Going With The Flow - 60 Years Of Public Service

24 July 2008

Sixty years after they were brought into public ownership, the waterway transport arteries that fuelled the industrial revolution are continuing their second period of sustained growth and investment. In contrast to decades of dereliction and decline that saw many canals abandoned in the 20th century, British Waterways' Annual Report published today (24 July 2008) announces record leisure usage of the waterways and further progress on canal restoration and regeneration schemes. Despite the economic downturn and pressures on public spending, British Waterways' commercial income has continued to contribute key income for the maintenance of an historic network in England, Scotland and Wales that is approaching its 250th anniversary.

Annual Report highlights:

Leisure: The number of boats on the waterways has risen in the last year to more than 31,000 and is greater even than at the height of the industrial revolution. In the same period there was a 13% rise in members of the public using the towpaths with 11 million people visiting for a range of activities including angling, cycling, walking, going to a waterside pub or simply to feed the ducks.

Heritage: Caring for the nation's third largest estate of listed structures, British Waterways has made further strides in improving the historic fabric of the waterways with fewer than 50 structures judged by local authorities to be at risk - down from 125 three years ago. The heritage value of the estate has been further recognised with the iconic Grade-I listed Pontcysyllte Aqueduct on the England-Wales border selected as the UK's nomination for 2009 world heritage status.

Regeneration & restoration: Already with 200 miles of new or restored waterway opened in the last decade, British Waterways is leading a £60m programme of canal building and restoration throughout the UK, and is a partner in a £25m Big Lottery Fund-backed scheme to transform the waterfront at Grangemouth.

Commercial income: Income from British Waterways' innovative commercial activities in areas as diverse as water sales, property, marinas and canalside pubs has topped £100m for the first time. The income has helped to meet the rising costs of looking after a heritage estate as well as the unforeseen costs associated with last summer's floods and initial £7m repairs to a breach on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal in Wales.

Freight: Although no longer the primary use of the waterways, British Waterways continues to encourage waterborne freight where it is economically feasible. This includes work to restore navigation on the rivers in East London that will result in a quarter of the aggregates required for the 2012 Olympic Park being transported by water.

Commenting on the Annual Report Robin Evans, British Waterways' chief executive, said: "The waterways today are being used and enjoyed in ways that few people could have imagined when they were built 250 years ago, or even when they were nationalised 60 years ago. The leisure use of the canals has been central to their revival but it is the adaptability of the network including the ways in which it remains relevant to canalside communities which hold the key to a prosperous future.

"After more than a decade of sustained growth and investment British Waterways is seeing a period of consolidation as the pressures on public spending, together with the wider economic downturn, impact upon the availability of funding."

Later in 2008 British Waterways will undertake a public consultation on its ten-year business strategy. Working with customers and stakeholders, the consultation will consider British Waterways' priorities as well as alternative funding mechanisms. Robin continues: "The value of Britain's canals and rivers isn't in question. Their importance in today's society, including the numbers of people using them, their role in regeneration and their historical as well as environmental significance will make this an important public debate."

British Waterways' Annual Report & Accounts can be downloaded at www.britishwaterways.co.uk/annualreport

ENDS

For media enquiries, archive images or footage contact:
Jonathan Ludford, T. 020 7985 7275, M. 07747 897783, jonathan.ludford@britishwaterways.co.uk

Notes to editors:
British Waterways is a not-for-dividend public corporation which cares for a 2,200-mile network of canals, rivers, docks and reservoirs across Britain. It is accountable to the Department of the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs in England and Wales and to the Scottish Government in Scotland and works with a broad range of public, private and voluntary sector partners to protect and find new uses for the nation's historic waterways.

1940s - NATIONALISATION
- 1948 - The arteries of the industrial revolution come into public ownership in post war nationalisation. Canals are somewhat of an afterthought with one government official in the newly formed British Transport Commission remarking: "Oh, do we get the canals too?"
- Late 40s - Formed in 1946, the fledgling Inland Waterways Association lobbies government for the declining canal network to be saved and revitalised - highlighting its leisure and recreation potential.

1950s - FREIGHT SURVIVAL
- 1950s - As many waterways are abandoned there is still little prospect of alternative use. A British Transport Commission survey concludes that there is no market for waterside property.
- 1952 - Albeit in decline, the waterways' Annual Report documents a slight increase in freight traffic to almost 12 ½ million tons (at their height they carried 30 million tons).
- 1958 - The waterways' staff magazine states that the development of pleasure boating "will not mean greatly increased earning in the kitty and our main efforts must always be directed towards getting commercial traffic."
- Late 50s - Already impacted by the growth of the railways and road transport, waterborne freight is further pressured by the opening of motorways (starting in 1959 with the first stretch of the M1).

