Elsan points, pump out facilities and water points managed by the Canal & River Trust are set to get a boost over the next five years with an additional investment of £4.5 million to standardise and upgrade boaters’ facilities across the charity’s canal network.
Over the coming months the Trust will be developing detailed plans for where the additional investment will be used, ahead of the five-year upgrade programme beginning this winter.
The investment in the Trust’s boaters’ facilities is in addition to the annual cost of maintaining and looking after them. The money needed to upgrade the boaters’ facilities will come from the sale of investment assets owned by the Trust. The Trust’s investment assets are a vital pillar in generating a sustainable annual income each year for waterways maintenance. This sale is exceptional and has been agreed as the charity expects that providing more resilient services for boaters will deliver cost savings which offset any income lost from the sale of the investments in the longer-term.
The investment comes as the charity continues to focus on improving navigation and the services provided for boaters through its Better Boating Plan.
Matthew Symonds, head of boating at Canal & River Trust, said: “Boater facilities are vital for those living on and cruising around our network. Those owned by the Trust have been operated and managed locally, which has resulted in a wide range of components and arrangements which can be expensive and complex to repair when things go wrong. With this £4.5 million investment, we are spending now to be more efficient in the long term. By upgrading and standardising the facilities, we expect to see some cost savings for our charity in the longer term, while aiming for boaters to receive a more consistent service.”
The Better Boating Plan is set out here: Our plan for better boating | Canal & River Trust
