2009 Winners

The Results for the ten categories in The Waterways Renaissance Awards 2009 are:

Area-based regeneration

Winner: Medlock Valley Project, Manchester

The Medlock Valley in east Manchester is a 225 acre area of public open space alongside the River Medlock. The aim of the project is to improve access, address long term management issues and ensure that the valley becomes a focus of everyday life in east Manchester and a green resource for the city.

Runner up: Animating the Canal, West Dunbartonshire
Commended: Waterfront Wakefield

Community

Winner: Castleford Waterside Regeneration, Castleford

A community-driven scheme to construct a landmark pedestrian bridge across the River Aire at Castleford Bay to provide a link between the town centre and the riverside community on the north bank of the river. Conceived by two prominent local residents, the project built on sustained engagement with stakeholders and funding bodies with a key role for local community champions.

The stunning new bridge and fish pass provide an attraction that enables local people to interact with the river and draws a new audience to Castleford.

Runner up: The Kingfisher Project
Commended: Medlock Valley Project

Design & Construction – sponsored by Crosby Lend Lease

Winner: Riverside Bridge, Cambridge

The creation of a £3.1m contemporary and visually striking pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Cam. Designed by Ramboll Whitbybird, the bridge connects the areas of Abbey and Chesterton in Cambridge providing easy access across the river for the two communities.

Runner up: Castleford Waterfront Regeneration
Commended: Foxton Locks and Inclined Plane

Education & Learning

Winner: Bringing the Leeds & Liverpool Canal to Life, Chorley

A community-led initiative to create a series of self-guided canal heritage walks in the Lancashire area tailored to the needs of visually impaired and blind people. The walks are recorded in audio and written form (both downloadable from the web). Four interpretation panels have been installed along the route, three of which can be ‘read’ by touching as well as being visually interesting.

Runner up: River Taff Salmon Homecoming Project
Commended: ‘Rooting Around’ – part of The Sobriety Project
Commended: The Saturn Project

Historic Environment – sponsored by Peel Holdings (Management) Ltd

Winner: Foxton Locks and Inclined Plane

This 20-acre historic site has been reborn as a key regional tourism destination, thanks to substantial funding from the HLF and emda. Located alongside the Grand Union Canal in Leicestershire, the 5-year project cost £3.8m. Led by British Waterways, on behalf of the Foxton Locks Partnership, the project included new viewing areas and upgrading 3 km of paths, plus substantial interpretation, in addition to engineering restoration works. The engineering works included refurbishment of the Bottom Canal Basin, clearing and re-profiling the Inclined Plane slope, re-lining and re-watering 200 metres of Upper Canal Arm, all of which are part of a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The site also benefits from a new pub/restaurant, visitor facilities, café, road access and car parking.

Runner up: Bude Canal Regeneration Project
Commended: Wellington Street Swing Bridge

Innovation – sponsored by Halcrow

Winner: Washlands Flood Storage Reconstruction

A flood alleviation scheme at the floodplain of the River Beam and Wantz Stream in Dagenham. The project involved innovative techniques such as deep dry cement mixing beneath the embankments to improve the geotechnical characteristics of the peat material. Site-won materials were used to improve the stability of the embankments, increasing the sustainability of the project and on and off-stream ponds, wetland areas, wet meadows, dry meadows and acid grasslands were created to protect key species during the works. Habitats were also restored upon completion.

Runner up: Cremorne Riverside Centre

Natural Environment – sponsored by Defra

Winner: Montgomery Canal Restoration - Aston Nature Reserve Extension

A major new pond created around Aston Bottom Lock which utilises the lock by-wash to treble the previous area of pond. The design and use of by-wash ensures ecological connectivity with the adjacent canal which is a nationally important wildlife area. Its construction required innovative use of civil engineering solutions and special collection, propagation and relocation of rare aquatic plant species.

Runner up: Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire Canal Corridor Biodiversity Project
Commended: The Former Avenue Coking Works, Chesterfield

Partnership – sponsored by Mersey Basin Campaign and Regional Parks Xchange

Winner: Connswater Community Greenway

A scheme developed to create a linear park through urban east Belfast by restoring 6km of waterway. Once complete, the scheme will provide 19km of cycle and walkways, create a 2.3hectare civic square, reconnect communities via new and refurbished bridges and restore the Connswater River as a community asset. Utilising a network of partnerships, the project engaged government departments, landowners and the many communities living in the area. Through extensive preparation and consultation the design for the Greenway has been tailored to suit the needs of its intended users.

Runner up:Gloucester Tall Ships Festival
Commended:River Thames Alliance Marketing Partnership
Commended: Animating the Canal, West Dunbartonshire
Commended: Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire Canal Corridor Biodiversity Project

Recreation & Tourism – sponsored by Morrison Construction Ltd

Winner: Kirkintilloch Canal Festival 2008

An annual festival to celebrate Kirkintilloch and the rebirth of the Forth & Clyde Canal which runs through the town centre. The event has grown from a small community event to a much larger spectacle spread across the town centre and now encompasses a new marina. The aim of the festival is to provide an accessible event, attract visitors and investment into the local economy, raise the profile of the Forth & Clyde Canal and Kirkintilloch as a visitor destination. The 2008 event attracted 27,000 people, almost double the number of the previous year, bringing £383k net expenditure into the local economy.

Runner up:Tall Ships’ Races Liverpool 2008
Commended: Gloucester Tall Ships Festival
Commended: Water Rail Way: Multi-user Path Lincoln to Boston

Strategy & Masterplanning – sponsored by ARUP

Winner: Speirs Locks Masterplan Framework

The Speirs Locks Masterplan covers a 14 hectare site north of Glasgow’s city centre adjacent to the Glasgow Branch of the Forth & Clyde Canal. The masterplan was developed by a public/ private partnership between the City Council and ISIS supported by British Waterways Scotland following a 10 month engagement programme involving over 300 people including residents, school children and local businesses. The plan takes the 1000m canal corridor as its principle axis and creates a framework for sustainable development, establishing a longer term vision for the area which in 2020 will reunite the canalside within the context of Glasgow as a whole. The project has seen early success in the form of completed public realm works, two new locks and a canal extension at Port Dundas and an annual canal-based festival.

Runner up: Connswater Community Greenway
Commended: Montgomery Canal Restoration – Aston Nature Reserve Extension
Commended: Lea River Park – Design Framework
Commended: Irwell City Park