ;in inrercst in providiitg voltintcc'r hcl pers - :i po Le II t i ii I1y va I 11 ab1c' con I I' i h ii L io 11 g i \,e ii thc six 01 the restureci carial sysLciii.

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LOCAL AtJTHORITIES

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