BEDFORD & MILTON KEYNES

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1 BEDFORD & MILTON KEYNES March 2017 Volume 15 no 1 WATERWAY TRUST PATRON Sir Samuel Whitbread KCVO Members listen to Jane Hamilton e held the latest of our Members Evenings on 22nd February at The Broughton, in Milton Keynes. It proved to be a popular location, with both good parking and public transport connections, and we hope to hold more events there in future. Around 30 members, and a few local residents, were there to hear our chair, Jane Hamilton, provide updates on the various projects covering different parts of the route. Jane began by explaining how the Trust is using our strategy to argue that the Waterway Park can help in creating the right environment for planned new settlements in the area. In this way the project can help deliver economic and housing growth in the Oxford Cambridge corridor - a challenge currently being examined by the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC). We can be a catalyst for environmentally led economic growth. By enriching the natural and built environment, we will bring tourism to the area. We can assist in improved water management in the region with regard to water storage, drainage and flood management. By linking the Great Ouse with the national waterway system, including linking several lakes on the way, we can help with the temporary storage of surface floodwater at times of heavy rainfall. The Waterway itself can provide new development with a means of drainage transferring water to nearby lakes and making it easier to control flows. In times of drought the Waterway may be able to help as a means of moving water to where it is needed. We will create a vital link in the Anglian regional waterway network. The lack of a link between the Grand Union Canal and the Anglian rivers has always been the logic behind our Waterway, even in 1810 when it was first proposed. The need for this link has not gone away, and will also complete the loop via Northampton for narrow boats. By providing a green corridor between Bedford and Milton Keynes, we will increase biodiversity in the area. We will create a Sense of Place for new settlements near our 1 Where Sold (Continued on page 4)

2 View from the Chair irst may I start by wishing everyone a F somewhat belated Happy New Year! We are now well into 2017 and building up momentum after the Christmas break. The Trust has a great deal of hard work to undertake this year and, as always, we need your support to help us through the tasks ahead. More of that later. Before I turn to progress on the Waterway Park I want to take this opportunity to offer, on behalf of the Trust Board and all our members, a very big thank you to Jane Wolfson who has retired as the Chair of BMKWEL having overseen the John Bunyan s highly successful last 3 seasons. To Date the JB has carried over 23,000 passengers and become one of the biggest (if not the biggest) tourist attraction in Bedford. Jane has devoted a huge part of her life to the Trust and can look back with great pride at what she has achieved. We will miss her enormously but I am sure we all wish Jane well in the future and hope she can look forward to a more relaxed pace of life. Moving on to the Waterway Park, in the last newsletter, I wrote about our submission to the National Infrastructure Commission an organisation charged with advising the Government on the delivery of key national infrastructure projects. In late November the NIC published its interim report into the future infrastructure needs of the Oxford/ Milton Keynes/Cambridge Corridor. Disappointingly the Waterway Park was not mentioned in the report. The focus was on housing and much bigger and more strategic infrastructure such as the East West Rail project and a new Expressway a dual carriageway to link Oxford to Cambridge. However we are pursuing some very positive leads from the NIC report. Just before its publication of the report I spoke at a conference organised by the South East Midlands Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) themed around infrastructure. I joined the Chief Executive of the NIC on a panel to answer questions from the audience. Some very interesting discussions developed, particularly around the need for more housing in the region and the need to create attractive places where people want to both live and work, not just more of the same fields of housing. This theme was picked up in the NIC report. Subsequently I have met with a team from the NIC, together with colleagues from the Canal and River Trust, to put forward the case that the Waterway Park can perform that crucial role of creating a sense of place somewhere that is recognisable, with open space and landscaped areas and of course, water. There are interesting parallels with new development in the Lea Valley, for example, and canals and waterways in many towns and cities in the UK. The other role which the Waterway Park can play is providing a link across boundaries, bringing local councils together in the way they plan for new homes. I and other Board members have been building on this theme to promote the Waterway Park and its essential role in the region. We have met and received very positive support from Iain Stewart the MP for Milton Keynes North. We will continue to keep all the local MPs