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Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal
a canal as an ‘eco-highway’?
David Barnes of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal has a new take on making the case for restoration - other canal societies might be interested...
An Eco-highway? What’s the idea?
In the early days of waterway restoration, the objectives at least were straightforward. Basically a canal restoration society worked to reopen an abandoned canal for navigation.
Often by doing so they also improved the local wildlife habitats, or provided a pleasant place for local people to enjoy, and that was great. But primarily they raised the funds and provided the labour so that boats could come back.
In modern times it’s rather different. Not only are there statutory conditions to satisfy regarding other outputs from canal restoration besides navigation (the latest being the Biodiversity Net Gain rules as covered several times in Navvies); but for today’s more complex restorations on more badly-obstructed waterways it’s necessary to raise funding from grants from external sources. And also to get permission to dig up whatever’s been built on the canal line since it was filled in. So there’s a need to convince major funders and local authorities to support the scheme. And navigation isn’t often near the top of their list of objectives.
So the canal restoration movement has been getting more adept at making common ground with other interests, and considering other benefits not directly related to opening a canal for boats. One example is the IWA ‘Waterways in Progress’ report and grants, which concentrated on the short-term local gains in many areas which canals can achieve right from the start - but which also help to build support and make progress towards the long-term goal of reopening.
David Barnes of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Society has taken a different approach: regarding the entire canal as an ‘EcoHighway’. This article was written for MBBCS’s quarterly magazine, but is reproduced here, largely for the benefit of other canal societies who might be inspired to try the same approach on their own waterways - substituting their own local details as appropriate... page 22
The Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal was once a fully functioning waterway and our aim is to restore it. In the meantime the route of the canal has a range of ecological and environmental resources that could be better utilised for their intrinsic value, as a part of a whole eco-subsystem and for the wider benefit of people; at least 300,000 people are estimated to live within 5 miles of the canal. This paper sets out initial ideas for how this concept could be promoted for the benefit of:
·People’s enjoyment of the canal environment resource · Improved wildlife habitats · Increased awareness of the aim to restore the canal.
The MB&BC Landscape
The route of the MB&BC connects several greenspaces, habitats and corridors including:
Elton Reservoir Nob End Nature Reserve Ringley Wood Moses Gate Country Park Giant’s Seat Wood Darcy Lever Gravel Pits Prestwich Forest Park Salford Trail Rotary Way Irwell Valley Sculpture Trail The current development plans for the Crescent in Salford also include a linear park on the course of the canal. There is also a multitude of smaller, often informal, greenspaces along the route of the canal.
Policy Background
There is an increasingly broad set of policies that can influence the development of the canal and which, in turn, the canal as an EcoHighway can help promote and implement. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has published a 5-year Environ-
ment Plan (2019-2024). This has five challenges, including ‘The Natural Environment’; in which one priority is ‘increasing engagement with our natural environment.’
Sustrans has developed a model for ‘Greenways’ which provide for connectivity between greenspaces, balancing the needs of wildlife, people and the environment. More focused linear pathways have been developed, for example the Chet Valley B-line in Norfolk which is a ‘Pollinator Corridor’.
A key factor in these connectivity modes is the concept of biodiversity.
The UN Convention on Biological Diversity outlines an ambitious vision: ‘By 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people.’
In 2011 DEFRA produced Biodiversity 2020: A strategy for England’s wildlife and ecosystem services. It set out the following priorities:
·A more integrated large-scale approach to conservation on land and at sea · Putting people at the heart of biodiversity policy · Reducing environmental pressures · Improving our knowledge.
In 2016, Natural England published Conservation 21 – Natural England’s Conservation Strategy for the 21st Century which set out three guiding principles:
·Creating resilient landscapes and seas · Putting people at the heart of the environment · Growing natural capital.
The UK Government’s 25-year Environment Plan (2019) set out the following goals:
·Clean air · Clean and plentiful water · Thriving plants and wildlife · Reducing the risks of harm from environmental hazards · Using resources from nature more sustainably and efficiently · Enhancing beauty, heritage, engagement with the natural environment · Mitigating and adapting to climate change · Minimising waste · Managing exposure to chemicals · Enhancing biosecurity. The plan also said that ‘To implement our international commitments at home we will publish a new strategy for nature, building on our current strategy, Biodiversity 2020. This will coordinate our action in England with that of external nature conservation and academic partners, as well as farmers and land managers. We will ensure the strategy joins up with other plans and strategies, including on the marine environment, pollinators and peatland.’
Forestry England has significant landholdings and land in management along the route of the canal. A Greater Manchester Forest Plan has been consulted upon in September 2020. It encompasses 13 woodlands in Greater Manchester including Waterdale, Drinkwater and Forest Bank, all adjacent to the canal.
