Chesterfield Partnership Access Strategy

“Making the 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 & 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, . 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

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4 Access to the 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 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 . Its 46 mile length links the regions of the and South Yorkshire and includes a range of both natural and built heritage attractions equal to any other part of the 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 . 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 .

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.

The strategic position of the canal is important – the canal cuts across the “grain” of the country in an east-west direction and intersects three north-south routes – the , the Archaeological Way and the Trent Valley Way. It therefore forms an important cross regional connector. Proposals are made for improving the connectivity of the towpath both to local communities and to other long distance footpaths and trails.

Section Five, Access to the Water, considers those activities which take place in and on the water spaces of the canal corridor. It reviews current provision in terms of water based activities including Boating, Paddlesports, Angling and Model Boating and sets out strategic development goals. In total the Partnership identifies twenty areas for action.

At present the nationally linked section from (on the River Trent) to is owned and managed by British Waterways whilst the isolated length between Staveley and Chesterfield is owned and managed by Derbyshire County Council. It is reasonable to expect that these agencies will take the lead in the development of water based activities in these sections of the canal.

The ongoing restoration of the canal and the potential for the construction of the Rother Valley Link from the Chesterfield Canal to the South Yorkshire Navigation will greatly increase boating access to the entire canal and make the canal part of a “South Yorkshire Cruising Ring”.

Intellectual Access enables communities and individuals to feel engaged with the heritage of the canal and to feel a sense of ownership. In Section Six a group of four key themes are identified and summarised. These form the basis of intellectual access programmes which combine elements of Information, Interpretation, Education, Discovery and Inspiration to explore and present the different facets of the canal.

The Partnership will promote the development of community based initiatives for the development of intellectual access to both the natural and built heritage of the canal. Intellectual access covers a very wide range of activities and in consequence the Partnership makes some thirty recommendations.

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Key Recommendations

Transport Access to the Canal and Surrounding Region

KT.1 Develop an action plan to co-ordinate integrated transport provision along the Chesterfield Canal based upon the proposed access improvements. KT.2 Work with communities and appropriate agencies in the revision of Local Transport Plans to promote the incremental improvement of links to and from the Canal and its surrounding corridor. KT.3 Work with the Local Authorities to identify ways in which tourism based Sunday bus services could be extended to the Trent Valley villages as part of a wider sustainable tourism initiative in the area. KT.4 Lobby for Better Integrated Timetabling – Work to address known timetable and service provision anomalies. If possible remove cross border ambiguity by the removal of duplicate numbering of services. KT.5 Identify the most appropriate and sustainable manner in which to promote the use of public transport services. KT.6 Develop a public access map for the canal corridor. This would show the access nodes, the facilities available, footpaths and Greenways which link to the canal together with the Bus Routes and Railway services. KT.7 Produce a Chesterfield Canal Leisure Guide informing people how they can reach the canal and what they might find then they get there. To include map(s) and details of operators, information lines, etc., together with summary bus and rail timetables – This will require Partnership commitment as it will need to be updated every year. KT.8 Integrate Car and Coach Parking provision into the overall transport strategy for access to the canal. KT.9 Develop a parking action plan to control or discourage nuisance parking, upgrade existing parking and develop new parking areas as appropriate. This to form an integral part of any access node development plan.

Access to the Towpath

KA.1 Work with our Partners to undertake regular access audits of the canal towpath and linking paths so as to monitor progress towards implementation of the Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy and Rights of Way Action Plans. KA.2 Work with our Partners to draw up local Rights of Way Action Plans which can contribute towards both increasing access to the canal and meeting the needs of the relevant local authority Rights of Way Improvement Plans.

