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Press release on behalf of Craven District Council - Skipton Waterfront Improvements


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For Immediate Release

 

Skipton town centre canal project set to begin

 

Work to improve the canal waterfront in Skipton town centre is due to begin this month.

 

The works will be carried out along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in three phases starting with the canal basin from July 8. The works will include laying new, York stone flags across the entire area to ensure that the canal basin continues to be an area of high quality open space that can also support events and festivals in Skipton.

 

Benches, planters and bins will also be replaced to match existing street furniture along the canal towpath. The statue of Fred Trueman will remain in its current spot but with a new plaque honouring the Yorkshire cricketer. The canal basin work will be completed by September 20, in time for the Skipton Puppet Festival in early October.

 

The existing benches will be reused across Skipton by both Craven District Council with some donated to Skipton Town Council and the planters will be planted and maintained with the support of Skipton in Bloom.

 

Also, from July 8, work along the Springs Branch will take place, including towpath resurfacing, installation of new benches and bins, and footbridge painting. Works will also improve the area of open space near Chapel Hill with refurbished benches and areas of stone setts. This work is due to finish by August 23.

 

Improvements along the main canal towpath, between Belmont Bridge and Gawflat Bridge, will start from September 2, immediately after the school summer holidays, and will be completed by October 25. This will include improving the quality of the towpath, relaying and replacing broken flags and poor quality coping stones. This stretch of towpath will also benefit from refurbished and new benches and bins.

 

Councillor Simon Myers, Craven District Council’s Lead Member for Enterprising Craven, said: “The Leeds & Liverpool Canal is a fantastic asset for residents and workers within Skipton. The waterfront provides a traffic-free route for people to walk to work, schools, college and access shops, leisure facilities and services around the town. It’s also a great tourist attraction within Skipton.  

 

“Over the years, the quality of the canal towpath and surrounding features has naturally declined. We have identified a number of improvements in partnership with Canal & River Trust, who look after the canal, that will ensure Skipton has an attractive, safe waterfront for residents and visitors for years to come.

 

“We have scheduled these works to enable the least possible disruption for users of the canal and the towpath, and we consulted with residents on the proposed works.

 

“I’m delighted this scheme is about to begin and we look forward to seeing the benefits later this year.”

 

The project is being funded by the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership. The works form the first part of the £5m Growth Deal project that also include improvements to Engine Shed Lane, water management along Ings Beck and Gallow Syke and the preparation of a masterplan around Skipton Railway Station.

 

David Dickson, chair of YNYER LEP’s Infrastructure and Joint Assets Board comments: “The LEP is delighted to see works in Skipton commence. We have been working closely with colleagues at Craven District Council to bring forward this significant programme of investment to carry out major works in and around Skipton. By awarding £5m to this project - a sizable proportion of our local growth fund - the LEP continues to demonstrate its commitment to investing to improve opportunities for growing housing and jobs in our vital market towns.”

 

The final design for the scheme has been agreed with the Canal & River Trust, the waterway and wellbeing charity that looks after the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. Work will be carried out by Blackburn based contractors, O’Callaghan Ltd.

 

Sean McGinley, regional director for Yorkshire & NE at Canal & River Trust said: “As the charity that looks after the nation’s waterways, we know what a fantastic resource our canals are and how a visit to your local waterway can help you to relax, unwind and improve your physical health.  By working with Craven District Council to help realise these improvements along Skipton’s waterfront we hope to encourage even more people to spend time by water.”

 

Whilst the work is being carried out it will be necessary to temporarily close sections of towpath and moorings. Towpath closures will be notified online by the Canal & River Trust, through signage on the towpath and available on the Council website at www.cravendc.gov.uk/canalwaterfront

 

Preparations are also continuing for a separate, £2 million project, to transform the towpath on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal between Skipton and Gargrave, and Bradley to Kildwick, which is being managed by the Canal & River Trust.

Notes:

Local Growth Fund

 

Local Enterprise Partnerships are playing a vital role in driving forward economic growth across the country, helping to build a country that works for everyone.

That’s why by 2021 Government will have invested over £12bn through the Local Growth Fund, allowing LEPs to use their local knowledge to get all areas of the country firing on all cylinders.

Some additional key facts:

·         There are 38 LEPs covering the whole of England

·         The government has awarded £9.1bn in three rounds of Growth Deals to local areas to drive economic growth.

·         LEPs are investing in a wide range of projects including transport, skills, business support, broadband, innovation and flood defences.

 

Northern Powerhouse

 

Some Northern Powerhouse key facts:

 

·         The Northern Powerhouse is a key aspect of this Government’s approach to addressing the productivity gap in the North and ensuring a stronger, more sustainable economy for all parts of the UK.

·         The government has awarded £3.4bn in three rounds of Growth Deals across the Northern Powerhouse.

 

Canal & River Trust

The charity cares for and brings to life 2,000 miles of canals and river navigations across England & Wales.  We believe waterways have the power to make a difference to people’s lives and that spending time by water can make us all healthier and happier. By bringing communities together to make a difference to their local waterway, we are creating places and spaces that can be used and enjoyed by everyone, every day.

www.canalrivertrust.org.uk @CanalRiverTrust @crtcomms

 

Key Facts - Yorkshire & NE Waterways:

·         509km of waterways (16.51% of the network are in this region)

·         1,097,360 people live within 1km of their local waterway

·         19 canals and rivers in the region of the network are:

 

1.        Stainforth & Keadby Canal

2.        Leeds & Liverpool Canal

3.        New Junction Canal

4.        River Ouse

5.        Ure Navigation

6.        Rochdale Canal

7.        Wakefield Branch (Aire & Calder Navigation)

8.        River Tees

9.        Ripon Canal

10.     Aire & Calder Navigation Main Line

11.     Pocklington Canal

12.     Selby Canal

13.     Huddersfield Narrow Canal

14.     Chesterfield Canal

15.     Calder & Hebble Navigation

16.     Sheffield & Tinsley Canal

17.     River Aire

18.     Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigations

19.     Huddersfield Broad Canal

 

 

For further media information contact Craven District Council – Jenny Cornish: 01756 706315

  • Greenie 1
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1 minute ago, cuthound said:

Are they going to remove the landslip from the Springs Branch?

I think that's the only thing holding Skipton Castle in place at the moment.  English Heritage are a bit nervous about heavy plant poking around the bottom of the cliff!

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4 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

I think that's the only thing holding Skipton Castle in place at the moment.  English Heritage are a bit nervous about heavy plant poking around the bottom of the cliff!

 

Yes it's been there a fair while now. Still the Springs Branch never got much traffic even before the slippage, so not much of a loss except to those who want to reach the end of every arm.

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