who we met last year briefed on progress. I am also hoping to meet Chris White MP, the new Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Waterways (APPG). The remit for the group he chairs has recently been broadened: To consider matters relating to navigable (and formerly navigable) rivers, canals, estuaries and lakes in the UK, including the potential social, economic and cultural impact of the regeneration of those waterways and extension of the system. I have had some preliminary discussions around a number of common interests with the APPG. I hope that will lead to an opportunity to address the group of MPs at one of their forthcoming meetings. At the more local level Board members met with Dave Hodgson, the Mayor of Bedford, to seek support for a number of projects including the Head of Navigation, inclusion of the Waterway Park in the Bedford Innovation Park alongside the A421 and ensuring we make the most of funding from the Covanta/Veolia proposal to build an energy from waste plant in the Marston Vale. (see separate article on this project on page 7). We have started to plan for our AGM on Tuesday 27 th June and our next Annual Partnership Conference in October or November. It is also Milton Keynes 50 th birthday and there will be events throughout the year at which it would be good to promote the Waterway Park. However, all of these events take a lot of organisation and won t happen without significant help. The Trust values you, our members and supporters, so please let us know if you can spare a little time to help us. 2

3 Steve Ashley Standing at AGM ou will see from the AGM papers that Y the AGM will be asked to confirm the cooption of Steve Asley, who has been helping us for most of the time since the last AGM. Steve has redesigned our website and been of great assistance in setting up a shared data drive for the Board. Stephen Ashley Stephen has held a number of senior roles with leading telecommunication software organisations including MetraTech, Ericsson, Telcordia, Intec Telecom, Invisix (Motorola & Cisco Alliance), Siemens Network Systems and Racal Datacom. He has developed and implemented strategic Market Communications Partner Programs, developed Partner Enablement Programs with leading Global System Integrators. Working with senior product and marketing managers to developing a wide range of strategies and programs. He has an extensive background in helping companies grow existing and new markets through the building of sustainable, strategic business and technical partnerships that have resulted in long term revenue growth. For the BMKWT developing the Trust Communication strategy, updating the website and establishing social media Facebook, LinkedIn presence on the web. Many Thanks hanks are due to several people and T organisations who have given us generous donations recently. We have earned enough from the operations of, and donations on, the John Bunyan to pay off our outstanding loans (taken out to buy the boat) early. Some lenders have decided to donate all or part of the amount due to them rather than have it repaid. These are Jill Allison, Jenny Eardley, Jane & Ian Appleyard and Taverners Boat Club. Our grateful thanks to them. Also Milton Keynes Branch of the IWA has donated 300 for which we are very grateful. BMK: Ever Wider and Deeper o make sure that the Trust is as relevant as possible, and that official and T grant-awarding organisations see us as representative, we need to reflect the views of as wide a part of the community as possible. We need to represent all sort of sports and community groups - there is a risk of being seen as a group of self-interested boaters, although our members already come from a larger group than that. You may belong to another group that would benefit from the Waterway Park for exercise, for instance walkers, runners, cyclists, horse riders, paddleboarders. You may also (or instead) belong to a group that will benefit from the improved ambience to meet and stroll, maybe mother and toddlers, or religious groups. We particularly need to engage with younger people - anyone under 50 counts as young in this context. Another option is that you may be part of a group where the environmental improvement is what interests you most - bird watchers or interested in wild animals for instance. Perhaps you live alongside or near the route, and your community group would like to speed up the arrival of this enhancement of the area. Or you may be part of one of the more obvious groups to take advantage of a new waterway, canoeists or anglers as examples. Whichever of these you are interested in, we would like to make closer contacts. If you would like a talk about the Waterway for your group, contact us by phone ( answerphone) or at talks@b-mkwaterway.co.uk We would also welcome other members of your group as our members - the more members we have the stronger we are. Membership forms are available on the website: or contact membership@b-mkwaterway.org.uk to have some posted to you. Please help us to develop a larger and more diverse membership. It is not only that we need to know that we are truly doing what our community wants, it also helps to tick boxes when we fill in forms. 3

