This document provides an overview of Scottish Canals and their work over the past 20 years to restore canals and promote their use and development. It describes how Scottish Canals removed 36 major obstructions, refurbished locks and bridges, and generated new sections of canal as part of the Millennium Link project. It also outlines Scottish Canals' work with third sector organizations and social enterprises to support community development, recreational activities, and tourism along the canal network. These initiatives have helped regenerate formerly deprived areas and produced economic and social benefits for Scotland.

1. Richard Millar
Green Blue Futures 2013

2. Inverness
Ft. Augustus
Ft. William
Ardrishaig
Falkirk
Bowling
Glasgow
Edinburgh

3. Caledonian Canal

4. Crinan Canal

5. Forth & Clyde

6. Union Canal

7. A Proud History

8. Canal Versus Railway

9. Industrial Heritage

11. Serious
Decline

12. Belief

13. 36 Major Obstructions

14. The Millennium Link
• 7 new opening bridges
• 28 new road bridges
• 9 new locks constructed
• 32 locks refurbished
• 38 masonry bridges refurbished
• 5 km of new canal formed
• 300,000 tonnes of silt removed
36 Major Obstructions removed

15. What can you do with Canals in the 21st Century

16. 20 years ago

17. Changes in the Last 20 Years
www.scottishcanals.co.uk

18. Auchinstarry

19. www.scottishcanals.co.uk
19

20. Scottish Canals : Third Sector
Charities & Trusts
• Seagull Trust
• Forth & Clyde Canal Society
• Linlithgow Canal Society
• Bridge 19-40
•
Social Enterprises
• Housing Associations ( Link, Queens Cross, NG Homes Prospect)
• Impact Arts
• Re Union/ Capercaille
• Lambhill Stables Trust
• Bridge 8 Canal Hub
• Pinkston Paddle sports
• Twechar Community Action
www.scottishcanals.co.uk

21. Third Sector Activity
• Canal diagram and areas of influence

22. Lambhill
• Long-standing neglect of human
capital and community assets
• Loss of public buildings
• Very high level of dereliction
• Little positive economic activity
• Low aspirations
• High benefit dependency

23. Loss of Public Buildings

24. Lambhill Law & Order!
•

25. ● Following investment from Growing Community Assets (Big Lottery), Glasgow City
Council, Scottish Canals and the Climate Challenge Fund, Lambhill Stables has
demonstrated the ability to deliver a programme of transformation.

28. Community Garden

29. Community Garden

31. The area’s health statistics
Deaths (all ages)
Coronary heart disease deaths
Cerebrovascular disease deaths
Suicide rate
Drug related deaths
Alcohol related deaths
Drug offenders
Social work clients (aged 0-15)
Infant deaths
Glasgow
ranking
1
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
% above
National
Average
43%
64%
70%
71%
223%
119%
72%
70%
27%

32. Maryhill

35. Pinkston will deliver:
• A year round paddling facility
• For Canoe & Kayak training for all levels, Canoe Polo, Whitewater, outdoor swimming
• Events from triathlons to national freestyle series
Physical outputs
• 130m by 30m wide cleanwater pool
• 100m whitewater course and 30m freestyle course (Grade 3 rapids)
• 4 changing rooms (16 showers+ disabled facilities)
• 2 wet classrooms
• Space for 20 clubs
• 75 Car parking spaces
Animation
• Venue has capacity to hold events for 150 competitors
• Venue for local, regional and national development of the sport. (Slalom & Canoe polo)
• A venue for Life saving training & community education
• Swiftwater rescue training and potentially national Fire & Police games

37. 37
37

39. Making
Canal
water
exciting

40. Transforming Lives
The Helix

41. Turning the fringe into the centre
Through place-making and engagement with people, we
will create a new green heart where urban fringe inverts to
create a new gateway at the centre of a new metropolitan
area

