Final Report

New Opportunities for Inland Waterways Across the North Sea

Interreg IIIB North Sea Region Final Report

New Opportunities for Inland Waterways Across the North Sea

Nieuwe mogelijkheden voor binnenwateren in het Noordzeegebied PAGE Neue Perspektiven für Inlandswasserwege im Nordseeraum 02 03 Nye muligheter for vannveier rundt Nordsjøen

Nya möjligheter för inlands-vattenvägar i Nordsjöområdet

May 2006 Iseghem, West Vlaanderen - Industrial past Revitalised - Peat Harbour, Findorff, New life - & Livepool

Background

The North Sea region has a large network of bigger vessels. At Trollhättan in inland waterways connecting the sea with the for example, the modern fl ight of 4 locks is hinterland. Historically this network, consist- paralleled by two earlier smaller disused ing of man-made , navigable rivers and fl ights, tracing the history of navigation at this lakes, was the major transport system in the spectacular site. However other waterways region, facilitating the movement of people received little investment and in some cases and goods between the coast and inland areas fell into disuse – for example the and between towns and cities and nearby rural Canal in West Yorkshire, England was closed regions. Waterways formed important trade in 1921, due to water supply and quality prob- routes in both the Roman and Viking periods. lems, as well as declining freight traffi c caused by competition from the railways. Originally natural water courses were used. However over time rivers and lakes were im- Since the Second World War there has been proved and regulated to facilitate navigation. a growing interest in navigable inland wa- For example in Roman Britain the Fossdyke terways, fuelled by the tourism and recrea- was constructed to link the Rivers Witham and tion opportunities they provide as well as an Trent in eastern England. With the indus- increasing awareness and interest in cultural trial revolution in the 18th & 19th centuries, heritage. Waterways provide opportunities for the pace of construction of new links grew tourism and recreation through water sports, rapidly. Artifi cial canals were built, often sailing and pleasure boat activity on the water involving the transfer of expertise and knowl- and angling, walking and cycling on the edge between the countries of the Region. banks. Visitors drawn to the waterways con- For example the draining of the Fenland area tribute to the economy of the waterway cor- in eastern England through the construction ridor through expenditure on local goods and of navigable channels was carried out in the services. The water environment is attractive 17th Century by Dutch engineers. In the 19th to developers, thus facilitating the regenera- Century, the in tion of waterside communities. (Studies have inspired the building of the Göta Canal across shown that residential property values can be Sweden by Baltzar von Platen. enhanced by at least 20 % through proximity to navigable waterways.) Waterways provide With the rise of rail and road transport in recreational opportunities for people close to the late 19th and early 20th century, many home, thus enhancing their health and well- waterways were enlarged to accommodate being and general quality of life. Finally in- Former Industrial use, , Leeds Telemark Canal - Historic past uses Telemark Canal - Now being developed for leisure use

PAGE 04 land waterways have become a focus for social • In some cases navigable waterways sup- 05 development through their use for education ply hydro power, through plants at weirs and training and local initiatives in the fi elds and lock bypass channels. In others the of sustainable transport and public health. banks are used as sites for wind turbines. Towpaths often provide wayleave routes Structures such as locks, bridges, tunnels and for services, such as telecommunications or aqueducts on those waterways that haven’t electricity; been enlarged are prime examples of the built industrial heritage of the North Sea Region. • Wetland environments, supporting bio- Many of the smaller waterways are still operat- diversity, with a need to balance recreation ed on largely the same principles as they were with environmental considerations; when they were constructed, thus providing people with an insight into the living heritage • A focus for urban and rural regeneration. of these transport arteries. Of course there is potential incompatibility As well as the recreation & tourism and and confl ict between these various functions cultural heritage aspects, inland waterways that need to be managed. For example boating provide many other functions:- on inland waters can have adverse environ- mental impacts. Steps need to be taken to • Freight traffi c is still important on many minimise these effects, particularly in the light of the larger waterways, and there is now of new environmental legislation under the a growing interest in promoting the use of Water Framework Directive. smaller waterways for transport e.g. for the movement of waste products and, in the case of the Netherlands, for the distribution of goods in cities;

• Water management, through land drainage and fl ood control, as well as for water sup- ply and transfer; "REMEN Introduction to Canal Link

PAGE 06 107

Falkirk Wheel, Scotland In 2002 a number of local authorities and to the implementation of a number of on-going navigation authorities in the North Sea Region waterway schemes. For example the develop- came together to look at how their waterways ment of waterway links between the northern could be better developed for tourism and Netherlands and adjacent parts of Germany recreation based on cultural and environ- (the “Land of Peat and Honey” scheme) are mental heritage. The project Canal Link was now being implemented, following the feasi- developed under the EU Interreg IIIB North bility studies undertaken through the Interreg Sea Region programme, with a total budget of IIC project. Similarly a pilot action on the € 5.1 million. Canal Link followed on from in Scotland to develop water- an earlier project developed under the Inter- based activities for children during the school reg IIC programme called “Spatial Integration holidays has evolved into much larger on-go- through Linking Waterways”, led by Provincie ing scheme throughout the Lowlands canals in Drenthe in the Netherlands, which ran from Scotland. 2000 to 2001. Completion of this project led Three of the partners in the Interreg IIC project Provincie Noord-Holland (Netherlands) – sup- – (UK), Provincie Noord- porting the work of Gemeente Langedijk. 1 Holland) (Netherlands) and Stichting Recre- atietoervaart Nederland (Netherlands) – came Freie Hansestadt Bremen (Germany) – reinstat- PAGE together to establish the new partnership, ing the old peat canal network between the 08 which now consists of 8 organisations:- of Bremen and the nearby region. 09 British Waterways (UK) – lead partner in the project, with a specifi c interest in the canals in Telemark Fylkeskommune (Norway) – with an Scotland (Caledonian, Forth & Clyde and Un- interest in further developing the Telemark Ca- ion Canals in particular) and West Yorkshire, nal for tourism, business development, and as England (Leeds & Canal) a meeting place for local communities through cultural and recreational activities and facili- Provincie West-Vlaanderen (Belgium) – with ties, and preserving cultural heritage. a specifi c interest in the Roeselare Canal, in conjunction with Agentschap Waterwegen Länsstyrelsen Varmland (Sweden) – focussing en Zeekanaal NV (the Flanders Waterways on the recreational development of Lake Vän- Agency) ern and the canal and river systems entering the lake. Stichting Recreatietoervaart Nederland (Netherlands) – with a remit for the national All of the partners have involved a wide range development and improvement of recreation of local sub-partners in the project, to secure and water sports on inland waterways in the the maximum involvement and buy-in from Netherlands. stakeholders, including local authorities and other public bodies, the private sector and Gemeente Langedijk (Netherlands) – promot- voluntary organisations, including social ing the development of the canal network in enterprises. the municipality of Langedijk. &INLAND