Typically a forest plan would cover the following issues:
·Provide descriptions of the woodlands to show what they are like now · Explain the process for deciding what is best for the woodlands’ long-term future · Show the intention for what the woodlands will look like in the future · Detail Forestry England’s management proposals, for the first ten years to enable approval from the statutory regulators
Forestry England works in partnership with many stakeholders and clearly this form of planning may assist in formulating the practical impact of any eco-highway. In 2019 Natural England published Building Partnerships for Nature’s Recovery: Natural England Action Plan which is intended to build upon the 25 YEP and states that “Our mission is to build partnerships to drive nature recovery”. And they set out the four key things which will focus their efforts to achieve this:
·Greener farming and fisheries – supporting those who manage land and sea to operate in harmony with the environment · Sustainable development – creating great places for people to live and work · Connecting people with nature - promoting health and wellbeing through the great outdoors. · Resilient landscapes and seas – protecting and restoring wildlife and natural beauty for future generations. page 23
At the Natural Capital Conference in Manchester in February 2020, Tony Juniper stated that the most important initiative is to create Nature Recovery Networks. So, there is a strong emphasis on partnership.
MB&BCS has been given partner status with the Nature Recovery Network Delivery Partnership and is looking forward to this providing mutual benefit for the canal, the people who use it and the wildlife we share it with.
The Canal & River Trust’s Water Resources Strategy for 2015-20 which is mainly about the very important issue of protecting and promoting water resources, especially in the context of the Water Act 2003. Therefore it has limited content in respect of concerns such as the canal environment beyond the water, the engagement of people or the promotion of the benefits of canals for people and wildlife. C&RT is looking at refreshing the strategy beyond 2020.
In 2015 Sport England and Public Health England published a policy document, Active Design which sets out ten design principles many of which are highly relevant to the potential of a MB&BC EcoHighway:
·Activity for all · Walkable communities · Connected walking and cycling routes · Co-location of community facilities, · Network of multifunctional open spaces · High quality streets and spaces · appropriate infrastructure · active buildings · management, maintenance, monitoring and evaluation · activity promotion and local champions.
Martin Ludgate
Eco-Highway of the future? The Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal in the Irwell valley
What does this mean for the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal?
It is logical that the owner of the canal should be focused on its prime resource, namely water. But this is clearly going to mean it will prioritise canals with water in them and the connectivity of that resource.
The MB&BC is at an early stage of recovery so the Society will continue to work very closely with the C&RT as the prime partner for restoration. However, pending further developments on restoration and in anticipation of the canal environment when fully restored being an increasingly valuable resource, it is also important to recognise and take advantage of the unique aspects of the canal route:
·The canal crosses three local authority areas, Salford, Bolton and Bury · The canal is a linear route, and such routes are valuable for wildlife and people, enabling networks of communities · The canal already has several designated wildlife sites · The Society is strong on working in partnership with many interested authorities, organisations, people and local communities · The Society has a clear strategy and purpose
Thus the canal and its partner agencies are ideally placed to fulfil the purpose of a Nature Recovery Network. The Defra discussion paper on NRNs says, ‘The concept for the Nature Recovery Network is simple. Our existing protected sites constitute our best areas for wildlife and provide many other economic and social benefits. They should form the core of any future network. However, for nature to recover we have also to look beyond protected sites and take action to extend and link our existing sites, both to support wildlife and to recover the range of economic and social benefits that nature provides.’ The route of the canal is ideal for the practical realisation of this concept.
The elements set out here are for illustrative purposes and it will be fundamental to the development of the project that local people and users throughout the full length of the canal and neighbouring areas are consulted on the shape and function of the Eco-Highway.
·Three ‘Blue Green Activity Centres’; one in each local authority area with facilities for outdoor and water-based activities, community meeting room and café, accessible for all generations and groups. For Bolton, an activity centre at
Hall Lane could fulfil this purpose. · Energy centres for re-charging electric vehicles and transfer of water and wind energy. · Study resources – the vision would be for the Eco-Highway to be a citizen research-led beacon facility for the study of the benefits of wildlife, green exercise, water resource knowledge, healthy food and urban planning. · Local nature reserves enhanced and developed. · Community allotments and orchards. · Promoting active travel neighbourhoods along the route of the canal. · Cycle hire and cycle route enhancement. · Connect with schools along the Eco-
Highway to create young eco-champions.
Fundamental Principles
The development and operation of the EcoHighway would be underpinned by the following principles:
·Sustainability - so that it is built into the full restoration of the canal and is part of an integrated system of water, environmental, wellbeing and travel resources · Partnership – local people, users and stakeholders will be central to the development and operation of the Eco-Highway. An Eco-Highway Council would be established to facilitate this partnership · Promoting bio-diversity net gain · Reconciliation ecology - which seeks to achieve a balance between the promotion of wildlife habitats (including aiming for bio-diversity net gain) and the wellbeing of people. · Evidence-based with ongoing commitment to citizen research.
These principles would be used to road test and/or respond to any applications for developments along the route of the Eco-Highway. David Barnes page 25
