DEFRA encourages closer collaboration to improve inland waterways

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has launched a consultation on its strategy for promoting inland waterways and is seeking to boost local authorities’ interest in using them to improve quality of life in their communities.

The consultation will look at how regional development bodies and local authorities can work closely with those responsible for managing inland waterway to ensure the benefits of “place making and shaping” can be maximised.

It will also analyse the barriers to local authorities taking more interest in waterways.

Defra said it was important to update its strategy – now called Waterways for Everyone – to cover climate change, social inclusion and cohesion and public health.

“Our intention is to stimulate and support the coming together of those who might benefit more from our waterways with those charged with managing them, so enabling the waterways’ potential to be realised and their future safeguarded,” it said. “By working across Government, national regional and local, and with third sector and business partners, we can capture the cross cutting and multi functional nature of what waterways can contribute to our quality of life.”

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