Comment

Representation ID: 9233

Received: 02/07/2022

Respondent: Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Trust

The Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Park will establish a new green/blue multifunctional parkland corridor along which the ultimate aim is to create a waterway linking the Grand Union Canal at Milton Keynes with the River Great Ouse in Bedford. It will enhance opportunities for flood risk management in the upper Ouse catchment area and for water transfer from the distribution network in the west to the drier areas of East Anglia. Last but not least it will provide the opportunity to close a small but very significant gap in the UK waterway network.
The Waterway Park can build on the achievements of the Marston Vale Community Forest in regenerating parts of the corridor and creating new habitats between Bedford and Milton Keynes. And like the Forest, the Waterway Park will be deliverable in parts in combination with appropriate environmental management plans. It will set the context for, and embed new natural capital into, expanding communities thus contributing towards the Government’s commitment to its biodiversity as well as health and wellbeing targets.
The Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Trust acts as an advocate for the new Waterway Park and works with the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Consortium partners to develop a strong business case for the project.