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,UXEMBURG Canal Link: Partner Organisations

Canal Link therefore aims to investigate how • horizontal linkages between waterways and the region’s network of navigable waterways local communities for the development of can be further developed, based on the cul- economic activity. tural and environmental heritage of the wa- terways themselves. In particular the project Although the focus is on recreation and tour- focuses on the creation of:- ism, these aspects need to be managed to support, rather than be in confl ict with, other • linear linkages between waterways, includ- objectives, such as freight transport, water ing extensions to the network and the use management and urban and rural regenera- of the North Sea as a connection; and tion. Canal Link has three broad themes:- • Promotion and development of economic activity and entrepreneurship, based on 1 • Development of tourism links across the the cultural heritage and tourism on inland North Sea and between inland waterways waterways. PAGE in the Region; 10 In this report we bring together some of the • Development and expansion of the recrea- key fi ndings and results of Canal Link and 11 tional waterway network in the region; and begin to look towards how co-operation can be taken forward in the future.

“Participating in Canal Link has opened up formation and not “re-inventing the wheel”, regional development and network building common strategies and practices regarding opportunities at all levels: local, regional, the re-vitalisation of traditional waterways national and international. Canal Link has have been realised. made it easier for Telemark’s sub-partners The competitive edge of regions is not only from small municipalities to meet with determined by economic factors, but also the other European Canal Link partners to by socio-cultural and ecological ones. The exchange experience and knowledge, thus quality of regional governance is based on building valuable contacts with organisations the interaction of public institutions, of the facing similar challenges to developing their economy, of education and research institu- inland waterways. Canal Link has enabled tions and of active citizens. In this context, the Telemark partners to work more col- political decision makers play a signifi cant, lectively and strategically across municipal, strategically symbolic role as mentors of county and regional borders in order to see regional development and as sensors that are the Telemark Canal as a unifi ed resource with able to perceive potential errors at an early optimal results being reached by working stage, thanks to the contact with their elector- together as a unit instead of individually and ate. sporadically. Canal Link has helped to open Administrations, on the other hand, set the up the small waterway municipalities in operational rules and by intensive inter- Telemark to Europe.” change with regional actors and intermediary organisations, create the framework condi- Thrond Kjellevold – International Advisor, Region- tions for unleashing innovation and creativ- samarbeidet Buskerud, Telemark, Vestfold ity: supported by sustainable development that respects ecological and cultural charac- teristics and safeguards social balance. “Processes which are often neglected by Participation in Canal Link has helped defi ne local and regional authorities such as those and realise these principles in the Bremen in the Bremen and Teufelsmoor region have and Teufelsmoor region.” been accelerated by participation in Canal Link. Furthermore by encouraging exchange Helmut Berends – Consultant on behalf of the City of experiences amongst partners, sharing in- of Bremen ,»NSSTYRELSEN6»RML 4ELEMARKFYLKESKOMMUNE International / national impacts of Canal Link

PAGE 12 213

Impression waterways of Langedijk, Netherlands Partners visit the Start Harbour in Discussion at the Langedijk Partner Meeting Freight and Leisure Boats need to co-exist Kragero,Telemark

The trans-national importance of the European With the enlargement of the European Union, freight waterway network has been recognised many of the new member states are looking to for a number of years. Less attention has develop their inland waterways. Many of the been paid however to the network of smaller actions undertaken through Canal Link dem- waterways, which, although no longer used onstrate how this can be done. In the future in the main for freight transport, still have an we plan to continue to share the lessons learnt economic function in terms of tourism and with the new member states and with coun- recreation. These waterways may also have tries in southern Europe through the Interreg a trans-national dimension in terms of water IIIC project Voies Navigables d’Europe (VNE), management, a common cultural and envi- in which a number of Canal Link partners are ronmental heritage and the potential for the participating. economic regeneration of their urban and rural hinterland. 2.1 Waterway classifi cation Canal Link has served to raise the profi le of these waterways and to demonstrate that there In 2000, the Permanent International As- are many ways of enhancing their potential sociation of Navigation Congresses (PIANC) and contribution to the sustainable develop- produced the report ´Standards for the use ment of the European territory. of inland waterways by recreational craft´

Table – Specific Recreational Navigation Classes Restoration of derelict Waterways is vital The Inner Lane, Lake Vänern Royal opening, the Inner Lane, Lake Vänern

(PIANC Bulletin No.103, 2000). This estab- Under Canal Link we looked at the applicabil- lished a dimensional classifi cation system for ity of this classifi cation to waterways in the 2 recreational waterways, effectively extending North Sea Region. In general it was found that the current European Commission of Minis- the system was appropriate. However there PAGE ters of Transport classifi cation for large freight are one or two waterways or networks that 14 waterways to 4 classes of smaller, primarily don’t fi t so well within the classifi cation – in recreational canals and rivers. particular the United Kingdom, where, for the 15 narrow canal network, the length of craft ex- Subsequently this proposal was submitted ceeds that for classes RC and RD, but the beam jointly by PIANC with the Alliance Interna- is only that of RA. It is felt that these water- tional de Tourisme (AIT), European Boat- ways would be most appropriately classifi ed ing Association (EBA) and Voies Navigables as RB, but with a suffi x to account for the d’Europe (VNE) to the United Nations Eco- specifi c conditions of navigation in the UK. nomic Commission for Europe (UNECE) for A map has been produced showing the North adoption as a resolution. This has now been Sea Region recreational waterway network in passed back to national Governments for con- terms of the proposed classifi cation. sideration. The advantages of adopting such a classifi cation for recreational waterways are in terms of:-

1. Helping to achieve greater offi cial recogni- tion of recreational waterways in Europe, particularly in relation to their international dimension;

2. Providing greater protection for inland wa- terways, especially in respect of headroom. (Lowering of bridges for road schemes has often led to waterways becoming effectively closed to navigation in the past.);

3. Publicising the international inland wa- terway network to boaters, thus promoting tourism visits from outside EU, as well as for European citizens. Grythyttan Edane Nykroppa Deje Molkom Töcksfors Kil

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Vadstena Tibro The project area in Värmland New landing stage at Gansbyn, Lake Vänern Boat loading at Dalen

Map – EU Interreg IIIIB Canal Link Project

Identifi cation of inland waterways in the North Sea Zone The Wharf at Dalen Peat Boats travel on the river Hamme Construction of the Peat Harbour at Findorff

2.2 Extension of the North Sea Belgium 2 - The Deule –Escaut waterway, restoring the Region recreational water- Canal de Roubaix in France and the Canal PAGE way network de l’Espierres in Belgium, creating a new 16 cross-border link. (This project is being im- plemented through the Interreg IIIB North 17 Canal Link also looked at gaps and bottlenecks West Europe project Blue Links.) in the North Sea Region recreational waterway network, using the classifi cation system as a Netherlands / Germany base. A number of waterways that have been - The Erica – Ter Apel and Bellingwedde closed to navigation, together with new links, – Rhede links opening up the network of have been identifi ed to extend the network canals between provinces of Groningen and and thus open up new tourism opportunities. Drenthe and adjacent regions in Germany. These have been added to the recreational waterway map. Netherlands - The creation of new links within the prov- inces of Fryslan, Groningen and Drenthe 2.3 Examples of some gaps in to open up additional recreational circuits and opportunities – the Veenhoop-Beets, the network Drachten–Leekstermeer and Blokzijl-Kuin- (excluding projects within Canal Link) re-Lemmer links.

