Ribble Link - Cost and Funding

Cost and Funding

The Millennium Ribble Link was built to celebrate the Millennium (the year 2000), and cost £6.54 million, of which just over £3 million was a grant from the Millennium Commission. The remaining £3.54 million was mainly from public funds.

Originally estimated at £3.7 million the total construction costs increased on a regular basis to £5.6 million (£5,595,138 on 10 August 2000 to be precise) and finally overspent by an additional £1.1 million (British Waterways contributed £510,000 towards that over spend). Originally £850,000 was set aside, primarily from Lancashire Waste Services Limited landfill tax credits for 125 years of maintenance. All of The Waterways Trust maintenance budget was used to fund the original over-spend and the period of maintenance reduced to 40 years.

British Waterways have spent over £2.1million on maintenance and keeping the navigation open in the first five years of operation. Over £600,000 was spent on winter maintenance and dredging in 2006.

Annual dredging is required to keep the Millennium Ribble Link navigable.

Following its success BW will be reapplying for further licences to carry out annual ‘cutter suction’ dredging to remove the build-up of silt that is brought into the Ribble Link throughout the course of a normal boating season.

The Annual Report and Accounts of The Waterways Trust show a maintenance expenditure on the Ribble Link of £22,200 in 2005/6 from an income of £3,186,521 and £29,000 in 2006/7 from an income of £4,235,471.

The Millennium Ribble Link is only open for approximately 90 days out of 365, therefore closed for 270 days. Approximately 200 boats a year have used the Ribble Link since its opening. It was closed in 2003/4 and 2006/7 for dredging, repairs and maintenance.

The cost of annual dredging, a well known problem, closed Preston Docks in October 1981.