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Home , Grantham Canal, Huddlesford Junction, Lichfield Canal, Montgomery Canal, Ogley Junction

inland waterways

Volunteers cruise on with ambition

, like those pictured on the nearby , will one day be able to travel along 11km of restored canal past Lichfield

Funding challenges and difficult interfaces with major transport infrastructure are not holding back those set on reinstating a historic stretch of canal near the city of Lichfield. Steve Dale reports.

mpressive efforts of volunteers from in the east, battling to restore 11km of lost canal through 30 locks and under the same Iand towpaths in number of bridges to were formally recognised in November near in the west. as the Lichfield & Hatherton Work has moved forward slowly Restoration Trust was presented with a over many years and is at various Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. stages of completion along the route – The award will come as no surprise which boasts some restored sections of to anyone familiar with the dedication “A modern canal canal – but is still far from finished. of those involved, most of whom are doesn’t just take The planned route is mostly along retired and share a vision to see the boats on it, it’s the line of the original canal and  A sign to Ogley Junction stands ready historic – opened in 1797 a community is safeguarded in asset.” and abandoned in 1954 – reinstated for Council’s local plan. But rather than Peter chips in: “We are accused by Peter Buck the benefit of the local community. receiving local authority support, some people of working in a disjointed “We are very active and we are the trust must pay for work through manner, but it is because we have to doing a huge amount,” says the trust’s its own fundraising efforts and by work where we can apply the money engineering director Peter Buck, applying for grant funding. from grants.” who, after moving to the Midlands “The challenge of getting funding However the trust has recently discovered a passion for is massive and endless,” says finance submitted a bid for £9.8M from the travel and joined the restoration effort. director Bob Williams. “It’s about National Lottery Heritage Fund – a “Once you become involved it is like finding the opportunities and taking quarter of the estimated £40M total being part of a big family,” he adds. them,” he adds, noting that grants cost of the scheme – which could The trust was formed over 30 years usually come with specific criteria take it a long way towards realising ago. Its aim is to restore part of the restricting how they can be used on its vision. original Wyrley & Canal the project. “So much work has been done

M6 Toll Coventry Canal Fosseway Lichfield Brownhills A5 Lichfield Canal (under restoration) Ogley Huddlesford Wyrley & Junction Lichfield to Junction Essington Redditch line A38 Canal Proposed  HS2 route

20 transportation professional inland waterways

 Volunteers carry out towpath construction LHCRT

 A canal tunnel was buried beneath this roundabout already, but it is a question of linking The canal will also pass beneath the it all together,” says Bob. “That grant A5 and over an aqueduct that crosses locks would enable us to connect pretty well the , which has been in place everything from the Coventry Canal and ready to take boats for over 15 make progress to Fosseway. The difficult bits are years. Great efforts were made by the crossing the main roads; that’s where trust along with actor David Suchet – the money goes.” television’s Poirot – to lead a funding Along its route, the restored canal campaign to build the aqueduct will cross both road and rail corridors “We try to build before the road opened to preserve including the A38, M6 Toll, the Lichfield ecology in right the canal crossing. to Redditch railway line and High from the outset No specific timescale has been set of our planning.” SEA LANE MEDIA Speed 2, subject to a Government for completion of the Lichfield Canal  Work under way on 14 Chris Bull review. restoration. But when it does finish, The latter would dive down at explains trust chair Chris Bull, benefits Restoration of the in Huddlesford and pass beneath the will be wide ranging including health Lincolnshire passed a key milestone canal, but requires the demolition of and wellbeing improvements as well as in September when the fourth of the a road bridge built previously by the attracting tourism to the area, boosting seven lock Woolsthorpe flight opened trust. The plan is that High Speed 2 will wildlife and biodiversity and even flood to boats for the first time in 90 years. construct and pay for a diversion of the attenuation. Lock 15 was rebuilt through a canal and a new bridge. “We try to build ecology in right partnership between the Canal & River “All along the route we are working from the outset,” she says, noting that Trust and the Grantham Canal Society, with agencies, landowners, volunteers, the project is creating new areas of with support from the Waterway colleges and others,” says Peter. “It is heathland environment as well as Recovery Group. The next in the really a communication and people nature trails. flight – Lock 14 – is also now nearing business that we are in.” In terms of wider community completion. The works were supported Moving west along the route, the “The challenge of benefits, Chris adds: “We have also got with a grant of £830,500 from the canal will go into a jacked box tunnel getting funding at the moment a record number of National Lottery Heritage Fund. beneath Highways ’s A38. is massive and youngsters volunteering with us for Survey work has also begun on the “That’s a planning application we are endless.” the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and we last two locks in the flight and funding to about to put in,” says Peter, who notes Bob Williams have bricklaying students doing work carry out their restoration is currently that the job will be let to a specialist experience from two local colleges.” being sourced. The fully restored contractor. Peter concludes: “A modern canal Woolsthorpe flight will give 10km of The canal is also planned to go under doesn’t just take boats on it, it’s a navigable waterway from Grantham the Lichfield to Redditch railway line community asset.” into Leicestershire. close to where work is being carried out to deliver the final phase of the Lichfield Southern Bypass. The bypass scheme targets turning point scheme involves creating a rail bridge for the new road to pass beneath, Boats will return to a northern section of the which will slide into position over on the Shropshire / Welsh border in just over a year when works Christmas. to restore over 2km of channel are due to complete. On the western side of the railway The Shropshire Society completed a turning is a roundabout where the new bypass point for narrowboats at Crickheath earlier this year which is will join the existing road network near now in water, marking 60% of the canal’s total restoration. a major planned housing development. It is now extending the channel 735m from a previously The trust has already taken the reinstated section at Pryces Bridge to link with the new opportunity to bury a canal tunnel turning point. A second phase of these works started in the underneath this roundabout when it  Channel restoration works in progress summer following the removal of great crested newts from site. was built in 2007. SOCIETY The project is due to complete next December.

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