Boston to Peterborough Wetland project

Waterways looks at what’s been happening on the scheme to connect the inland waterways of eastern England

Pictures by Chris Howes

Announced in 2018, the Boston to Peterborough Wetland Project aims to connect 50 miles of existing waterways in eastern England with the addition of a new 12-mile channel between the Black Sluice Navigation in the north of the region and the River Nene in the south.

Despite being only 30 miles apart geographically, travelling between Boston and Peterborough by inland waterway currently requires a massive 250-mile journey, involving 135 locks and taking over a fortnight. This tortuous route entails cruising along the River Witham, Fossdyke Navigation, River Trent, Grand Union Canal and River Nene, and, because of the narrow-gauge locks on the GU Northampton Arm, is only navigable by boats less than 7ft wide.

The new 12-mile link will not only cut down travel time between the two cities and make it accessible to broader beam craft, but will breathe new life into the waterways that travel through the market towns of Spalding and Market Deeping, provide new opportunities for paddlesports and angling, and allow flora and fauna to flourish along the wetland corridor.

The project is being spearheaded by IWA’s Lincolnshire and Peterborough branches, with support from the Environment Agency, Lincolnshire County Council, local town councils and Anglian Water. Water Resources East has also identified the Boston to Peterborough link as of potential benefit to its vision for providing sufficient water resources in the coming years.

What the stats say

Estimates suggest that the new waterway will deliver £1.51 of benefit for every £1 spent. This equates to £110.1m of benefits to the local economy at a cost of £72.9m. It could also bring £50m in additional tourism spending and a £6.2m uplift in the value of surrounding land.

The gains are not just financial, however. The project will bring with it improvements to flood resilience, benefits to irrigation and public water supply, support for housing developments, and employment opportunities during and after construction of the channel.

The creation of new habitats along the 58-mile proposed wetland corridor will also support a diverse range of wildlife and broaden the scope of environmental and biodiversity projects to the benefit of local communities.

The Wetland Corridor aims to encourage water tourism.

Crowland slipway and moorings.

Black Sluice Lock.

Hubberts Bridge slipway and visitor moorings.

Progress so far

Over the last three years, works to improve infrastructure on existing waterways have been completed, bringing immediate benefits to the local community and preparing the routes for increased traffic in the future. These are just a few examples of the enhancements made along the corridor so far:

* Black Sluice Lock (Boston)

Lock works have been carried out to create better access to the

Black Sluice Navigation (South Forty Foot Navigation).

• Boston

Moorings have been installed and buildings have been refurbished to create new facilities for boats, a café, shop and offices.

• CrowlandSlipwayandMoorings

This improved facility allows for easier access onto the River

Welland for unpowered and trailable craft.

• HubbertsBridge

A new slipway and visitor moorings have been established on the South Forty Foot Navigation to encourage use of the waterway.

Find out more

New moorings in Boston.

Supporting water transport projects

A new approach to water resource planning over large geographical areas and a 25-plus-year period is being supported by Defra and the Environment Agency. Each of England’s five regional groups are putting together its own proposals, which will be brought together under a national water strategy.

The managing director for Water Resources East, Robin Price, recently outlined the vision for the role of inland waterways in eastern England at the All Party Parliamentary Committee for the Waterways. A seven-point strategy included the transfer of water from areas of surplus to areas of deficit, increasing connectivity using both open water channels as well as pipelines.

Central to WRE’s plans are two new strategic reservoir systems, one in south Lincolnshire and one in the Fens on the Norfolk/Cambridgeshire border. New and existing waterways could be pivotal in transferring water to and from these sites.

One of the key components to achieving this is by working with local, non-water company infrastructure projects, among which is the Boston to Peterborough Wetland Corridor as well as the Stamford Canal, North Walsham & Dilham Canal and Bedford to Milton Keynes Waterway Park.

Gaining wider recognition could help to increase investment and funding opportunities, as well as support from local and national Government, for the Boston to Peterborough Wetland Corridor and similar schemes.

“WRE’s vision is for eastern England to have sufficient water resource to support a flourishing economy, a thriving environment and the needs of its population, and for the region to be seen as an international exemplar for collaborative integrated water resources management” – Robin Price