£300m plan to build new waterway park to connect Milton Keynes to Bedford moves a step closer

The Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Park (B&MK) will connect the Grand Union canal in MK to the River gGreat Ouse in Bedford,

The 26km (16-mile) stretch will provide leisure activities and a green corridor at the heart of new developments in the area, linking communities and creating a unique sense of identity and place, say the planners.

Britain’s largest new waterway in 100 years, it will also link the Fenland waterways with the main canal network and provide a cross-country link that connects east and west.

The plan, which could even ease local flooding, involves building a series of waterway parks, creating a green corridor with new places for walking, cycling, boating and fishing, as well as new wildlife habitats.

It will also offer a new channel for water supply and drainage and will showcase the best of 21st century engineering, landscaping and design, says Central Bedfordshire Council, which is one of 11 members of the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Consortium.

This month global infrastructure company AECOM has been recruited to look at the feasibility of building the new Waterway Park. They will investigate analyse geological maps, utility information, land ownership boundaries and plans for future infrastructure and housing along the route.

Simon Clewlow, chair of the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Trust (BMKW), which is behind the plans, told the BBC the sc heme would put "water where it’s wanted".

He said: “I'm very excited that the time is coming shortly when the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Park will be able to show that it can be a key element of managing water purposefully in the 21st century, so putting 'water where it's wanted'.

"Using the waterway to mitigate flood risk, provide flood resilience as well as move water from the wetter areas of the country to the drier east are its significant strategic benefits.

"At a more local level there will be environmental and wellbeing advantages as well as becoming an asset for recreation and tourism."

Mr Clewlow said the new waterway park would also mitigate the impact of flooding as well as water shortages in the area.

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