4 (Continued from page 1) Members Evening (cont) route. There are always concerns that, with demand for new housing, pressure for development in the Oxford-Cambridge corridor could mean just urban sprawl and more of the same housing estates we see all too often. It is evident that people like to live near active waterways, and having the B&MK as the centre of new communities will help create a sense of place and a feeling of being from somewhere and not just part of a huge conurbation. This is a unique opportunity to create places that people want to live and work in, not just commute from. Jane went on to explain how we are trying to meet with and influence key stakeholders who can make a difference to the future of the Waterway, and make sure that they fully understand the project and its benefits. These fall into several groups: Government: MPs, NIC, All Party Parliamentary Group on Waterways (APPGW). We have met most of the MPs whose constituencies the route passes through, and they are generally supportive. The AAPGW has a new chair, Chris White, who is taking the group in a direction that seems to be more relevant for us. We hope to make a presentation to the APPGW soon. Local government: Milton Keynes, Central Bedfordshire and Bedford Councils. Without the support of these councils, particularly on planning matters, the Waterway will not happen. We continually keep in contact with them and will continue to do so in future. Regional Agencies: South East Socialising after the Members Evening 4 Midland Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) and the Environment Agency (Anglian Region). SEMLEP are an organisation with both public and private sector representatives, and are very important in the allocation of government spending in the region. We stay in close contact with them, and made a presentation to them recently, explaining the regional benefits mentioned above. The Trust Board also met Charlie Beardall, the new Regional Manager at the EA who used the John Bunyan to visit parts of the River Ouse in November together with key members of his team. Charities: Canal & River Trust (CRT) Forest of Marston Vale (FoMV) and Parks Trust (Milton Keynes). Again, all of these partners are critical to our success. CRT help us by providing us with the services of one of their civil engineers 2 days a month to help comment on specific development proposals and other design matters. The Forest of Marston Vale is a very close ally with some ambitions which sit side by side with our own particularly in creating important new landscape in the Marston Vale. The National Infrastructure Committee (NIC) is continuing to examine opportunities for development in the Oxford - Milton Keynes - Cambridge corridor. Their interim report, published in November, looked mainly at the top level of infrastructure (East-West Rail, and a new Expressway road link) the next job is considering how best to make things happen at the next level down where delivering good quality development will require a high level of cooperation across local authority boundaries. In meeting with a representative of the NIC the Trust has again emphasised the importance of B&MK as a key enabler, creating a sense of place and a focus for new developments. We will make sure that we stay in touch with all of these key stakeholders and continue to encourage them to understand the benefits and support the Waterway in any decisions they make. The next part of Jane s presentation was the always fascinating update on development activity at different points on the route. At the Campbell Park Marina a planning application is imminent. We were able to see the plans the developers have drawn up which include a small section of the waterway leading off (Continued on page 6)

5 John Bunyan Update s we prepare for the forthcoming new A season it s worth looking back on how well the John Bunyan Boat enterprise did last season and we have some very good news to report. You may have read that we have carried a record number of passengers last year which has resulted in the boat carrying over 22,000 passengers since we first started cruising in July Now we can reveal that as we approach the end of the financial year, the Enterprise Board which runs the boat on behalf of the Trust has more than met its budget forecast and this year will contribute around 26,000 to the Trust. This is made up of the 10,000 annual lease fee which the Enterprise Board pays the Trust, over 7,000 donations from passengers on the boat and around 9,000 profit. This has allowed the Trust to repay the 40,000 loan from Bedford Borough Council and the 28,000 loans from individual members. When we asked for loans to buy the boat we thought it might take up to 10 years to repay the loans but we have achieved it in 5 years. The original Trust team who set up the Boat Project deserve many thanks for their vision and tenacity in getting the boat on the water, and the subsequent Enterprise Board who have been running the boat since then deserve praise and thanks. The Chair of the Trust at the time was Jane Wolfson. Don Allison the Trust Financial Director volunteered as project leader and later became Chairman of the new Enterprise Board. Graham Mabbutt and Jane Wolfson later became Chair. Don, along with Roger Crews, Steve Braund, Marilyn Leask and several others, took up the challenge of designing, The John Bunyan approaching Sovereigns Quay on a Love Bedford Cruise financing