Scotland Germany - Extension of the eastern end of the Forth & - In the East Friesland (Ostfriesland) area, Clyde Canal to Grangemouth Docks, thus the opening up of some canals which aren’t improving access to the canal from the sea. currently navigable due to low and fi xed bridges. England - Fens Waterway Link – creating a north- Sweden / Norway south link across the east of England for - A new link between the Dalsland Canal larger recreational craft between the Rivers (Sweden) and Halden Canal (Norway). Witham, Glen, Welland and Nene. - Bedford – Milton Keynes Link – A new ca- The movement to restore historic waterways nal connecting the River Nene with the core to navigation and open up new water links of the English canal system. has grown apace in Europe in recent years. In - & Chesterfi eld Canal the United Kingdom alone for example it is – extending the canal network in Eastern estimated that there are around 100 restoration England / new water link schemes at various stages of Artists impression - at Bradford Boaters visit , - a World Heri- The historic waterways of Langedijk tage Site

development. Waterways are viewed as agents North Sea with those of the Baltic. The for the regeneration of both cities and rural Inner Lane channel is 60 metres wide and 3 corridors, as well as providing recreation op- metres deep. Following survey of the route, portunities for local people and tourists. Ac- loose stones and rocks were removed to cess to water and waterfronts is now viewed create the channel, which was then buoyed as a key element in improving the quality of and marked to indicate the safe route for life of the inhabitants of urban areas and as a vessels. generator of economic activity through leisure activities on the water and along the banks. In • Also in Sweden, the lakes and rivers to addition the restored or new waterways pro- the north-west of Lake Vänern (the Vänern vide an attractive backdrop for developments – Börgvikssjön – Värmeln – Glafsfjorden along the banks. system) are isolated from one another. The solution to this problem was to es- Within Canal Link, a number of specifi c ac- tablish in Summer 2003 two trailers links tions have been undertaken to extend the for boats to bridge the gaps in the water network and remove bottlenecks. These route, thus creating a circular cruising ring actions are of different types and scales and through these attractive waterways (the illustrate the range of measures that can be Varma Route). Facilities for boaters have implemented to bring old waterways back into been established along the route, including use and thus extend the network and regener- signing, boat ramps, ecological toilets, wind ate the urban and rural areas through which shelters and landing stages and the route is they pass:- promoted for pleasure boating and canoeing in the Summer and for skating and ice fi sh- • In Sweden, the Inner Lane was opened up ing in the Winter (to extend the season). across the northern shores of Lake Vänern between Karlstad and Kristinehamn on 18th • A similar trailer link solution has been June 2005. Vänern is the second larg- established in Norway to link the northern- est lake in Europe, with an area of 5,600 most part of the Telemark Canal at Dalen square kilometres. Diffi cult weather and to the west coast fjords at Rosendal, via the sea conditions means sailing across the lake Haukeli pass. This creates a new route for can be extremely daunting. The Inner Lane boaters from the Oslo Fjord and Baltic Sea supported through Canal Link, provides a areas to reach the Norwegian west coast sheltered buoyed and marked channel close and indeed cruise further afi eld across the to the lake’s northern shoreline, sheltered North Sea to the United Kingdom. Vehicles within the islands of the archipelago. The are provided by 8 transport companies. route is a cruising destination in its own Boaters pre-book and are met in Dalen by right as well as forming part of the trans- staff who load the boat on to the trailer. At Sweden inland waterway of rivers, canals Rosendal the boat is unloaded and ready to and lakes connecting the countries of the cruise down the Hardangerfjord. Boats can once more sail under the Lepelaar The Three Steps Lock at Ooigem is being The modern ‘Freight’ Lock at Ooigem Bridge in Langedijk restored

• In the past the city of Bremen in Germany Link a scoping study was commissioned used peat from the surrounding countryside jointly by British Waterways, City of Brad- 2 as fuel and for electricity production. The ford Metropolitan District Council, Brad- peat was obtained from the Teufelsmoor re- ford Centre Regeneration and Yorkshire PAGE gion and transported by specially-designed Forward to investigate the possibility of re- 18 craft to the centre of Bremen by means of a storing the canal and thus bring boats back network of small rivers and canals. Part of into the city centre. The scoping study 19 the network of waterways in Teufelsmoor demonstrated that restoration is physically, is still used by boats – but now for pleas- economically and politically possible. A ure purposes rather than transporting peat. full feasibility study was then undertaken Under Canal Link, the waterway system to determine detailed design of the scheme. has been restored back into the city, to The route will link the city centre with the the historic peat harbour at Findorff, thus World Heritage Site at Saltaire, with its re-creating the water link between Bremen historic mills and industrial housing. The and the Teufelsmoor region. Moorings have canal will stimulate regeneration along the been constructed at a number of locations deprived urban corridor between the two along the canal, both in the city and in locations and create a vibrant green corridor the Teufelsmoor region. Information and to access existing and future retail, leisure, signage has been established to inform the tourism and workplace destinations. It will tourists and promotional activities have lead to an uplift in property values and been undertaken, including a brochure, a contribute to fl ood relief and remediation of waterways route map and the holding of contaminated land along the special events, such as a “peat boat arma- valley corridor. Capital cost of the works da”. required to restore the canal is estimated at € 50 million. An innovative approach to • In the United Kingdom, the funding the scheme is likely. The restora- in West Yorkshire (population 468,000), is tion will be phased in association with the perhaps the largest city in the North Sea re- development of the adjacent land, with gion which doesn’t have a major waterway funding secured through planning gain fl owing through it. In the past the city was contributions from the developers. Indeed linked to the nearby Leeds and Liverpool the fi rst phase of this process has already Canal by the 5.2 km long Bradford Canal, got under way, with the submission for which served the city’s industries from its planning permission of a major multi-use opening in 1774 to its closure in 1922, due development near Foster Square in the cen- to competition from the adjacent railway. tre of the city, which will incorporate the Other cities in the north of England, such as terminal basin for the canal. The local com- Leeds and Manchester have benefi ts greatly munity is being consulted on the project in recent years from regeneration focussing with an anticipated construction phase start on the cities’ waterfronts. Through Canal of late 2007. ‘Sanitary station’ - Boaters facilities at the ‘Norwegian Waterways’ was launched in 2004 Canal Link partners met with a delegation from Forth & Clyde entrance near Grangemouth Hungary

