Chesterfield Canal Partnership Access Strategy “Making the Chesterfield Canal Open and Accessible to All” First Edition 2006 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy The Chesterfield Canal Partnership The Chesterfield Canal Partnership is made up of local authorities, statutory and non-statutory bodies, the voluntary sector and private enterprise, and is fully committed to the protection, restoration and development of the Chesterfield Canal. All members share the belief that the canal constitutes a major natural history and heritage feature, with the potential to significantly enhance the recreational, tourism and business life of the region. The Partnership works to protect and enhance the natural history and historic value of the canal, whilst promoting the development of its business and amenity potential to benefit all sectors of the regional community. Partnership Aims • Restore the Chesterfield Canal to full navigation using, wherever possible, the historic route. • Explore the potential to create and develop a new navigable link between the Chesterfield Canal and the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation. • Protect, conserve and enhance the natural and built heritage of the canal. • Improve and widen all forms of public access to the canal. • Promote the sustainable economic and social regeneration of the Chesterfield Canal corridor in order to improve the quality of life in surrounding communities. Contact For further information on the Chesterfield Canal Partnership please contact Dr Geraint Coles, Development Manager, Chesterfield Canal Partnership, The Old Parish Rooms, Church Street, Eckington, Derbyshire. S21 4BH Email: [email protected] Tel: 01246 433 186 Fax: 01246 431 861 ii Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Contents Contents Page Executive Summary vi - vii Key Recommendations viii - xiii 1 Context 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 What is the Access Strategy For? 1 1.3 What do we mean by “Access”? 1 1.4 Why do we need an Access Strategy? 3 1.5 How does the Access Strategy Link with National, Regional and Local Access 3 Policies and those of our Partners? 1.6 The Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Sets Out 4 1.7 Structure of the Access Strategy 4 2 The Canal Resource 2.1 Introduction 7 2.2 The Chesterfield Canal and its Corridor 7 2.3 The Canal Landscape 8 2.4 Ecology 12 2.5 Historical Context 12 2.6 The Canal Industries and their Communities 16 2.7 What Remains: The Built Heritage of the Chesterfield Canal 17 2.8 Social Context 19 2.9 Community 20 2.10 Recreation 20 2.11 Tourism 21 3 Transport Access to the Canal & Surrounding Region 3.1 Introduction 23 3.2 Bus Services 24 3.3 Bus Routes 24 3.4 Relationship of Bus Routes to Access Nodes 26 3.5 Information about Bus Services 27 3.6 Future Development of Bus Service Provision in the Canal Corridor 27 3.7 Railway Services & Railway Routes 28 3.8 Relationship of Railway Stations to Access Nodes 30 3.9 Information about Railway Services 30 3.10 Integration of Public Transport Services 31 3.11 Future Development of Public Transport in the Canal Corridor 31 3.12 Private Cars and Private Hire Coaches 32 3.13 Current Parking Provision 32 3.14 Development Potential 33 Chesterfield Canal Partnership iii Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy 4 Access to the Towpath 4.1 Introduction 35 4.2 Access Objectives 36 4.3 Access for Walking 37 4.4 Mobility and Access 37 4.5 Cycling 38 4.6 Horse Riding 38 4.7 Fishing 39 4.8 Access Audit: Introduction 40 4.9 Methods and Survey Criteria 40 4.10 The Number and Distribution of Access Nodes 41 4.11 The Current Condition of Access Nodes 42 4.12 Towpath Condition 44 4.13 Cycling and Horse Riding 44 4.14 Current Patterns of Towpath Use 45 4.15 Local Links 47 4.16 Long Distance Routes and Wider Connections 48 4.17 Access Proposals: Detailed Planning and Ongoing Access Audit 51 4.18 Canal Access Node Improvement 51 4.19 Primary Access Nodes 52 4.20 Secondary Access Nodes 56 4.21 Tertiary Access Nodes 57 4.22 Signage 59 4.23 Canal Towpath Improvement 60 4.24 Strategic Approach to Access Node and Towpath Improvements 61 4.25 Development of Wider Links: Aims 61 4.26 Development of New Promoted Local Walking Routes 62 4.27 Development of Routes for People with Limited Mobility / Disabilities 62 4.28 Development of Cycling and Horse Riding in the Canal Corridor 64 4.29 Development of New Strategic Long Distance Routes 65 4.30 The Idle Way 68 4.31 Other Prospects Out-with the Remit of the Partnership 69 5 Access to the Water 5.1 Access to the Water 71 5.2 Boating 72 5.3 The Navigable Canal & Access to the Water (Navigation Authorities) 73 5.4 Access to the Chesterfield Canal & Navigation on the River Trent 73 5.5 Canal Dimensions (Gauge) & Maximum Craft Dimensions 74 5.6 Planned Restoration & Access 75 5.7 Proposed Long