and building the boat, and then setting up the new trading company as a subsidiary to the Trust. The project has been a tremendous success. It has turned around the financial viability of the Trust. It will now contribute in the region of 25,000 per year to the Trust. This includes over 7,000 on board donations, furthermore every passenger on the boat gets to know about the aims of the Trust. Bedford Borough Council, The Environment Agency and "Love Bedford" all love the fact that the boat brings tourists into Bedford and popularises the Great Ouse in Bedford. There are some who have criticised the design of the boat, but it has been proved extremely popular with the thousands who have taken trips on board. It does everything design team asked for it. The bow thruster has proved essential and fit for purpose. The galley has proved functional and profitable. There have been some technical issues but overall the John Bunyan Community Boat has proved to be a fantastic success story and everyone involved in the original design project and in running the boat for the past 5 years should be immensely proud of themselves Season Launch This year s public cruises launch on Easter Saturday with an evening Fish and Chip Supper Cruise, followed on Sunday afternoon by a Swan Hotel Afternoon Tea (Continued on page 7) 5

6 (Continued from page 4) the Grand Union Canal. Members Evening (Cont) On the culvert under the new A421 between Milton Keynes and junction 13, we are still no further forward because of a lack of funding. We continue to make the point that the dual carriageway, as currently designed, will divide communities. A culvert will not only allow the B&MK, but walkers and cyclists to cross the road. What was previously known as the Aspley Guise Triangle (just south of J13) is now being promoted by a development consortium as Hayfield Park, and plans have been published showing the Waterway winding through the centre of the proposed development - giving it a real sense of place. However, we will have to wait and see whether this area and land in the Marston Vale emerge as suitable locations for development in the Central Bedfordshire local plan. Outline plans for Marston Vale Business Park (land owned Bedford Borough Council) also show a safeguarded route for the Waterway. The Trust continues to work with partners on the Head of Navigation (HON). In particular we are working on the idea that extending the head of navigation will help generate business for Kempston and create a new destination on the river, as was suggested in the Bedford Waterspace Study published in The Mayor of Bedford gave his support to the HON project when we met him recently. Work also continues on the Mark the Route project. We have walked sections of the route from Kempston to the Forest Centre and established locations where sculptures or benches could be placed, to show where the route of Waterway will be. As a precursor to bidding for funding we have sought financial quotes for wood work sculptures and will work with the Forest of Marston Vale to take this initiative forward. Jane concluded by making the point that we need to engage with other interest groups and encourage them to join us (see page 3), and to ask for help with events. The work of arranging the AGM and APC and staffing stalls at the Bedford River Festival and High Street Festival is falling on fewer and fewer shoulders. We have had to almost completely stop having stands at various local events, because we cannot find anyone to man them. If you can find just a few hours to help, please let us know. You will be very welcome and any necessary help or training will be provided. We won t throw you to the wolves at your first outing! The question and answer session raised 6 some good points, as always. First it was suggested that members could help with lobbying Councillors and MPs, provided the Trust established who were the key contacts and the message we need to get across. Jane undertook to ensure the Trust would take this idea forward. Another suggestion was crowd funding to help with publicity as well as raise funds. The mark the route sculptures and benches (mentioned above) could be very suitable for this approach. Jane welcomed these ideas as the Trust recognised that whilst promoting the Waterway at a strategic level we still need to engage our members and ensure that everyone can contribute to raising its profile at a local level. More updates will be available at the AGM in June, the next Members Evening (in the Autumn, date not yet fixed) and the APC in November. AGM e will be holding our annual members information meeting and AGM on W June 27th in Newport Pagnell. The formal notice of the meeting is included with this newsletter for all members. We revisit our former meeting place in the URC on Newport Pagnell High Street, after some had difficulty finding the room last year. The APC returns to its usual time later in the year. While the speakers list is still being finalised as we go to press, it is bound to be an interesting meeting, and an opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. A popular part of the evening is the raffle - and we would be grateful if as many of you as possible could bring a raffle prize with you. B&MK News Published by the Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust. Editor...Vacant Proof Readers...Don & Jill Allison Photo enhancement...keith Malone Distribution...Leigh Willows Printed by...bcq Comments or articles for inclusion in the next edition should be sent to:

