Finalists announced for 2010 Waterways Renaissance Awards

The winners will be announced at a prestigious awards ceremony and dinner, which will take place at the Lowry in Manchester on Wednesday 17 March 2010. The event will be hosted by Jim Hancock, former BBC North West Political Editor.

The Waterways Renaissance Awards, run by The Waterways Trust and British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) aim to recognise best practice in sustainable waterway regeneration and development throughout the UK.

Roger Hanbury, Chief Executive of The Waterways Trust, said: "The finalist projects clearly show that the renaissance of our waterways is continuing to transform our environment, bringing communities together and injecting new life into their environment. The Waterways Renaissance Awards is now in their eighth year and these projects are excellent examples of what can be achieved with vision, commitment and partnership working."

Renaissance of waterways will transform environment

The nominations were judged by an independent assessment panel, comprising waterway, conservation and regeneration experts and chaired by Sir Peter Soulsby MP. The judging process is rigorous and includes three stages of assessment, with finalist projects receiving two visits by independent assessors.

The finalists for the ten categories in The Waterways Renaissance Awards 2010 are:

AREA-BASED REGENERATION - sponsored by May Gurney
Clarence Dock, Leeds
Lough Neagh Regeneration Programme, Northern Ireland

COMMUNITY
Village at War 2008-09, Stoke Bruerne, Northamptonshire
Middlewich – Piecing the history together to promote the future, Cheshire

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
Restoration of Ynysbwllog Aqueduct and the Three Locks, Neath
Trent River Park Green Infrastructure, Nottingham
Liverpool Canal Link, Liverpool

EDUCATION AND LEARNING
The First of its kind – Anderton Boat Lift, Cheshire
Action Outdoors, Falkirk
Brecon Gateway, Brecon
Whitlingham Country Park, Norfolk
Ouseburn Explorer, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT – sponsored by Halcrow
Rotherham Renaissance Flood Alleviation Scheme Ph1 and Centenary Wetland Park, Rotherham

HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT
Allington Lock Site Enhancement, Kent
Railway on the Water – Relaunched! Goole, Yorkshire

INNOVATION
Kings Lock Visitors Centre & Lock Office Extension, Oxford
Porters Lock Canoe Fishway, Kent

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT - sponsored by DEFRA
Rotherham Renaissance Flood Alleviation Scheme Ph1 and Centenary Wetland Park, Rotherham
Trinity Broads Restoration, Norfolk
Torrs Weir Fish Pass & River Mersey Fish & Wildlife Refuge, Merseyside

PARTNERSHIP
Village at War 2008, Stoke Bruerne, Northamptonshire
Pride in our Promenades, Liverpool
Oil Mills Bridge, Stroud
Lough Neagh Regeneration Programme, Northern Ireland
Bigman 1 & 2, Glasgow

RECREATION AND TOURISM
The Great Glen Ways Initiative, Scotland
Allington Lock Site Enhancement & Porters Lock Canoe Fishway, Merseyside
Viaduct Terrace, Knaresborough

STRATEGY & MASTERPLANNING – sponsored by Morrison Construction
Erewash Canal Access Strategy and Development Plan, Nottingham
Middlewich, Cheshire