• The municipality of Langedijk in the der Canal Link the staircase locks have been province of Noord-Holland, Netherlands, restored to use by the Agentschap Waterwe- focuses on a network of attractive water- gen en Zeekanaal NV. The Roeselare – Leie ways, which originated to transport vegeta- Canal is still mainly a freight waterway, but bles (particularly cabbages) to the auction both the Province of West-Vlaanderen and market Broekerveiling. The vegetables were the Agentschap Waterwegen en Zeekanaal grown in small plots surrounded by water. NV are interested in promoting the water- Small open boats were used to bring the way’s potential for recreation and tourism. vegetables into the market hall, where the A key reason for restoration of the locks auction took place directly from the boats. has been to enable their use by recreational During the 1960s much of the cargo trans- craft. Also much less water is used by boats ferred to road and sections of the waterway passing through the staircase locks than network were closed, through infi lling or by through passage via the large freight lock the construction of low road bridges. The and of course boaters now have the experi- Achterburggracht was one waterway closed ence of passing through a historic feature in this way. Local people were very much of the canal. Restoration has also ensured in favour of restoring this historic waterway conservation of the cultural heritage of the and under Canal Link it has been possible lock fl ight. to remove a low bridge obstruction and thus open up some 2 km of waterway. A devel- opment study has also been produced to 2.4 Waste water from boats look at how other obstructions to navigation along the Achterburggracht and associated The Water Framework Directive is a major waterways can be resolved and how water piece of European legislation that will direct recreation and tourism can be increased in the future management of water in the Euro- the area. A policy for navigation for the pean Union. It has implications for all sectors area has also been prepared. involved in the use and management of water – including the recreational boating industry. • On the Roeselare – Leie Canal in West- Vlaanderen, the historic staircase locks at The collection and disposal of waste water Ooigem were replaced by a single large from pleasure boats is one issue that will need lock in 1973 to accommodate larger freight to be addressed. Waste water includes black carrying vessels. (In staircase locks, the water, grey water and bilge water. Toilet waste top lock gate of one lock chamber forms is known as black water. The term grey water the bottom gate of the next lock chamber. is used to describe waste water from sinks, In the case of Ooigem there are three lock showers and washing machines. Bilge water chambers and the staircase arrangement is is oil contaminated water. Under Canal Link, unique in Flanders. The locks are therefore a study was undertaken, led by SRN, to gain of considerable historic importance.) Un- insight into the problems associated with the Canal Link partners from Telemark met with The Canal Link website is an important marke- The Canal Link brand is used throughout the Marine authorities in Poland ting and communication tool partnership

collection of waste water from pleasure boats 2.5 Norwegian Waterways in the North Sea Region member states and to 2 investigate solutions within the spirit of the The experience of Telemark County Council Water Framework Directive. in working within the framework of Canal PAGE Link has led to them to bring together all the 20 The study found that legislation and controls canal authorities in Norway to form Norwe- vary greatly between countries and indeed gian Waterways, with the aim of promoting 21 within countries. Some countries have strin- the cultural heritage and tourism potential of gent national regulations for the control of the partner waterways. Besides the Telemark black water. In other countries the control is Canal, other water areas involved in the part- through local legislation and byelaws, while nership are the Halden Canal and municipali- still other countries have no requirements in ties in the counties along eastern Norway from place. This leads to a lack of clarity for water Aust-Agder to the Swedish border. sports tourists, who wish to move from one country to another. Only a few communica- Discussions are taking place between the tions initiatives have been undertaken to Halden Canal in Norway and the neighbouring promote requirements and good practice, and Dalsland Canal in Sweden regarding cross-bor- none of these are at an international level. der co-operation between the two waterways under Interreg IIIA. While the situation for black water is con- fused, oil contaminated bilge water is prohi- bited almost everywhere. By contrast grey 2.6 Implications for the New water is not considered a priority anywhere. Indeed the little research carried out into Member States the topic suggests it is not really a problem, although perhaps more could be done to Through Canal Link we have been looking at promote the use of environmentally-friendly ways of making the lessons learnt available to detergents and other good practice. the new member states of the European Union. Many of these possess inland waterways that Overall respondents contacted during the have considerable potential for development study generally felt that international regula- as tourism and recreation resources and as tions would be desirable, particularly for black catalysts for the economic and social regenera- water. This will become more important in tion of their regions. the future, with a growing recreational boating A number of measures have been undertaken sector in Europe and more foreign travel for through Canal Link to further contacts with water tourism taking place. Also better inter- the new member states, including:- national communication of regulations in the various countries and regions, together with • Participation of the Hungarian National the promotion of good practice is required. Directorate for Environment, Nature & The Canal Link fl ag fl ies proudly Development of the Canal Link brand - some Multilingual cruising guide – Scotland examples

Water (now the National Water Centre raise the profi le of the transnational network and Archives) as an observer at Canal Link of Europe’s inland waterways both amongst workshops, seminars and other events; the public and at a professional and political level. The UNECE Classifi cation System for • Promotion of Canal Link and its activities Recreational Waterways, already mentioned, at the Waterfront Expo Conference and is one important way of doing this. Another Exhibition, held in Riga, Latvia in Septem- is the project website – www.canal-link.com. ber 2005, which was attended by a range The site details the activities being undertaken of organisations from the Baltic States in through Canal Link. Arrangements have been particular; made for it to be maintained and updated after the end of the project, which will facilitate the • Development of contacts with the Inter- dissemination of the long-term impacts of the reg IIIB Baltic Sea Region project Inwater scheme. (Exploiting Inland Waterways for Regional Development). This project is led by the A distinctive brand has been developed for University of Gdansk, Poland and has Canal Link. This has been taken up by many partners from Germany, Lithuania and Rus- of the partners to promote and raise the pro- sia (Kaliningrad), as well as Poland. The fi le of their projects locally. Local publicity project started on 1st January 2006. On-go- material has been developed by a number of ing contacts will be maintained between partners featuring the brand. Canal Link fl ags Canal Link partners and the Inwater project, have been produced and are fl own at strategic post-June 2006, with, for example, a visit locations along the partner waterways. Way- for Inwater partners to view canal develop- marking and signage has been developed for ments in the United Kingdom, hosted by the waterways in Värmland and for the Leeds British Waterways in Summer 2006. & Liverpool Canal in the Bradford area incor- porating the Canal Link logo and colours. • Promotion of Canal Link and its activities at a project seminar in Murmansk, Russia held on March 23, 2006. The seminar was 2.8 Tourism Links across the organized in cooperation between Eastern Norway County Network and local and North Sea regional authorities in Murmansk. Many of the waterways participating in Canal Link are accessible by larger sea-going rec- 2.7 Raised awareness of recrea- reational craft, including yachts and powered cruisers. The northern part of the North Sea tional waterways is of course a challenging environment for recreational boating. Within Canal Link a A subsidiary aim of Canal Link has been to study was undertaken to look at how recrea- Visitor reception at Taransay at the entrance to Basin Partners sample the Tourism experiences on the the Caledonian Canal Telemark Canal