7 Events Calendar 2017 June 27th 2017 AGM - United Reformed Church, Newport Pagnell pm. Any time (to be agreed) A talk by one of our experienced talks team members to your group, or any team of decision makers you can help us to meet. Autumn 2017 Members Evening Bedford end of the route. November 2017 APC - Central Beds, venue to be arranged December 2nd CRT Illuminated cruise and event, Campbell Park, Milton Keynes Funding for B&MK from proposed energy from waste plant C ovanta and Veolia are waste management companies working together to develop an Energy from Waste facility in the Marston Vale. The plant will burn household, commercial and non-hazardous industrial waste (what s left after all recycling and composting has been taken out), to create heat and electricity. The facility will be built in Rookery South pit, adjacent to the Forest of Marston Vale Millennium Country Park. It will have its own access road off Green Lane (the road that runs from the old A421 to Stewartby) for bringing the waste in. Planning approval was granted to Covanta by the Government in 2013 but until now there s been little happening. However this year Covanta announced that they have partnered with Veolia and aim to start building in As well as generating enough electricity to power 65,000 homes the scheme will bring a range of local community, employment, infrastructure and environmental benefits through the legal agreements, one of which is funding to cover the design and the implementation of cabling from the plant to the A421, under the B&MK Waterway thus protecting the route and ensuring that when the waterway park proceeds it can do so without interfering with the operation of the energy from waste plant. The legal agreement includes 200,000 for design work and then a further 3,375,000 to carry out the building work before the plant can operate. The money will be managed by Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire Councils but the Trust is being consulted and involved in discussions to ensure the right design standards are met. 7 JB Report (cont) (Continued from page 5) Cruise, Bank Holiday Monday also has a special Afternoon Cruise. Thereafter there are public cruises every Thursday and Sunday with Fish & Chip Supper Cruises on various Friday and Saturday evenings. The boat which carries 50 passengers also has monthly Lunch Cruises to The Anchor in Great Barford and Afternoon Tea Cruises to The Barns Hotel, plus a monthly Jazz Cruise featuring top national and regional jazz trios. The boat is fully licensed for drinks, has a 5 Star Food Certificate, and is available for private functions and parties of all descriptions including wedding cruises. Cruises can be booked online at or by phoning The John Bunyan Boat Team is also looking for extra volunteers. (Full training and free or discounted cruises given). We can only grow the business if we can grow the number of volunteers and cruises. If you would like to become a member of the John Bunyan Boat Team (or know someone who might) either crewing on the boat, cabin crew or deck crew, or as part of the support team staffing our street/market stands and events or giving out leaflets etc. then please visit it the volunteers section on the website. Graham Mabbutt, Commercial Director, B&MK Waterway Enterprises Ltd.

8 ane Wolfson, one of the founding J members and a former Chair of the Trust, is moving to Italy. Jane s work was critical in getting the Trust to where we are today. After resigning as Chair of the Trust, Jane became a driving force with B&MK Waterway Enterprises Ltd, which operates the John Bunyan. Under her leadership BMKWEL moved from the design and implementation phase to being a well managed operating company which is reflected in the report on page 5. Jane Wolfson: Moving On Jane also ensured that her husband, David, was available to provide design input to the Trust. Most of our documents and presentations reflect David s input. In recognition of Jane s input Jane Hamilton, on behalf of the Trust board, made a presentation to Jane at the recent Members Evening. We wish Jane and David all the best on their travels, and look forward to welcoming them back in the not too distant future, when there will be sure to be a new rôle waiting for them. Weekly and Short Break Holiday Hire 4-8 berth self drive Luxury Narrow Boats Excellent Boats on a Beautiful Canal Cruise through the waterside parks of Milton Keynes Our base at Linslade is within weekend reach of the Waterways Museum at Stoke Bruerne or the Chiltern Hills and Aylesbury. Choice of exciting one or two week cruises including the River Thames. Also Waterside Cottage (sleeps up to 11) set in the boatyard grounds The Wyvern Shipping Co Ltd Rothschild Road, Linslade, Leighton Buzzard, Beds, LU7 2TF Tel: Fax: James@canalholidays.co.uk B&MK WATERWAY NEWS is published by the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Trust, a non profit-making company limited by guarantee (No ). Registered office: 30 St John Street Newport Pagnell, MK16 8HJ and a Registered Charity (No ). Contact us at enquiries@b-mkwaterway.co.uk or Tel (Answer Machine) 8