"Salford Quays is an area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, near the end of the Manchester Ship Canal. Previously the site of Manchester Docks, it became one of the first and largest urban regeneration projects in the United Kingdom following the closure of the dockyards in 1982.
Built by the Manchester Ship Canal Company, Salford Docks was the larger of two sections that made up Manchester Docks; the other being Pomona Docks to the east. They were opened in 1894 by Queen Victoria and spanned 120 acres (49 ha) of water and 1,000 acres (400 ha) of land. At their height the Manchester Docks were the third busiest port in Britain, but after containerisation and the limit placed on vessel size on the Manchester Ship Canal, the docks declined during the 1970s. They closed in 1982, resulting in the loss of 3000 jobs.
In 1983 Salford City Council acquired parts of the docks covering 220 acres (90 ha) from the Manchester Ship Canal Company with the aid of a derelict land grant. The area was re-branded as Salford Quays and redevelopment by Urban Waterside began in 1985 under the Salford Quays Development Plan. Faced with major pollution issues from quality of the water in the ship canal, dams were built to isolate the docks, after which water quality was improved by aerating it using a compressed air mixing system. Within two years the quality was sufficient to introduce 12,000 coarse fish, which have thrived in the environment. Water quality is monitored fortnightly by scientists from APEM, the Manchester University Aquatic Pollution and Environmental Monitoring Unit, and the improved habitat has been recognised by the Angling Foundation and the Institute of Fisheries Management.
Between 1986 and 1990 the infrastructure of the docks was modified to create an internal waterway network. Roads and bridges were built and a promenade along the waterfront constructed and landscaped. Moorings and waters ports facilities were provided and a railway swing bridge moved to cross Dock 9. A hotel, cinema, housing, offices were built on Piers 5 and 6 followed by more developments on Pier 7. Public funding and private investment totalled around £280 million by the early 1990s."
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The Chandler's canal was built between St Peter Basin and Ontario Basin as part of the water quality improvement scheme and also to provide an area for water sports.
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The Plaque
The plaque is on the parapet of a road bridge on Waterfront Quay as it crosses the canal.
SALFORD QUAYS
CITY OF SALFORD
In partnership with
DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT
EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY
CHANDLERS CANAL
Opened by
JOHN TAVARE
CHAIRMAN MERSEY BASIN CAMPAIGN
Friday 26th June 1987
Architects : Shepeard Epstein and Hunter Plc.
Engineers : Ove Arup and Partners
Contractor : Dew Group Ltd.
The Mersey Basin Campaign
"The Mersey Basin Campaign worked within the catchments of the River Mersey and the River Ribble, in the counties of Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Cheshire and in the High Peak area of Derbyshire in the UK. Its primary goal was to repair the damage done by industrialisation and to foster a modern and prosperous future, with an improved environment.
The campaign's mission was to:
Improve water quality so that all rivers, streams and waters in the Mersey and Ribble catchments are clean enough to support fish by 2010.
Encourage waterside regeneration
Actively engage the public, private, community and voluntary sectors in the process.
The Mersey Basin Campaign was established in 1985 in the wake of the Toxteth riots in Liverpool. Michael Heseltine, then Environment Minister in Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government, was the driving force behind its creation. He spoke of the River Mersey at the time as "an affront to the standards a civilised society should demand from its environment". It closed its doors on schedule at the end of its planned 25-year lifespan in 2010, leaving behind a river system that is cleaner now than at any time since the Industrial Revolution."
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The original Manchester Docks were created when the Manchester Ship Canal was built from the Mersey estuary near Liverpool to Manchester. For much of it route it made use of the the River Mersey and so the docks formed part of the Mersey Basin Campaign as well as being part of the Salford Quays regeneration.
As chairman of the campaign, John Tavare was a good choice to conduct the opening of this canal. Although it was only very short, it formed part of the water purification scheme in the docks. The water in this area is now used for such sports as outdoor swimming, wake boarding, windsurfing, canoeing and kayaking.