tional boaters could be encouraged to journey across the North Sea. Traffi c through the ca- further afi eld using the North Sea as a link nal increases greatly throughout the Summer 2 between the various partner waterways. This months. To help provide a better service for extends some work being undertaken through yachtsmen arriving at the canal, particularly PAGE the Interreg IIIB North West Europe Maya in the evenings and at weekends, a Seasonal 22 project, which is promoting cruising routes in Customer Operations Assistant was employed the Southern North Sea / English Channel and on an experimental basis, supported by Canal 23 Irish Sea areas. It is particularly important Link, during Summer 2005. This resulted for the two within Canal Link in a great improvement in customer service – the Caledonian canal and the Forth & Clyde and similar arrangements will now continue Canal - which provide links across Scotland in the future. The works on the Caledonian between the North Sea and the Western Isles Canal mark the end of a 10-year € 30 million and Ireland. lock stabilisation programme on the canal, demonstrating the commitment of both British The study suggested a programme of activity Waterways and the Scottish Executive to this including:- important waterway.

• Promotion of the canals and their attrac- Physical improvements have also been made tions and links, as both destinations and at the canal entrances. Again on the Cal- transit routes; edonian Canal, an old canal building near the sea lock at has been refur- • Information before yachtsmen set out on the bished to provide a visitor reception point for voyage; yachtsmen arriving at the canal. In Norway, improvements have been made at the “start” • Information and visitor welcome when they harbours for the Telemark Canal - particularly arrive at the canal entrances; Kragerø and Bamble, incorporating common standards, management and promotion. At • Events and activities (including travel pack- the “start” harbours opportunities and activi- ages) to encourage yachtsmen to spend time ties along the Telemark Canal are promoted, on the canals. thus encouraging the large number of boaters based in the Oslo Fjord area to visit the canal, Other work within Canal Link has focussed on as well as international visitors. taking some of these activities forward. For example multi-lingual cruising guides have been prepared for the canals in Scotland.

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Schoolchildren help collect GIS data, United Kingdom Partners sample the Tourism experiences on the Who needs Locks? - Partners study tour in Telemark Canal Langedijk

3.1 Local participation well as professionals were involved in a range of events associated with the visits. Similarly A distinctive feature of Canal Link is the large the Langedijk workshop in September 2005 number of sub-partner organisations involved took place in conjunction with the celebra- in the project. Some 55 organisations in the 6 tions for the city’s 925th anniversary. Again partner countries participate in this way. This local people participated directly in events has been an important vehicle for involving a associated with the visit – for example an wide range of stakeholders in the project. For open-air performance of the play Drijfkracht, some partners – West-Vlaanderen, Telemark, which took place at a historic boatyard on Värmland and Bremen – in particular, it has the restored Achterburggracht, which dem- been a very signifi cant vehicle for getting onstrates an imaginative way of exploiting riparian communities involved with their historic waterways. local waterways, and this participation will continue to grow in the future. In Germany, on 23rd April 2005 the ‘peat boat armada 2005’ – a joint event between the city Other organisations have participated in the of Bremen and the Teufelsmoor region - took project as observers in Canal Link. As well place. In total 19 historic peat boat replicas as the National Water Centre and Archives travelled from the artist village of from Hungary, these include the province of via the historic peat waterways to Bremen, Drenthe (Netherlands), providing a continu- thus reopening access to the the historic peat ing link with the “Land of Peat and Honey” boat harbour in the city district of Findorff. project and the European Boating Association, During the fi nal Conference of Canal Link in representing the users of the waterways. Bremen in May 2006 the offi cial opening of the peat boat harbour took place. The Canal Link workshops and study visits have been used to re-enforce this local stake- As part of the project a series of workshops holder involvement. For example the visits were held, involving attendees and presenters and workshops in Telemark in June 2005 took from external organisations, as well as from place along the whole canal. Local people as partners and sub-partners:-

Location Date Subject Bremen, Germany March 2004 Entrepreneurship, business & community develop- ment Roeselare, Belgium September 2004 Strategic development of the waterway network Bradford, England February 2005 Tourism links across the North Sea and urban regeneration & planning Telemark, Norway June 2005 Business development & empowerment of partners Langedijk, Netherlands September 2005 Marketing & promotion Leisure opportunities on the Telemark Canal More opportunities in Värmland

3.2 New recreation opportu- 3.3 Information using Geogra- 3 nities phic Information Systems (GIS) PAGE The actual and potential re-opening of water- 34 ways and creation of new water links in Nor- way, Sweden, Germany, Netherlands and the Information about projects being undertaken 35 United Kingdom, together with improvements through Canal Link is being disseminated to the waterway environment and banks in all to the public, using the website developed partner areas opens up new opportunities for through the Interreg IIIB North Sea Region recreation for local people. Inland waterways project Geoshare, led by Sogn og Fjordane are used for all forms of recreational boating County in Norway. Geoshare aims to provide – by sailing craft, powered cabin cruisers and citizens and communities with better access small powered and unpowered open boats, to eGovernment services and information such as canoes, kayaks and rowing boats. sources, using GIS-based platforms. Canal Their banks and towpaths are also visited Link partners have been experimenting with extensively by walkers, cyclists, joggers, Geoshare to record information about their anglers and general sightseers. Waterways projects and promote that information to provide a local resource for active recreation stakeholders and the general public. For close to where people live, avoiding the need example, the City of Bremen has recorded and to travel. They also contribute to the health mapped works being undertaken in relation to and well-being of local people and provide a the development of the peat harbour and canal focus for community-based activities, such as system. This information has been made education, training, volunteering and capac- available for comment by the general public ity-building programmes. through support by young people at a youth centre and via Geoshare. British Waterways Finally recreational users of waterways create has mapped the works being undertaken dynamic and active water spaces, which sup- through the Business Links project in West port waterfront regeneration and development Yorkshire. The mapping was undertaken schemes. The people attracted to the water- using mobile geographic positioning system ways make use of local businesses and serv- (GPS) equipment, as part of a training scheme ices, while well-used outdoor environments for disadvantaged young people, managed reduce anti-social problems, such as graffi ti, through the Bradford Motor Education Project. vandalism and litter. This is demonstrated The information collected is now available for by the success of the Varma Route in Sweden, access by the wide range of stakeholders in the which has seen an increase in business for lo- Business Links project, many of whom do not cal enterprises and boating facilities. have their own in-house access to geographic information system software. The Geoshare website can be accessed through www.ge- Schoolchildren helped to collect GIS data Commercial use of The Telemark Canal was of Staircase Locks on the Telemark Canal great importance

