Stainforth & Keadby Canal Installation of Multiuser Path
Introduction
North Lincolnshire Council has entered into an agreement with Canal & River Trust to develop proposals to introduce a multiuser path along the Stainforth & Keadby Canal as part of a £500,000 scheme to link Crowle to Scunthorpe.
The towpath improvements will provide new, sustainable routes to employment for the residents of the Isle of Axholme within the North Lincolnshire area. It will also increase the number of people accessing the Isle for health and leisure, and thus the opportunities for employment and business growth and economic impact in this area. This scheme will also provide employment for people from the local area.
The Stainforth & Keadby Canal is a beautiful area with limited access for pedestrians, cyclists, anglers and especially the disabled, particularly after rain. The towpath improvements will reduce the antisocial use of this area by illegal off-road vehicles, by generating more positive use and will bring long-term benefits to the area for generations to come, encouraging visitors to North Lincolnshire from the neighbouring boroughs. It will provide an opportunity, through the use of interpretation boards, to divest information on the areas outstanding natural and built heritage, including the industrial legacy of the canal, rail and power generation including the fascinating bridge, and provide opportunities for people to become involved with the Canal & River Trust’s charitable activities.
This project is part of a larger scheme to deliver a multi-user path between Crowle and Scunthorpe along existing public rights of way. Our project will be
to improve the canal towpath and the conne ctions to the public rights of way, for 5km between Keadby Swing Bridge and the A161 road bridge in Crowle. In addition to the towpath improvements we will improve access for disabled anglers where required and improve the biodiversity of the waterway by installing deer ramps (access/egress for deer that have been known to fall into the waterway) and habitat improvements for wildlife such as coir rolls, bat boxes and owl boxes where possible.
The scheme will be split in to 12 Phases for construction purposes, with Phase 2-6 covering the 5km length of the S&K Canal between Crowle and Keadby.
It will provide a route on which walking and cycling can take place. Anglers will be catered for with a newly mown route and parking areas. Licenced anglers will be accommodated with access through a locked gate to ensure fishing is regulated and to deter inappropriate vehicle access. Part of the path will be installed on the south side of the canal – currently overgrown and almost inaccessible along the Keadby section; with the Crowle section deeply rutted and muddy with extensive evidence of four-wheel-drive use, making it almost inaccessible on foot or by bicycle.
The current towpath is grass, with very little evidence of any original hard material. It is entirely possible that historically there was no hard surfaced towpath along this section. This has led to it being very muddy and rutted, even during summer.
Evidence from local residents suggests that it is currently regularly accessed by four-wheel-drive vehicles, and it is unlikely that this is for angling purposes, more likely being those who use this as a recreational route. This is causing considerable damage to the area between the canal and the drain, as can be seen in the photographs taken in late summer. It is likely this situation becomes far worse over the winter making the route impassable on foot or by bicycle.
Although the route passes several residential and employment areas, very few people have been seen using the area on foot, and no cyclists have been seen during regular site visits over the summer. This would suggest that those living near the area are either deterred from using this route, partly as a result of the conditions along the canal bank.
To eliminate through traffic, but allow anglers to bring their vehicles closer to where they will be fishing, two solutions are proposed.
At the point where the New Pilfrey Bridge crosses the drains and the canal, the intention is to restrict this point so no motor vehicle can pass here. A 2m wide towpath will pass at the point of the concrete bridge footings, restricted by a central bollard.
Along the length of the canal bank, the proposal is to create a 300mm high grass bank to delineate the towpath (where no vehicles will be allowed) from the drain bank (where anglers vehicles will be allowed).
The Trust have developed several policy documents designed to improve the way towpath schemes are implemented, the key document being ‘Better Towpaths for Everyone’.
As well as setting out nine simple principles of towpath use, the policy identifies three key areas of focus: • Better Infrastructure – we have secured investment of £15m to widen and resurface towpaths over the past two years and will continue to use external sources of funding to carry out similar schemes across the network. Additionally consideration of lighting and access/barriers will be added to the Trust’s existing towpath design guidance.