viii Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Key Recommendations

KA.3 Implement an agreed programme of work to improve, retain or restrain access opportunities and associated services at particular primary, secondary and tertiary access nodes. KA.4 Develop a signage strategy for the whole of the route taking into account the types of access nodes present, as an addendum to the Chesterfield Canal Design Guide approved by the Partnership in 2000, and in accordance with the requirements of existing national (e.g. Trans Pennine Trail) and local initiatives (e.g. Cuckoo Way), and landowner requirements (e.g. British Waterways). KA.5 Work with our partners to improve the Canal Towpath as part of strategic improvement in the wider footpath and (where appropriate) cycleway network. KA.6 Work with our partners to improve those footpaths that serve the varied needs of local communities. KA.7 Work with our partners to improve walking and cycling routes which provide sustainable links between tourism destinations and which increase diversity of long distance routes with the wider area. KA.8 Prepare, produce and market collectively a new series of leaflets promoting walking routes, adopting a style of presentation uniform with the existing walks leaflet series and the Partnership Design Guide. KA.9 Develop an Access-for-All Action Plan to identify and remedy potential problems along the proposed routes and to identify the likely cost of improving access nodes to make them fully accessible. KA.10 Make Application to the Fieldfare Trust for Millennium Miles Status for those sections of the canal which meet the BT Countryside for All standards and all such subsequent sections as they are improved. KA.11 Fully assess the current cycling provisions and predicted demand along the length of the canal, identifying opportunities and problems likely to be encountered. Make recommendations for cycling development priorities. KA.12 On the basis of the above study seek funding to upgrade routes to cycleway status and where relevant, apply for a licence. Promote the routes in accordance with the Communication Strategy and Partnership Design Guide. KA.13 Fully assess the current horse riding provision and predicted demand along the length of the canal, identifying opportunities and problems likely to be encountered. Make recommendations for equestrian development priorities. KA.14 Work with our Partners to investigate the practicability, costs and benefits of the proposed walking, cycling and horse riding link routes and where feasible and beneficial work to incorporate those route proposals in the ROWIP strategies for North East Derbyshire, South Rotherham, North , North and Doncaster.

Chesterfield Canal Partnership ix Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Key Recommendations

Access to the Water

KW.1 Work with British Waterways to develop cost effective appropriate additional support to help boaters to safely and confidently navigate the tidal River Trent. In particular to explore boat guidance and equipment loan schemes. KW.2 Work to ensure that all future restoration will continue to incorporate the highest possible level of accessibility to both the water and the towpath. KW.3 Work towards a framework agreement for the long term management of the Derbyshire Section of the Chesterfield Canal. KW.4 Work with British Waterways to undertake a study of expected demand for both long and short term moorings on the Chesterfield Canal. Explore the options for the development of new moorings and develop a strategy for meeting anticipated demand in the short, medium and long term. KW.5 Work with British Waterways to undertake a study of expected demand for boating facilities on the Chesterfield Canal. Explore the options for the development of new facilities and develop a strategy for meeting anticipated demand in the short, medium and long term. KW.6 Work with British Waterways to explore the need for additional slipways on the existing canal and integrate this into development plans for each access node. KW.7 Work with BW and the boat clubs on the canal to develop a strategy for the gradual improvement of maintenance and repair facilities. In particular to explore the best means of providing a dry dock on the canal. KW.8 Explore the potential for attracting commercial chandleries / boat yards and/or boat builders to the canal. KW.9 Work with the Chesterfield Canal Trust to help them develop the full tourism and publicity value of the Trust’s trip boat operations. KW.10 Work with the New Dawn Group to explore the heritage tourism and publicity value of horse drawn trip boat operations. KW.11 Work with Derbyshire County Council Countryside Service to develop and increase day boat hire operations on the Chesterfield – Staveley section. KW.12 Work with British Waterways and Commercial Operators to increase hire boat operations on the Chesterfield Canal. KW.13 Explore the potential for community based hire boat operations offering reduced rate hire to local community groups or individuals. KW.14 Work with tourism agencies to change the external perception of the canal region and to create a positive image of the Chesterfield Canal and its potential as a canal holiday destination (See also the aims of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership Communications Strategy 2004).

