Historical plans for a 26-kilometre waterway linking Bedford and Milton Keynes have been shortlisted for a national award.
The proposed Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway (B&MK) is up for the Waterways Renaissance Award by the Waterways Trust for its superb partnership and strategic planning capabilities.
Mooted nearly 200 years ago, the concept of a 26km waterway to create the missing link between the River Great Ouse in Bedford and the Grand Union Canal in Milton Keynes was revived in the 1990s by the B&MK Waterway Trust.
The Trust is now part of a wider consortium of local authorities, agencies and community groups which are driving the project forward in ‘bite-size chunks’. Roger Hanbury, chief executive of the Waterway Trust, said: “This is the ninth year of the Waterway Renaissance Awards and it is truly inspiring to see that, even in these very challenging economic times, people and organisations are continuing to work together to realise the benefits of our canals and rivers for communities across the UK.
“All projects reaching the finalist stage should be justifiably proud of all that they have achieved.” The Bedford and Milton Keynes route is protected in local and regional plans and will create a link for boaters, as well as providing a green corridor for more than 300,000 people through an off-road route.
It will restore and revitalise the western reaches of the Great Ouse through Bedford and to Kempston. In Milton Keynes it will include the construction of England’s deepest lock into Willen Lake.
It will also create a linear waterway park for visitors, as well as boaters, including jobs, housing, place-shaping, green infrastructure, tourism, leisure, sustainable development, a catalyst for economic growth and carbon reduction.
There are 11 award categories and the B&MK is nominated for two categories, Partnership and Strategy and Masterplanning.
The results will be announced at a ceremony to be held in Birmingham on Wednesday, May 25.