oshare.net. The Bremen and West Yorkshire the canal terminus in Roeselare and entrance waterway parts of the site can be directly at the staircase locks at Ooigem. access from the Canal Link website (www. canallink.umwelt.bremen.de. In Norway, a clean-up campaign was under- taken along the Telemark Canal. Teams of vol- unteers – mainly young people – were engaged to remove debris from abandoned industrial 3.4 Improved waterway environ- sites, clear overgrown lots and pick up litter and other waste which made the waterfronts ments & cultural heritage look untidy and uninviting to visitors.

Besides bringing old waterways back into use Of course the historic waterways of the North and creating new water links, some partners Sea Region comprise an important component have undertaken actions through Canal Link of the area’s cultural heritage. The Telemark to enhance the quality of their existing wa- Canal is a prime example – extending some terways, particularly through improving the 105 kilometres from the coast to the foot of surroundings to the canal. Provincie West- the high inland mountains. There are 8 lock Vlaanderen in Belgium carried out a study fl ights with 18 separate lock chambers along into providing better linkages and integration its length. The canal was completed in 1892 between the Roeselare – Leie Canal and its and is still worked in the same way as it was surroundings. The results of the study were when built, with the gates being opened and presented to stakeholders and the general closed by hand. Through Canal Link, one of public for discussion and comment. The study the 40 or so historic jetties along the canal has concluded that, although the canal is still an been restored. important freight waterway, recreation on both the canal and its banks is becoming increas- Also in Telemark, Nome municipality has ingly important. Consequently there is a need worked closely with the County library to for more facilities especially for boating (to produce a digital photo archive of the canal, provide access to visitor facilities) and cycling. which has assembled over 1,000 photographs Also areas along the banks were zoned for illustrating life on the canal through the cen- recreation, nature conservation and industry. turies. A brochure – Telemark Canal: Cultural In total 7 actions and 17 projects were identi- Heritage – displays some of these images and fi ed to improve the canal and its surroundings. can be accessed through the Telemark section Priority projects implemented through Canal of the Canal Link website. Sauherad munici- Link related to detailed plans for the conver- pality has extended this work to incorporate sion of two industrial sites to residential / rec- prehistoric cultural heritage in the vicinity of reation areas; landscape plans to improve the the canal. In Värmland, photographic archive natural vegetation of the banks; signing and of the Varma Route has been created. information schemes; and enhancements at West-Vlaanderen boaters will once again be able Peat Boat Skipper tows his boat to travel through smaller locks

In Germany, a regional history workshop was held, in which diverse voluntary groups 3 continue to work together to collect, compile and catalogue a range of regional information PAGE about the history of the Teufelsmoor region 36 - the settlers (so called ‘peat farmers’), their customs, regional products and the transport 37 routes and related facilities (canals, locks, folding weirs, moorings, peat harbour etc.).

In West-Vlaanderen, restoration to working order of the historic lock fl ight at Ooigem will not only conserve this unique structure, but restore it to use, allowing recreational boat- ers to experience passage through the locks in much the same way as boatsmen did over 100 years ago. "REMEN ERPOOL#ANAL

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Multi-functional mooring in , Germany Hire Boating is growing on the Forth and Clyde Canoeing is one of Telemarks ‘Travel Packages’ Swedish press help promote ‘Boat Trailer Links’ Canal

4.1 Travel packages and new • Boat rental on the Varma Route and pas- senger boat trips on the Inner Lane in Värm- tourism products land;

Partners in Norway and Sweden have led the • Long-distance skating and skiing routes in way in pioneering new activities and activity Winter along the waterways forming the combinations on their waterways. In part this Värma Route in Värmland. is driven by the short tourism season experi- enced in Scandinavia, which means that all Also in Värmland, activity to stimulate busi- opportunities for encouraging tourism activity ness development and good practice has need to be considered. A range of different of- included the establishment of a Business Net- fers have been developed through Canal Link, work to bring together tourism-related com- including the development of:- panies, which has encouraged co-operation amongst the enterprises involved to develop • A canoe trail along the Telemark Canal; packages.

• Bicycle rental at Dalen at the end of the In Scotland, the Lowlands Canals across the Telemark Canal to encourage cycling one of the country have been recently way, with return by boat; restored to navigation. The 56 Km long Forth & Clyde Canal provides a route for sea-go- • An attractive and accessible meeting place ing yachts and motor boats between the east with green areas near the centre of Kvite- coast of Scotland (and hence the North Sea) seid on the Telemark Canal. The harbour and the west coast (and Atlantic Ocean). The area has been made more accessible for boat 51 km Union Canal links the Forth & Clyde tourists and the local community, and will Canal near and the centre of the city host events and other activities to engage of . The two canals are joined by a visitors and encourage them to stay longer unique rotating – the Falkirk Wheel in the area; – with a vertical lift of 25 metres. One of the key challenges for the re-opened waterway has • Package trips for small boat tourists in been to encourage people in Scotland to take Norway, combining visits to the fjords in up inland boating. Part of the strategy to do western Norway with the serenity of the this has been to establish holiday hire boat- Telemark Canal and cruising along the Sk- ing as an activity on the canals. To provide agerrak coast. This takes advantage of the for this, a facility block and base for hire boat road trailer link established within Canal operations was established through Canal Link Link between the head of the Telemark at the Falkirk Wheel site. By Summer 2006, 6 Canal and the Hardangerfjord; holiday hire boat operators were established Moorings at Lillenthal Mooring - Bremen

on the canals, with a total fl eet of 21 boats making use of the facilities at Falkirk. The 4 presence of these boats creates activity on the waterspace and is encouraging people in Scot- PAGE land to buy their own boats and participate in 40 inland cruising. 41 4.2 Boat trailer links

In both Norway and Sweden, links have been created between waterways using road trailer links instead of physical water connections. This has allowed new cruising routes, such as the Värma Route in Sweden to be established, thus extending the economic impact of boat- ing activity into different areas.

