A MASTERPLAN for a massive new canal and cycling development to transform leisure, tourism and transport in Bolton in the new millennium has been drawn up by a canal expert.

Bolton Council is being urged to take aboard the ambitious plans for a new canal route and towpath cycle way linking existing waterways south of Bolton with the Leeds and Liverpool canal near Wigan.

Create

If the funding could be attracted to build it, a new green corridor would run from Moses Gate, create a new canal terminus at Church Wharf near Bolton Parish Church, and continue along the course of the Croal through the town centre and Queen's Park towards Wigan.

And the author of the report claims the project would create at least 280 new jobs and revitalise the economy, boosting tourism and attracting thousands of extra visitors to Bolton.

In addition to bringing canal users into Bolton, report author Steven Parker, of Bolton, believes the towpath will provide the perfect environment for cyclists and walkers to travel into and through Bolton, completely avoiding roads and traffic. Mr Parker was the founder of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Society. And its members have already proved what can be done "on a shoestring" by opening up long stretches of the redundant canal to navigation.

He has spent many hundreds of hours drawing up the scheme and has even done a residents' survey in Darcy Lever, where the filled in canal would be re-opened. His highly detailed 116-page report is part of his BA degree course at Bolton Institute.

But he insists that all his ideas are feasible if the funding can be found. The main aims of his project include constructing a new Damside Aqueduct at Darcy Lever, restoring the existing canal from Nob Bridge, Little Lever, to Burnden Viaduct to a navigable standard, and extending navigation into the town centre.

He also wants investigations to be carried out into making the River Croal navigable though Bolton town centre, into Queen's Park and ultimately extending to join the Leeds and Liverpool canal near Wigan.

Mr Parker's report suggests that funding for the scheme could be gained from Heritage Lottery grants, English Partnerships, the European Development Fund, landfill tax, regional development agencies, Bolton Council, the private sector, the Lottery Sports fund, British Waterways and the English Tourist Board. He believes labour to carry out the work could be provided by canal enthusiasts, people carrying out community service orders, contract labour and jobs set up as part of the Government's New Deal scheme.

Mr Parker said: "Bolton Council should arrange a meeting to discuss the restoration of the canal."

He wants the council to consider employing a small team, dedicated to tackling the project.

He added: "This is not a cheap project and will require major financing. But with a lot of hard work Bolton will have an environmental and economical asset to be proud of."

Bolton Council's leisure chairman Cllr Gerald Riley said: "We welcome all ideas on improving facilities in Bolton. Such an idea could be a great boost for tourism. "There are all kinds of financial and engineering considerations in a project like this but we will certainly take a detailed look at this report."

A bid for lottery funding to create a "green corridor" alongside the River Croal through Bolton town centre failed when it was submitted three years ago.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.