• Better Signs – clear and prominent shared-use signs will be installed across the country where there are concerns raised by local stakeholders and customers. These are designed to encourage safer sharing such as at blind spots, pinch points and on busier towpath stretches, where there may also be moored boats.
• Better Behaviour – a range of initiatives to encourage considerate use of towpaths will be developed. The ‘Share the Space, Drop your Pace’ campaign and towpath code which have been successful in London will be extended to other parts of the network and, where needed, we will look at other methods to promote safe behaviour such as downloadable materials and volunteer towpath rangers.
The policy also includes a new Towpath Code based around the three elements – ‘Share the Space, Drop Your Pace, and It’s a Special Place’ to reflect the unique character of the canalside environment.
The promotion of public health is becoming an ever more important aspect of policy across local and national government. It is widely acknowledged that fostering a physically and mentally healthy population leads to higher levels of both labour force participation and productivity, whilst also reducing health service and welfare costs. Whilst there are many aspects of health promotion, the availability of high quality greenspace has assumed increasing importance in recent years. Greenspace can act as a multi-functional health asset, encouraging people to take more exercise, providing a peaceful environment and offering a real alternative to undertaking journeys by the private car in some places.
A recent paper (Measuring the Health Impacts of Scotland’s Canals) has set out the positive health impacts of Scotland’s Lowland Canal network. The wide ranging analysis undertaken in the study area focused on a 70 mile linear corridor has established that the canals generate health benefits in terms of increased physical activity; safety; air quality; and social and community cohesion.
In quantitative terms, the canals deliver:
• almost 3.9 million additional person kilometres of travel per annum, equating to a physical health benefit of £6.4 million per annum; • the towpaths remove over 1 million cycle kilometres from the roads, with an annual safety benefit of £220k; • additional physical activity on the canal leads to a £77k direct reduction in employer • costs through reduced absenteeism. There are also wider, but as yet unquantifiable benefits, in terms of increased productivity. • The canals reduce exposure to poor air quality by almost 85,000 hours per annum;
The project will provide new low carbon routes to employment, related health benefits and leisure routes between the communities of the Isle of Axholme and Scunthorpe. This project is part of a longer-term aspiration to improve the towpath and public rights of way linkages all the way to Doncaster where the Stainforth & Keadby meets the New Junction Canal in Stainforth.
North Lincolnshire has seen a sustained and significant decline in serious road injuries and deaths; however cyclist injuries continue to be stubbornly high, cyclists becoming significantly more at risk on high-speed rural roads. Giving cyclists an alternative traffic-free route on which to travel for these parts of their journeys will significantly reduce their chances of being involved in a life- changing road traffic collision.
Cyclists involved in Road Traffic Collisions in North Lincolnshire
Year Cyclist Killed or Serious Cyclist Slight Injury 2014 15 41 2013 17 49 2012 14 46 2011 10 48 2011 12 40
The finished route will be constructed at 175mm depth and 2.1m width, and finished with local blast furnace slag dust. A large grass area will be retained adjacent to the water, and this will be available for anglers to fish from. The photographs below are from the River Ancholme, where a similar scheme has been undertaken.
The scheme will also see habitat improvement for water voles and the installation of bat boxes and owl boxes.
The C&RT have a very limited budget to work with annually, with most of the money targeted towards maintenance of the waterways, locks etc. This work therefore represents a significant investment in the C&RT infrastructure with the aim of improving the health and wellbeing of the local population.
Work is programmed to start towards the end of the year, and it will be necessary to close sections of the path for safety reasons during construction. Work on the canal bank is expected to take 4 months, with completion scheduled for Easter 2017.
Consultation will be undertaken through local Parish Councils, on the Canal & River Trust website and the North Lincolnshire Council website until 16 November 2015.
If you would like to comment on these proposals, please email:
or write to:
Project YHP327 The Environment Team North Lincolnshire Council Church Square House Scunthorpe DN15 6XQ