Land & Water to Unlock Waterways Freight Potential

The initiative, funded by British Waterways (BW) and Transport for London (TfL), will include a number of key infrastructure projects and is part of a wider strategy to create an environmentally sustainable and congestion busting alternative to road haulage through London’s congested streets.

Land & Water will be working on a £1 million contract, dredging bridge holes and problem areas to accommodate freight barges and improve the canal infrastructure for existing boaters.

Originally canals were built for freight but now with the extensive rail and road network they are primarily a leisure resource. However, initiatives like the one announced by BW and TfL can create significant local benefits without compromising the waterways’ role as an important national leisure and environmental asset Additional works being funded by the new initiative will include a new canal turning point (or ‘winding hole’) at Stockley Park near West Drayton, increasing efficiency for both new and existing freight contracts (at a cost of £106,000). There will be a new canal wharf at Willesden Junction, serving Powerday’s planned recycling centre (at a cost of £304,000) and a major study will be conducted by Peter Brett Associates on the freight potential of West London’s canal network, including business opportunities, locations for modern wharf sites and other recommendations for reviving commercial canal traffic (at a cost of £140,000).

Mark Bensted, British Waterways’ director for London said, ‘Waterways are playing an increasingly important part in the life of the capital and the work being carried out by Land & Water will play a crucial role in this important initiative.

James Maclean, contracts director for Land & Water Group added, ‘This contract demonstrates the unique set of skills contained within the Group, and we are proud to be playing a major part in this package of improvements to boost freight traffic on London’s canals.’

Land & Water has a long history of regenerating the UK’s waterways for commercial traffic. It designed, built and currently manages the British Waterways freight contract which carries 450,000 tonnes of sand and gravel on the Grand Union canal to the west of London. This contract will remove the equivalent of 45,000 lorry loads of sand and gravel from the congested West London roads between Denham and West Drayton over a seven year period.

MJ Information No: 20763