£5.5m canal scheme stagnates for 3 years
A £5.5M scheme to spruce up the Salford leg of the historic Bridgewater Canal is likley to be finished three years behind schedule.
In February 2014, the city council won funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund to regenerate nearly five miles of the waterway between Boothstown and Barton.
The planned regeneration was expected to boost numbers, adding an extra £2m each year to the city’s economy when finished.
It was expected the historic structure of the Barton Aqueduct would be lit up for the first time. Worsley Delph, where coal-carrying barges emerged from the Duke of Bridgewater’s mines, was to be reopened to boats and visitors for the first time in years.
The improvements were scheduled to be complete by 2016, but little work has been done and a council boss has admitted they don’t expect it to be complete until 2019.
David Roughley, a member of two local history societies, said: “It appears the work has not even begun, albeit there has been a tidying up of towpaths – but not to the expense of £5.5m.
“I did email Peel Properties, who are responsible for the upkeep of the canal, but never received a reply.
“There is a growing suspicion in and around the Worsley area that the money has been used, or will be used for the new RHS gardens to be sited at the Worsley New Hall. “We are not going away. “If it is found the scheme is not viable then fair enough, just tell people. We just want some answers.”
Opened in 1761 the canal played an integral part in the Industrial Revolution after being commissioned by Francis Egerton, the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines at Worsley to Manchester
Coun David Lancaster, lead member for environment and community safety, said: “I’m aware of rumours that the money for the Bridgewater Canal has been or will be spent on the RHS Garden Bridgewater.
“That’s completely untrue – the two schemes are entirely separate and the money granted for the canal will be spent solely on the canal.
“We are working with an 18th century industrial site and former mine, and the cliff face in the Delph is listed as an ancient monument.
“Both these factors have thrown up greater challenges than we originally foresaw and which we have been working hard to resolve.
“Once this work has concluded we will be sharing the plans and timescales with the public later in the summer.
“I would like to reiterate, though, that the council is still committed to the regeneration of Worsley Delph with an opening date now in 2019.”