4.3 Multi-functional moorings

New mooring designs to accommodate dif- ferent types of predominantly unpowered boats –canoes, kayaks and rowing boats - were investigated and discussed at the Canal Link workshop held in Bremen in March 2004. Subsequently suitable designs were imple- mented by the German partners on the Bremen – Teufelsmoor waterways. 4ELEMARKFYLKESKOMMUNE

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Dockfi eld Mills Image, United Kingdom 5.1 Economic and Social Impact oped as part of the project appraisal process. They can then be used to inform detailed of Recreational Waterways project design (e.g. through balancing poten- tially confl icting economic and environmental A study undertaken within Canal Link by Brit- objectives), develop a project monitoring plan ish Waterways reviewed methods for apprais- and form targets, against which the project ing and evaluating waterway schemes in both will be evaluated. economic and social terms. Economic ap- praisals are used to forecast scheme impacts, The study report is available through the Ca- while evaluations assess the outputs and nal Link website. outcomes of schemes following completion. Appraisals are of two forms:-

• Economic impact assessments – whereby the impact is considered from the point of view of the effect on an area or region, 5.2 Economic Evaluation – Case often in terms of indicators such as employ- ment, inward investment etc; Study

• Economic effi ciency assessments – whereby Restoration of the Huddersfi eld Narrow and the costs and benefi ts of projects are as- Rochdale Canals, England sessed, in money terms as far as possible, and compared against alternative options, The Rochdale and Huddersfi eld Narrow including a “do nothing” scenario. Cost Canals both cross the Pennine mountains Benefi t Analysis and Multi Criteria Analy- in the north of England between Greater sis are examples of the techniques available Manchester and West Yorkshire, thus linking for such assessments. the North Sea Region with the west coast of Britain. The 51-km long For social impacts, approaches are available was abandoned in 1952, while the 32-km based on the use of indicators, combining Huddersfi eld Narrow canal was closed in quantitative and qualitative elements and sup- 1944. Both waterways were subject to major ported by surveys of stakeholders. restoration schemes in the late 1990s and they re-opened to navigation in 2002 and For large, multi-faceted schemes, the study 2001 respectively. suggests combining the economic and social elements with environmental impact assess- In 2004 a study was undertaken by Ecotec ments through an approach based on Quality Research & Consulting Ltd to evaluate the of Life Indicators. Such Indicators are devel- economic impact of the restoration. Huddersfi eld Narrow Canal restoration brought great economic benefi ts

For both canals, the study found:- activity in its own right. Waterways support a range of different types of businesses – gener- 5 - There are now 6.1 million recreation & ally small & medium sized enterprises (SMEs). tourism visits to the canals per annum; Businesses focussing on activity on the water PAGE include marina operators, boatyards, chandler- 44 - Visitor expenditure associated with the ies, water activity centres and trip and hire canals is now some € 40 million per year; boat companies. Other businesses have grown 45 up to take advantage of the market provided - The canal now supports some 310 tour- by both water- and land-based visitors to the ism and leisure-related jobs; waterways - angling equipment shops, cycle and canoe hire, visitor centres, pubs, restau- - Over 3,800 jobs have been created in new rants and shops. Indirectly waterways may canal-side developments since the early support businesses based away from the wa- 1990s, particularly in Manchester; terways – e.g. boat builders and manufacturers of boating and angling equipment. To secure - Temporary construction work associated economic growth based on waterways, it is with the restoration work amounted to important that businesses are supported and some 800 person-years. entrepreneurship encouraged. Canal Link has experimented with this in a number of ways.

The SME365.com communication tool has been made available to partners in Canal Link 5.3 Entrepreneurship and New to stimulate interaction between businesses and entrepreneurs. SME365 is an internet- Business Development based communications and events planning tool for SMEs and other organisations, with Recreational waterways can only contribute to the aim of stimulating trade and other forms the economy of the areas and regions in which of international co-operation across national they are situated if businesses take advantage boundaries. of the opportunities available. Waterways and waterfronts can act as stimuli for the wider In Telemark, using SME365, a network of regeneration of their hinterland, through en- businesses was established to promote and hancing property values (thus encouraging de- develop tourism activity on the northern part velopment) and providing an attractive, high of the Telemark Canal. quality and accessible environment, which is attractive to developers. In Sweden, the Invest in Värmland Agency (INVA) has undertaken a programme to pro- In addition, recreation and tourism on inland mote the opportunities available in water-re- waterways acts as a generator of economic lated recreation in Värmland. To help inform this process, a delegation from Värmland In England, West Yorkshire, and particularly visited the canals in Scotland in 2004 to look the city of Bradford, hosts a large Asian com- at how businesses have been able to take munity, which is under-represented in terms advantage of the opportunities available there. of its use of the canals in the region. The Brochures were produced in Norwegian and Asian business community in the region is Dutch to market opportunities for water-relat- an important driver of economic growth, but ed investment in the county. Through Canal again it has had limited involvement in devel- Link, considerable interest has been stimu- oping waterway-related businesses. In Octo- lated from entrepreneurs and companies in ber 2004, British Waterways hosted a work- the Netherlands in particular, with companies shop for Asian business leaders to promote offering boating activities, accommodation, the opportunities available and look at how cycling, timber rafting and leisure wear. these might be better exploited. Although no new business activity resulted immediately, Also in Sweden, the Värmland Tourist Board contacts have been followed up and a more organised a series of Canal Link workshops long-term relationship developed. To cel- to promote co-operation between SMEs and ebrate the involvement of the Asian commu- give support with business plans, quality nity in the project, a Bangladeshi boat – the management, market trends, study trips and Lady Rani – was taken to Bremen in May 2006 promotion. An on-going Business Network for the fi nal conference of Canal Link, thus has been established as a result of this work, promoting West Yorkshire at the event mark- with entrepreneurs selling their activities and ing the re-opening of the peat harbour in the services through a “webshop” within the city city. (The municipality of Langedijk was also of Karlstad website. Activities represented represented at the re-opening event through within the network include diving, kayak- the presence of the “Toidverdroif”, one of the ing, canoeing, boat trips, fi shing and guiding. historic open boats used to transport cabbage Through the network agreement has been to the Broekerveiling auction market). reached between entrepreneurs regarding quality labelling, common branding and the The Leeds and Liverpool Canal in the Brad- marketing of sustainable tourism packages. ford area passes close to areas of economic Meeting with Asian businessmen The work of ‘Invest in Värmland’ (INVA) is explained

activity – shops, restaurants, pubs etc – but these are not immediately obvious from the 5 canal. Through Canal Link a series of inter- related actions have been undertaken under PAGE the banner of “Business Links” to improve the 46 links between the canal and local businesses. Work undertaken includes:- 47

- Signage and interpretation;

- Pedestrian access and mooring improve- ments;

- Promotional material; and

- Training and volunteering programmes, working with staff from local businesses.

