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Bedford River Valley Park
The Consultation process is still open
Please respond NOW!
Your feedback could help to make Bedford River Valley Park a regional centre for paddlesports!
BRVP is a huge new park of national significance bordering the river Great Ouse all the way from Bedford town centre to the other side of Willington. The park will be huge (over 6 times the size of Hyde Park in London) and represents a unique opportunity for river recreation in Bedford and for paddlers but only if we stand up and fight for paddling facilities to be included!
It may seem incredible when we are talking about a River Valley park, but right now, there is virtually NO MENTION OF CANOEING OR KAYAKING IN THE MASTER PLANS! The plans talk a lot about the river and also about land-based recreation but what is missing is the unique opportunity that a park like this represents for recreation that uses the river, like canoeing and kayaking. We fully support the creation of the park but we think that the park should be a MAJOR CENTRE FOR CANOEING AND KAYAKING RECREATION AND COMPETITION.
If you agree, you need to tell the planning team, and quickly! Remembering to get your friends to do the same. The new park is being designed now and you need to tell the planners to include canoeing and kayaking facilities into the design.
THE DEADLINE FOR FEEDBACK HAS BEEN EXTENDED, so act now and send your views to the BRVP planning team:
What are we asking for?
Viking KC believes canoeing and paddling should be central to what BRVP is all about. Bedford has been a centre of paddling excellence for many years and BRVP should define itself as a ‘model destination for canoeing and kayaking recreation and competition’ and become a role model of good practice for paddler-friendly policies and river management.
In practice this means:
Recreation
- Promoting BRVP as a major canoeing and kayaking centre, a start and finish point for canoeing journeys, including providing canoe hire facilities.
- Becoming a role model and advocate for good practice through co-operating with others to support access for canoeists along the River Great Ouse and establishing the Great Ouse as a canoe trail with BRVP as a major site en route.
- Provision of destination facilities at BRVP like put-in and take-out points, access to toilets and changing facilities and possibility of overnight camping for those touring on the river.
- Safe put-in and take-out points around the many weirs and locks along the BRVP riverside with combined fish passes and canoe shoots, in association with the Environment Agency.
Competition
- Establishing BRVP as a regional centre of competitive paddlesport through sprint canoeing and kayaking on the Rowing Lake and through whitewater slalom paddling at the Cardington Artificial Slalom Course.
- Helping to encourage young people to take up paddlesport as a route to fitness and health in an environmentally friendly way and helping to produce the champions of tomorrow.
- Ensuring that the proposed Rowing Lake is a multi-sport location with fair and equitable access to all sprint water sports (rowing, canoeing, kayaking and dragon boat racing).
- Developing the existing Cardington Artificial Slalom Course by adding facilities and refurbishing or rebuilding the course in line with modern practise.
- Developing existing whitewater training facilities by creative use of Bedford’s river features such as weirs and sluices.
MORE INFORMATION
Here are some frequently asked questions.
Q. What is Bedford River Valley Park?
A. It’s a huge new park being designed now and stretching from the centre of Bedford to the other side of Willington, including the Priory Country Park, the Cardington Artificial Slalom Course and the proposed Rowing Lake. It will be around 2,145 acres, that’s 10 times the size of the existing Priory Country Park or 6 times the size of Hyde Park in London!
Q. Can I see a full copy of the key documents?
A. Certainly, just click on the links below:
Q. Why is it so important?
A. A park this size has a national and regional importance. It will be built in Britain’s largest floodplain forest restoration project and be a model for future parks and floodplain restoration. River recreation and paddlesport must be built into this model for the future.
Q. What is Viking Kayak Club asking for?
A. Canoeing and kayaking should be built into the master design of the new park. The park is not just ‘any old park’ it is a River Valley park and so river recreation such as canoeing and kayaking should be at the heart of what the park is all about. We want to see the park define itself as a major centre for canoe and kayak recreation and competition and an example of good practice for river recreation management.
Q. Is there really NO mention of canoeing in the Master Plan?
A. Strange as it seems, the only mention of canoeing at all in the draft plans is a possible alternative use of the proposed Rowing Lake, which “could also be used for other activities such as dragon boat racing, canoeing and angling” on page twelve. There is no mention of canoeing or kayaking as a central activity and not even a mention of the Cardington Artificial Slalom Course which is a white water competition venue that holds national events and is actually located within the boundaries of the proposed BRVP area!
Q. Can responding to the BRVP really make a difference?
A. Well we certainly hope so! If enough people respond to BRVP saying they want canoe and kayak facilities, BRVP should build them into the plan. If they are not put into the Master Plan now it may be much harder getting them included later.
Q. What happens if I do nothing?
A. Funding for facilities in the park will be based on statistics for public demand, so if we don’t stake our claim, we will lose out! So let’s act now and get our ideas into the park’s master plan.
If you have any other questions send an email to the Viking Club Chairman.
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