Restoration NewsOn
Monday 4th February BW, the lead partner in the Cotswold Canals Partnership,
pulled out of Phase 1A.
An
important step, once the way ahead following the BW departure, is clear will be
the submission of a planning application for the bulk of the Phase 1A works. BW
were part of the way through preparing this and this needs to be completed as
soon as is practicable. The Brimscombe area will not be part of this as it is
the subject of an Area Action Plan (AAP) which is currently part way through a
public consultation process. Another area that is currently excluded is Capels
Mill where substantive ground investigations in the tip area have only recently
taken place.
Work
on the ground at the moment primarily consists of the work at Oil Mills Bridge,
which is being completed by BW, except for the removal of a sewer pipe, as part
of their orderly withdrawal. It does not look like any other major projects
under BW control were close to being ready to start after Oil Mills Bridge. The
bund between the Oil Mills work and the Ebley Wharf restored canal will be
removed by the Ebley Wharf contractor at some time in the future.
The
largest bridge project, the A46 canal crossing at Stroud, is being managed by
Gloucestershire Highways and construction is scheduled to commence towards the
autumn, the site recently being cleared of trees before the nesting season. This
is a very large bridge, which will provide an extra lane compared with the
current road to improve traffic flow. The visual appearance of the bridge is a
matter that has been the subject of public consultation.
Another
question that keeps being asked is with regard to the canal ownership and
control. BW have a 999 year lease from the Company of Proprietors of the
Stroudwater Navigation and the ownership of those parts of the Thames &
Severn Canal west of the Bourne railway crossing formerly owned by GCC were
passed over to BW - but promptly leased back to GCC. It is clear that the bodies
restoring the canal will need to be able to do the job without unreasonable
constraints and limitations but it is not as simple as just terminating the
lease. It is hoped is that a way will be found to enable the restoration to
proceed at minimal risk to, or interference from, BW whilst the other issues are
untangled.
Although
there has already been some opportunity for volunteers to get involved, it is
likely that their future contribution will be encouraged more widely as the
project comes under different management. The Trust has already received offers
of help from WRG South West, who have been waiting to work on Gough's Orchard
Lock for a long time, and WRG Forestry who, amongst other things, are interested
in tackling the overhanging branches along much of the Ryeford pound. We are
going to need all the help we can get as we move forward and the need for
someone to co-ordinate and encourage volunteer groups and others to become part
of the project is high on the list for recruitment into the new implementation
team.
In
spite of the difficulties caused by the BW departure, progress has continued
elsewhere on the canal. A new bid for funding is being prepared covering the
restoration of the first section of Phase 1B starting at Saul and working
eastwards at least as far as the A38 and hopefully beyond. This is at a very
early stage but the connection of Phase 1A to the rest of the network remains
high on the agenda.
In
the east, Dig Deep (www.dig-deep.org.uk) has started working at Eisey Lock where
a summer camp is planned for 9th - 16th August 2008. The weekday (Weds) working
party run by Fred Clifford has resumed work on the channel walls at nearby
Ruck's Bridge. Jon Pontefract has taken over managing the Eisey sites.
The
Trust is also looking into dredging the length of canal by the Gateway Centre
downstream of the new Spine Road Bridge to help alleviate flooding and improve
the appearance of the canal there. Assuming we can secure the necessary
permissions, this will involve taking the Trust's dredger over to the eastern
side of the canal for upgrading by volunteers this summer with actual dredging
hopefully commencing after the nesting season is over.
The Cotswold Canals Trust is a registered charity, number 269721.
Copyright @2008 Richard Attwood and the Cotswold Canals Trust
The CCT may be contacted at mail@cotswoldcanals.com
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