Over 400
A flotilla of 60 boats gathers at Edinburgh Quay to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the reopening of the Union Canal
schoolchildren a year enjoy a Wildlife Safari trip on the Forth & Clyde Canal
So, what could go wrong? Like any organisation on the verge of new and exciting growth, there’s a sensitive balance to be struck between holding on to the foundations of success and moving boldly into new waters. This year, as the structure of British Waterways Scotland and its potential place within the new Hydro Nation is debated, defining just how we maintain this equilibrium will be more critical than ever.
The idea of an integrated, bold and outward-looking Hydro Nation is an exciting one. There can be no doubt that the Scottish canals could play a dynamic and significant role within such a new water enterprise.
As well as flood risk mitigation and drainage, the Scottish canals can offer alternative, sustainable solutions for heating and cooling industrial premises, water sales and we are about to pilot a small hydro energy scheme on the Crinan Canal. Contributing to best practice and integrated work within these fields and benefiting from economies of scale and resources as part of a larger enterprise could ensure that the Scottish canals make the greatest contribution possible.
And there are further synergies with the proposed Hydro Nation with its associated focus on research and international development. Our affiliate charity, the successful Waterways Trust Scotland, is currently broadening its role and compass and we have a good track record in working with academia, latterly in the development of freight and water management tools.
Which leaves us with the more thorny and complex question of structure. How the Scottish canals fit within the new enterprise. If the over-riding aim of the Scottish Government is to ensure that the structure of British Waterways is the one which delivers the greatest value for Scotland then we must ensure that it allows the canals to continue to flourish in their current form, with all their inter- connected, interdependent added value activity, whilst, at the same
British Waterways Scotland Canal House, Applecross Street Glasgow G4 9SP
www.scottishcanals.co.uk
time, promoting their long-term growth and development into new areas such as flood risk mitigation and drainage.
The statutory, core functions to preserve the built heritage of the two hundred year old Scheduled Monuments, notably very specialist engineering assets, and maintain navigation for boating traffic must be protected at all costs.
The wealth of environmental, economic and social benefit delivered through the added value activity of regeneration and development, tourism and destination, ecology, heritage, education and social projects, alongside our national and local partners, must continue, ideally with the same level of support.
Whether British Waterways Scotland into the future sits within the new enterprise or we help build the Hydro Nation from outwith, through partnership and joint ventures, this holistic view of the Scottish canals and commitment to their sustained growth is key.
The Scottish canals can be a real driver in the new Hydro Nation. These are exciting times and these are justifiably critical considerations which we must address if we are to ensure that the Scottish canals remain a true success story for Scotland.
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