Rochdale Canal Corridor Regeneration Strategy 2008 Final Report May 2008 id4614750 pdfMachine by Broadgun Software - a great PDF writer! - a great PDF creator! - http://www.pdfmachine.com http://www.broadgun.com Rochdale Canal Corridor Regeneration Strategy 2008 Final Report May 2008 Document: 3275/02/A Taylor Young Compiled By: DB/FM Vanilla Factory Reviewed By: DB 39 Fleet Street Date: 01/05/2008 Liverpool L1 4AR Tel: 0151 702 6500 Fax: 0151 702 6509 Email: [email protected] Rochdale Canal Corridor Regeneration Strategy 2008 1 Rochdale Canal Corridor Regeneration Strategy 2008 2 Contents: 1 Introduction. ...................................................................................................5 Background......................................................................................................5 A Review of the Delivery Aspects of the Previous Study .................................7 This Report. .....................................................................................................8 2 What are the Issues .......................................................................................9 3 Tackling the Issues......................................................................................11 ‘Rochdale Cana ’. The Creation of a Focused l Strategy Steering Group ........11 Maximising Funding. ......................................................................................12 Organising the Tasks. ....................................................................................14 Planning and Delivery. ...................................................................................14 Raising the Profile of the Canal......................................................................15 4 Maximising Funding from Land and Development ...................................17 ’s Brickworks, Newton Heath, Manchester Case Study: Jackson ...................18 Case Study: Failsworth District Centre, Oldham ............................................20 Case Study: Norwich Mill / Canal Basin, Rochdale Town Centre ..................22 Case Study: Sowerby Bridge, Calderdale ......................................................24 Other Land and Development Opportunities..................................................27 5 Smarter Funding ..........................................................................................29 6 Delivery: The Rochdale Canal Partnership................................................31 The Vision ......................................................................................................33 The Constitution.............................................................................................33 7 Good Practice...............................................................................................35 Management arrangements ...........................................................................35 Project Planning.............................................................................................36 Community Engagement and Volunteer Resource ........................................36 Planning Strategy and Policy .........................................................................37 Marketing and Promotion ...............................................................................38 Funding..........................................................................................................38 8 Conclusions and Recommendations. ........................................................39 Rochdale Canal Corridor Regeneration Strategy 2008 3 Appendices: Appendix 1: 2008 Works, Projects and Aspirations .........................................41 Project Prioritisation Table .............................................................................42 Current Tasks: Descriptions...........................................................................45 Appendix 2: Future Works, Projects and Aspirations ......................................51 Identifying New Tasks....................................................................................51 Prioritisation of Tasks.....................................................................................51 Timescales.....................................................................................................52 Deliverability:..................................................................................................52 Cost................................................................................................................53 – Appendix 3 Template for New Projects ..........................................................55 Appendix 4: Good Practice Examples - Background .......................................57 Cotswold Canals ............................................................................................57 Lichfield and Hatherton Canals ......................................................................58 Millennium Link, Scotland ..............................................................................58 Grand Union Canal, Leicester Line (Foxton Locks)........................................59 Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal...............................................................61 Appendix 5: Risk Register ..................................................................................63 Rochdale Canal Corridor Regeneration Strategy 2008 4 1 Introduction. Background 1.1 In 2006, Taylor Young was approached to review the Rochdale Canal Corridor – Strategy, undertake a review of the identified case studies, examine cross cutting – themes, explore current policy context and provide up dated delivery advice to ensure that all opportunities linked to the Rochdale Canal Corridor are capitalised upon and that the canal continues to contribute to the economy and well-being of the local area and region as a whole. 1.2 The catalyst for this commission was British Waterways approach to the local authorities to seek their assistance in sourcing money to invest in the canal, to meet the gap in funding needed to keep the canal open and navigable. ’ Consequently, the Local Authorities Chief Executives appointed Taylor Young to undertake a canal corridor long study building on the earlier strategy prepared for the Oldham and Rochdale section. 1.3 The Client Group has included all four Local Authorities: Calderdale Council (CC), Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC), Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council (OMBC) and Manchester City Council (MCC); British Waterways; and, The ’s willingness to work together has made it p Waterways Trust. The group ossible to take a comprehensive strategic approach along the full length of the canal. 1.4 A Stage One Report was produced in July 2007 which concludes that the vision of “ a distinctive canal corridor of regional and local significance, linking and containing ” is still valid. a network of economic, tourism and community focal points 1.5 Further conclusions are:- There is a need for all four Local Authorities, along with British Waterways and The Waterways Trust, to work together at both a strategic level and at ’s regeneration a planning policy level in order to reinforce the canal corridor potential. Even after national funding and contributions from all four local authorities, there is a gap in the annual funding needed to keep the canal open and £0.5 million. navigable, in the region of Rochdale Canal Corridor Regeneration Strategy 2008 5 The reopening of the canal has been a major success, but the on-going structural and water supply problems are proving to be a major barrier to its revitalisation, sapping most of the financial resources for urgent repairs and planned maintenance, leaving very little for new projects and £0.5m of improvements. British Waterways has estimated that around investment is required per annum in order for the Rochdale Canal to remain open and safe. Structural failings have significant impact due to their unexpected costs, but ’s popularity as a boating destination. also because they damage the canal In particular, the breach at the Irk aqueduct in Chadderton, which stopped up that section of the canal for over a year, was costly in terms of repairs £1.27m) and in terms of ( the lack of boater infrastructure for that period. The sandy ground conditions along many sections of the canal mean that future breaches are possible. Boat numbers are capped by the SSSI designation on part of the canal, which also needs to be taken account of in proposals for new infrastructure, such as moorings. However, boat movements are not yet at the cap, therefore there is scope to increase boat activity. The experience of Oldham and Rochdale in implementing the strategy suggests that physical development projects benefiting from regional funding or other public monies to kick start the project have been more successful than environmental, community and marketing projects. There is a need to change the perceptions of the canal corridor within the communities the canal passes through. There is a need to positively market the canal and promote the canal and canal-side as a place to visit and use, but it is acknowledged that the timing of any marketing exercise is crucial. The need to agree a series of measurable outputs which will be used to chart and determine the level of success the reopened canal can achieve. The need for a document which will encompass all these issues and be a useful tool to assist in the bidding for further finance