Term Management Framework 75 5.8 Boat Moorings 76 5.9 Future Long Term Mooring Provision 77 5.10 Boat Facilities 78 5.11 Launching Facilities 79 5.12 Boat Yards & Maintenance Facilities 80 iv Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Contents 5.13 Trip Boats 80 5.14 Hire Boats 81 5.15 Paddle Sports 82 5.16 Angling 83 5.17 Model Boating 85 6 Intellectual Access 6.1 Introduction 87 6.2 A Thematic Approach to Intellectual Access 88 6.3 Opportunities and Means of Enabling Intellectual Access 89 6.4 Information: Introduction 90 6.5 Current Provision of Promotional Information 90 6.6 Current Provision of Public Transport Information 92 6.7 Current Directional, Advisory and Informational Signage Provision 92 6.8 Proposed Development of Information Provision 92 6.9 Web-Site Development 93 6.10 Interpretation: Introduction 95 6.11 Interpretation and Visitor Centres 96 6.12 Canal Interpretation /Outreach Officers 98 6.13 Guided Walks & Guided Cycle Rides 99 6.14 Education: Introduction 100 6.15 Raising the Profile of Education within the Partnership 101 6.16 Educational Information 101 6.17 Improving Access for Educational Purposes 101 6.18 Creating Appropriate Facilities & Resources for Education 102 6.19 Discovery: Introduction 103 6.20 The Built Heritage Discovery Programme 103 6.21 The Heritage Resource 104 6.22 The Archaeological Record of the Chesterfield Canal 104 6.23 The Documentary Record of the Chesterfield Canal 105 6.24 The Potential Oral History Record of the Chesterfield Canal 105 6.25 A Chesterfield Canal Archive 106 6.26 The Natural Heritage Discovery Programme 107 6.27 Inspiration: Arts and Culture on the Canal 108 6.28 Art on the Canal 109 6.29 Arts, Culture and Development 109 References 111 Appendix Table 1 Access Nodes -- Current Condition Table 2 Access Nodes – Community Links, Transport Access Table 3 Towpath Condition Survey – Current Condition Chesterfield Canal Partnership v Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Executive Summary Executive Summary The purpose of the Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy is to examine the ways in which all forms of access by all possible groups can be encouraged and developed. The Strategy examines the current provision and develops a range of approaches and proposals to overcome physical and intellectual exclusion. The Chesterfield Canal is one of the country’s earliest and most fascinating canals. Its 46 mile length links the regions of the East Midlands and South Yorkshire and includes a range of both natural and built heritage attractions equal to any other part of the British Waterways network. Section Two briefly reviews this resource. Section Three, Transport Access to the Canal and Surrounding Region, reviews how the canal can be reached by both public and private transport and makes nine key recommendations. The chief obstacle to sustainable access is the absence of Sunday bus services to the Trent Valley villages to the east of Retford. The rest of the canal corridor is well served by buses on both weekdays and weekends including Sundays. Overall the review concluded that, with the very important exception of the Trent Valley villages, for most of its length the canal is currently relatively well served by public transport but that information about services is poorly distributed and rarely integrated with information about the canal. It has identified a number of measures to better integrate information and to encourage increased use of existing services while at the same time lobbying for links to the Summer “hopper bus” services which operate in Sherwood Forest and around South Rotherham. With respect to private transport it concludes that there is very little provision for public parking along the route. Absence of properly recognised parking areas results in congestion with poor or nuisance parking being common at access nodes. This prevents many car borne users from attempting to access the canal. It further concluded that access for private hire coaches is completely inadequate and that this is having an adverse affect on access by tourists, the elderly and educational groups. Section Four, Access to the Towpath, deals with physical access to the towpath and banks of the canal and the physical links from surrounding communities to the canal. In total it makes fourteen recommendations. The Towpath is the single most used feature of the canal – attracting significant numbers of visitors for a diverse range of activities. The chief users are walkers, cyclists, horse riders and anglers. A survey of the current condition of the access points and towpath was undertaken and the results are summarised. These results are then employed to identify key vi Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Executive Summary opportunities for enhancement based upon the identified requirements of each user group.