These actions have been be complemented by the activities of the Bradford Motor Education Project (BMEP), in partnership with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, through a programme of train- ing for young people involving environmental works, installation of signage / interpretation boards, improvements to access for people with disabilities and the creation of walking routes. DS

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Canal Link comes to an end on 30th June 2006. However many of the actions undertaken through Canal Link will live on as a legacy for the future. 6 Further development of the brand

6.1 Canal Link Web Site & Brand with the restored canal now viewed as major component of the regeneration of the whole Arrangements have been made to maintain the city. Results of the feasibility study have been Canal Link website for a period of at least two incorporated in the Bradford Centre Regenera- years after the end of the project. This will en- tion Masterplan, with the “Canalside” area able future progress with activity initiated by being identifi ed for a new mixed use commu- Canal Link to be reported and promoted. nity, with family homes, live/work studios and local facilities. A Development Framework Also the Canal Link brand is being used by is being prepared for the Channel Neighbour- many of the partners to promote the activities hood, incorporating the stretch of canal closest being undertaken within their areas. It will to the city centre. Already a planning applica- continue to be used in this way to mark and tion has been lodged for a € 500 million urban promote future actions stimulated through the village, incorporating a new terminal basin for original Canal Link investment. For example the canal, as well as creating a signifi cant new the Business Links project on the Leeds & Liv- residential community. Phase 1 of this project erpool Canal is being widened and expanded is planned to start on site in late 2006. It is en- as a result of the initial Canal Link investment visaged that the Bradford Canal project will be and will continue to be branded with the realised through a series of such development Canal Link logo. schemes along the length of the waterway.

In Värmland, further work will be carried out along the Varma Route, supported by ERDF 6.2 Additional investment & Objective 2 funding and a business network is being established for this waterway. Objec- Activity generated by Canal tive 2 funding is also supporting tourism and Link business development on the Bergslags Canal, together with the removal of a bottleneck on Even before the fi nish of the project it became this waterway by raising a railway bridge. A evident that the initial investment arising network of tourism managers in the Karlstad through Canal Link has been a catalyst for region has developed a 10 year tourism plan further spin-off activity. In both Langedijk and for their local waterways. Bremen, Canal Link activities have led to fur- ther investment of over € 1 million to restore In a review of the entrepreneurship and busi- and enhance sections of the waterways in each ness development components of the project, of the two cities. it has been recognised that there is consider- able potential for expanding the work under- In Bradford, the feasibility study undertaken taken through Canal Link at an international for the restoration of the Bradford Canal level, to widen the business contacts and has had an immediate and dramatic effect, exchanges established through the project. An outline plan has been developed for this In Germany the project has built and strength- and funding will be sought for taking it for- en links between the city of Bremen and the 6 ward. communities and businesses based in the Teufelsmoor region. In Netherlands it has PAGE furthered the partnership between the city 50 of Langedijk and the province of Noord-Hol- 6.3 Local partnerships land. In Flanders the project has stimulated 51 co-operation between communities along For many of the partners, a key impact has the Roeselare Canal and both the province of been the establishment and strengthening of West-Vlaanderen and Agentschap Waterwegen local partnerships through the framework of en Zeekanaal NV. the Canal Link project. These partnerships will continue to grow and expand. In Tele- Finally in the United Kingdom, the City of mark and Värmland, a wide range of interests Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Brad- including local communities, business and ford Centre Regeneration and British Water- tourism organisations and private compa- ways are working closely together to restore nies have come together and will continue to the Bradford Canal and regenerate the canal promote and develop the waterways of their corridor, while a range of organisations are regions. In Norway, a further spin-off has been engaged in improving links between the Leeds the establishment of Norwegian Waterways & Liverpool Canal in the Bradford area and the for the promotion of canals in the country as a local community and businesses. whole. Concluding comments

It is recognised that the lessons learnt through Canal Link could be of considerable benefi t to other authorities and communities look- ing to develop their waterways. Accordingly a number of Canal Link partners – Telemark County Council, Värmland County Admin- istration, Stichting Recreatietoervaart Neder- land, Agentschap Waterwegen en Zeekanaal NV (a sub-partner of the province of West- Vlaanderen) and British Waterways came together with organisations in Spain, Italy, Hungary, France and Germany to set up an Interreg IIIC project ’VNE – Voies Navigables d’Europe‘ (Inland Waterways of Europe). VNE was established in early 2005 and run to the end of 2007. Through VNE the results of Canal Link and other waterway-related Interreg projects will be further developed and promoted to a wider audience, particularly in the new member states. List of partners

British Waterways Stichting Recreatietoervaart PAGE Willow Grange, Church Road Nederland (SRN) 52 Watford WD17 4QA Postbus 102 United Kingdom 3970 Driebergen 53 Netherlands Contact: Chris Barnett Telephone: +44 1923 201 163 Contact: Nicholas van Lamsweerde Fax: +44 1923 201 300 Telephone: +31 343 524 763 E-mail: [email protected] Fax: +31 343 524 758 www.britishwaterways.co.uk E-mail: [email protected] www.srn.nl

Telemark Fylkeskommune Fylkeshuset Municipality of Langedijk 3706 Skien PO Box 15 Norway 1723 Noord Scharwoude Netherlands Contac: Thrond Kjellevold Telephone: +47 35 584 308 Contact: Cor Achterberg Fax: +47 35 529 953 Telephone: +31 226 334 552 E-mail: [email protected] Fax: +31 226 317 556 www.telemark-fk.no E-mail: [email protected] www.gemeentelangedijk.nl

Lansstyrelsen Varmland Vaxnasgatan 5-7 65186 Karlstad Sweden

Contact: Sture Hermansson Telephone: +46 54 197 370 Fax: +46 54 197 000 E-mail: [email protected] www.s.lst.se Provincie Noord-Holland Dept. Water en Groen Postbox 3007 2001 Haarlem Netherlands

Contac: Casper Meijer Telephone: +31 235 143 143 Fax: +31 235 144 040 E-mail: [email protected] www.noord-holland.nl

Provincie West Vlaanderen Streekhuis Midden-West-Vlaanderen Peter Benoitstraat 13 8800 Roeselare Belgium

Contact: Koen Vanneste Telephone: +32 51 275 561 Fax: +32 56 275 551 E-mail: [email protected] www.west-vlaanderen.be

Freie Hansestadt Bremen Ansgaritorstrasse 2 28195 Bremen Germany

Contact: Dr. Ralph Baumheier Telephone: +49 421 3 616 515 Fax: +49 421 4 966 515 E-mail: [email protected] www.bremen.de Impressum

Responsible for content PAGE British Waterways 54 Watford, United Kingdom www.britishwaterways.co.uk 55

Concept and Design GfG / Gruppe für Gestaltung GmbH Bremen, Germany www.gfg-bremen.de

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Canal Link is part-financed by the INTERREG IIIB North Sea Region programme. More information see: www.canal-link.com