A part of the UCLan Campus Expansion Project, redevelopment of the former Newtown Mill will be undertaken to provide a new state-of-the-art teaching facility. Furthermore, the project will deliver public realm enhancements surrounding the campus on Sandygate and canal towpath improvements between Westgate and Manchester Road.
Working with the Canal & River Trust, the towpath improvements will include widening (where possible) and resurfacing of the towpath as well as access improvements to enhance links to the rail station and better integrate the campus with the canal.
The Canal & River Trust are undertaking detailed design work. Works are expected to commence in spring 2023.
A note about towpath widths
The government’s Local Transport Note (LTN) provides guidance to local authorities on delivering high-quality cycle infrastructure, which has been considered when developing plans for the canal towpath improvements, including desirable and minimum track widths.
As well as LTN 1/20, consideration must be given to the Canal & River Trust’s own policy ’Better Towpaths for Everyone’, with particular reference to policy no. 8 regarding width…
‘Towpaths are, by their very nature, narrow spaces but many are suitable to accommodate multi-use. Where appropriate, we have already ‘widened’ the path (i.e. the surfaced path area within the towpath corridor) as this is often the best way to ensure that they are used safely and that conflict between visitors is minimised. We will continue to look for opportunities to optimise space where we can but we will not do this at the expense of the character of the canal.
Front and back verges are an important part of this character and also have an important function as they provide places for boats to moor, safe havens to fish, a tactile warning of the water’s edge and increase the biodiversity of canals. It is not possible to set a minimum standard for path width as all canals have unique characteristics which are often defined by their original design’.
With LTN and the Policy in mind, the Canal & River Trust have reviewed the information from site surveys and have produced design drawings to show what proposed widths can be achieved. On average, a width between 1.8 – 2.0m can be achieved throughout this stretch of towpath, and there just two locations where the absolute minimum of 1.5m cannot be achieved due to the existing arrangement.
A note about bridge 130b access arrangements
As part of the towpath improvement project, there is an aspiration to improve access at Bridge 130B. The intention is to improve the stepped arrangement as part of the works, but there is also an opportunity to create some form of ramped access alongside the steps.
For an access ramp to be DDA compliant, the gradient should be 1:20 desired, with 1:12 the maximum allowable grade over shorter distances. The existing grass ramp alongside the stepped ramp suggests there is around 2m level difference from top to bottom. This indicates the existing straight grade from top to bottom is around 1:60.
Therefore, to aim for some form of DDA compliance with a gradient of 1:12, a 2m level difference would require significant infrastructure works to support the ramp. Also, at 1:12, the new ramp surface levels would conflict with the position of an existing fire door arrangement and would conflict with the level of the windows of the adjacent building. The intention therefore is for the existing arrangement to be upgraded purely on the grounds of betterment.