1960s - FROM BIG FREEZE TO LEISURE REVOLUTION
- 1960s - Derelict canals become standing jokes in comics like the Beano whilst local authorities including Glasgow and Manchester start filling in canals. Later in the decade the network will have shrunk by 2,225 miles from its peak of 5,000 miles.
- 1962 - The British Transport Commission was disbanded by Harold Macmillan's Conservative government under the 1962 Transport Act, creating the British Waterways Board to operate 2,000-miles of the inland waterway network and its associated docks and land.
- 1962 - The winter of 1962/63 brought the worst conditions for many years with the canals freezing over and boats stuck between Christmas and March - virtually finishing off British Waterways' own narrow boat carrying.
- 1967 - A two page article in the Daily Mirror entitled 'The Wasted Heritage' draws attention to the plight of derelict canals heralding …
- 1968 - Barbara Castle's 1968 Transport Act giving first official recognition to the recreation value of waterways with a new remit for British Waterways to develop their leisure potential.
- 1969 - With the canals' relevance in society diminishing, a report by the Greater London Council states "old workshops and warehouses, having turned their backs on the canal, stack refuse and scrap materials beside it, marring what could, very often, be a pleasant scene. Some bridges crossing the canal have advertisement hoardings on either side concealing it so effectively from view that many Londoners do not know that there is a canal."

1970s - THE GREAT STAGNATION
- 1970s - Long term underfunding becomes a way of life for the waterways and the dice are loaded heavily in favour of continued decline. However the work of enlightened enthusiasts is central in saving and restoring many miles of the waterway network we enjoy today.
- 1974 - Seeking a move towards less traditional industries in the area, British Waterways is thankfully unsuccessful in its application to demolish the historic warehouses at Gloucester Docks.

1980s - THE REGENERATION POTENTIAL
- Early 80s - leisure boat numbers top 20,000 as canals are becoming increasingly used for leisure.
- Mid 80s - Redevelopment of Brindleyplace in Birmingham and London's Docklands further the shift in attitudes towards waterways.
- 1988 - Revenues generated for canal maintenance exceed £60m - a third of income is self generated (a mix of freight income, estate management, water sales and a growing income from leisure).
- 1989 - English Heritage points a finger at British Waterways for a skills gap in its conservation work: "Poor craftsmanship and inappropriate materials ruined the appearance of many historic structures…British Waterways officers do not have adequate training or access to professional advice on the conservation of historic structures."

1990s - LOTTERY
- 1990s - The value of the waterways is increasingly realised and research shows that properties next to well maintained waterways now attract a premium of up to 20%.
- 1998 - Revenues generated for canal maintenance exceed £100m - almost half of which is self generated through commercial activity. British Waterways is now looking at innovative ways to earn additional income to support the waterways - including the opening of a 400-mile fibre optic cable network beneath the towpaths.
- 1999 - The case is successfully made for increased investment in the network to overcome major arrears in canal maintenance. The Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, announces new support and funding for BW.
- Late 90s - Waterway restoration schemes championed by the voluntary sector for many years pick up pace as funding and community support is achieved. Major lottery grants enable the biggest expansion in the network in 150 years…

2000s - WATERWAY RENAISSANCE
- Early 2000s - 200 miles of new and restored waterways are added to the BW network, which now stands at 2,200 miles. At one point the network is expanding at a faster rate than at the height of the Industrial Revolution.
- 2000 - Publication of 'Waterways for Tomorrow', the first charter for inland waterways in more than 30 years, underlines the Government's commitment to the long-term sustainability of the network.
- 2001 - The 137-miles of waterways managed by British Waterways in Scotland become fully devolved and accountable to the Scottish Government.
- 2002 - the Scottish Government publishes 'Scotland's Canals: An Asset for the Future'.
- 2003 - The waterways become 'safe' as a considerable backlog of safety works that built up through years of under funding is eliminated. Just seven years earlier, the backlog of safety works had been almost £100m.
- 2008 - Waterways heritage is now in better shape than it has been for many decades and leisure use has reached record levels - there are more boats on the canal and river network today than at the height of their freight carrying heydays.
- 2008 - Whilst self generated revenues for the waterways lessen the potential burden on the tax payer there remain some exciting and challenging times ahead.