The Fens Waterways and the Lincolnshire Waterways Partnership

Key ---- = Fens Waterways Link ---- = River Navigations ---- = Canal / Navigable Drains ----- = Non navigable / Extinct navigations • Connecting overview of Lincoln to Ely

• Contiguous link from Lincoln to Cambridge and Northampton and beyond Critical linkages to allow navigation between Lincoln and Ely Benefits of Fenland Waterways

 Economic regeneration and employment benefits

 Enhanced tourism, cultural, heritage, educational and recreational / sport opportunities

 Landscape and environmental benefits

 Improved water supplies (storage, transfer and land drainage)

 Local and regional transport routes

 Public access routes: cycleways, bridleways and footpaths

 Mixed residential and business development

 Modify or eliminate tidal navigation

 200,000 new day visitors per year = £10m+ per year

Lincolnshire Waterways Partnership 2002-12

Unique cooperative approach in Lincolnshire between Lincolnshire County Council, the Environment Agency and British Waterways Important first link from Boston to River Glen Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2003 First bid – Waterways 1 was submitted for ERDF funds Project funded by 16 local, regional and national bodies Developed effective delivery mechanism by dividing the projects between the parties Between 2003-12 LWP has managed £18m of projects . Lincolnshire has over 1000km of waterways, but tidally locked

. Waterway infrastructure poor and in need of investment – not meeting its potential

. Opening up our rivers & canals via Fens Waterway Link would put further pressure on that network The £18m of projects involved:

 Bridges & Locks

 Nature Reserves

 Moorings

 Facilities for boaters

 Slipways

 Facilities for anglers

 Waterside cycle paths  Water Rail Way created on the old railway line between Lincoln & Boston – huge success for tourists but also has over 100k commuter movements each year

 Wins for locals & tourists • EA took clay from this riverside site to make new flood defences • After removal, LWP created a nature reserve complete with bird hide, car park, paths, interpretation & its own mooring • Wins for environment, flood defence, tourists & locals Wins for boaters, tourists & locals

Sleaford Bridge & Four Mile Bar Bridge – both are replacement bridges that enable navigation & are DDA compliant  Phase 1 of Fens Link was to connect the River Witham to Black Sluice Drain at Boston

 EA wanted to raise standard of flood defences at Boston – working with LWP the projects were amalgamated into a Combined Strategy (flood defence & waterways) the first time that such a strategy had been produced

 New lock completed end 2008 & first phase of Fens Link opened  Next phase of the Combined Strategy will see a Barrier created at Boston

 To ensure that it has waterway as well as flood defence capabilities Lincolnshire County Council has committed £11m towards the Barrier

 Wins for flood defence, boaters, tourists & locals

Conclusions

 Cooperative approach to Waterways CAN work

 Requires national and local support

 Project “ticks all the right boxes” in an area which has population with low GDP / Head

 Clearly significant resource implications Further information and contacts: www.fenswaterways.com www.environment-agency.gov.uk Paul Separovic Environment Agency Fens Waterways Link Partnerships Manager [email protected]