42. Hallglen
• 10% Low birthweight babies
High Flats
• Worst 5% in Scotland for Education
Westquarter
Dawson Priority Area
• Worst 10% in Scotland for deprivation
• 32% Benefit dependency
Thornhill Road
• Worst 5% in Scotland for Crime
• High Unemployment
Falkirk Gateway
• High youth unemployment
Alcan
Falkirk Community Stadium
• High benefit dependency
• Low educational attainment
West Mains Industrial Estate
Earls Gate Development Area
• High levels of crime
Canal Corridor
Scottish index of Multiple Deprivation 2006
M9 Corridor
Connected Path Network
New Gateway to
Lowland Canals
Grangemouth Priority Area
• 30% Benefit dependency
Connecting with Communities
• Connecting employment sites
• Intermediate labour markets
• Tourism opportunity
• Direct & indirect employment
• Reconnecting communities

43. People-centric

44. Kelpies
Sentinel
Canal Sea Lock
Canal Hub
Wetland
Event Space
Helix Lagoon
Falkirk Stadium
Central Park
Helix South
Allotments

45. www.scottishcanals.co.uk

46. Gateway
Improvement

47. Community Arts
www.scottishcanals.co.uk

52. The Canal,
The Kelpies
and
The Visitor Hub

53. Scotland’s Canals
Reaching their potential
www.scottishcanals.co.uk
53

54. The Future
Canal

55. A small front door
www.scottishcanals.co.uk

56. Canal extension route
Kelpie Lock
M9 crossing
Canal Hub
Lift bridge
Sealock

57. Canal Line
www.scottishcanals.co.uk

58. Moving the Motorway
www.scottishcanals.co.uk

59. Creating new
attractions
New parkland and destination attracts 500,000 visitors
per year to Falkirk

60. A New Icon

61. Need for an
icon

62. Gateway
Improvement
www.scottishcanals.co.uk

70. The Green Blue Challenge
How to develop a new iconic parkland
and new canal into a driver for
Social Enterprise
www.scottishcanals.co.uk

71. Community
Arts
We are working with Langlees to help them take on more potential CED
based offers include running their own art gallery as well as taking on more
of their woodland management.

72. Cycling & Woodlands
• We are supporting Callendar Estates CED group as part of the emerging
Bespoke Project

73. Creating a buzz about Social Enterprise
n
• We are building up a Helix Honey initiative with support from ASDA
and Community Groups
Home for 150,000 new Bees
Produce: Helix Honey, Lipbalm, Beeswax Candles, Mead
Economic Benefits:
Education, Health (mental and physical), environment, carbon reduction,
stronger ecosystem, significant increase in yields from nearby crops

74. Home Grown
n
• We are supporting the Allotment Society
• Land purchased and funds raised

75. Bio char
n
£10/kg
£1000£1500/cycle
Kiln £3500
Investment

76. Quick Outputs
•The canals rebuild cost is estimated at £1.75bn
•Estate covers 1500 hectares of land and 95 hectares of water
•Government grant per year is £10m
£56m+
Of Gross
Value Added
Per annum
• Over the last 10 years Scottish Canals have delivered:
• 7 major new destinations across the system.
• Contributed to reduction in relative deprivation in many canal side communities.
Economic
• In partnership £285m of development on our banks, creating £13.8m GVA per
annum.
•Next 10 years are predicted to deliver 1250 housing units and 170,000 sq m of canal side
development delivering £18m per annum GVA
• Others have delivered in excess of £150m of additional development on the canal banks
in the last 10 years
•Tourism on the canals delivers £11m direct spend and £23m of indirect spend per
annum
•Social & Environmental
•tSWT over the last 10 years has delivered £10m+ of funding and projects
•Health benefits attributed to the use of the canal exceeds £8 million per annum.
•Ever £1 invested in our towpath delivers £7 of benefits.
•Scottish canals freight delivers a £475,000 environmental saving per annum

77. A Shared Asset for the Future
Scottishcanals.co.uk