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KW.15 Work with the British Canoe Union and local Paddle Sports Societies to develop a local paddle sports access plan which identifies what specific actions have to be undertaken to improve access for these sports. KW.16 Support “considerate anglers” schemes. KW.17 Seek to encourage the further development of commercial fisheries along the canal. KW.18 Encourage the development of community angling groups so as to ensure low cost access to fishing on the canal KW.19 Encourage the development of angling day ticket and permit exchange schemes along the canal. KW.20 Encourage the further development of model boating on the canal through engagement with model engineering and model boating societies in the wider region. In particular, encourage model boat enthusiasts to consider the canal as a potential venue for regional gatherings and events.

Intellectual Access

KI.1 Develop intellectual access to help users’ understanding and appreciation of the Chesterfield Canal. KI.2 Further develop the linking themes and integrate them into intellectual access activities along the Chesterfield Canal. KI.3 Undertake the full implementation of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership Communications Strategy (2004). KI.4 Work to further diversify the range of information on offer and ensure that it is distributed effectively to the public through the Partner Organisations and their associates. KI.5 Establish an audience development programme to ensure that information is distributed to major towns and cities in the region and is available in appropriate formats for ethnic communities and those with disabilities. KI.6 Initiate links to the Chesterfield Canal Trust web-site from all Local Authority and other Partnership members’ web-sites. Ensure that details of the Chesterfield Canal Trust web-site is provided on all new interpretative material, including leaflets, panels and where appropriate, on signage. KI.7 Work with the Chesterfield Canal Trust to develop additional web based resources for access information, public transport information, interpretation and discovery. KI.8 Produce a series of interpretive leaflets specifically related to the various themes identified in this strategy to complement the existing leaflet resource. All leaflets produced should adopt presentation uniform with the agreed Chesterfield Canal Partnership Design Guide.

Chesterfield Canal Partnership xi Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Key Recommendations

KI.9 Prepare a series of interpretation panels based on the themes identified in this strategy, and consistent with agreed Chesterfield Canal Partnership Design Guide principles. KI.10 Develop the existing web-based resources to increase the depth and breadth of interpretive material available on-line and to ensure that there are better links between web-based interpretation and other media. KI.11 Initiate a feasibility study for a new Chesterfield Canal Visitor Centre within the A61 Corridor Development in Chesterfield. KI.12 Initiate a study of Visitor Centre provision along the entire Chesterfield Canal with a view to creating a long term strategy for Visitor Centre development. KI.13a Develop a co-ordinated programme of guided thematic walks throughout the length of the canal. KI.13b Explore the potential for developing a series of guided cycle rides throughout the length of the canal. KI.14 Establish an Education Sub-Group with a remit to recruit appropriate specialist contributors and to develop the Chesterfield Canal as an educational resource. KI.15 Develop an Education Action Plan for the Chesterfield Canal working in conjunction with the Local Education Authorities, Countryside Service Education Officers and other relevant parties. KI.16 Establish a project to create teachers’ information packs on aspects of the Chesterfield Canal. These to be linked to the three key themes of Environment, Heritage and Arts and be explicitly related to key stage elements within National Curriculum subjects. KI.17 Incorporate educational access needs within the physical development plans for the access nodes. Address the particular need for coach parking and disabled access at key nodes to facilitate school visits. KI.18 Incorporate educational resource and support needs within the overall development plans for the access nodes with particular reference to educational activities at Visitor Centres. KI.19 Establish a Built Heritage Sub-Group with a remit to (a) recruit appropriate specialist contributors, (b) develop an action plan for the Chesterfield Canal Built Heritage Discovery Programme and (c) to oversee and guide implementation. KI.20 Develop an action plan, and seek appropriate resources, for the implementation of a Chesterfield Canal Built Heritage Discovery Programme. KI.21 Establish an Archaeological Discovery Programme which engages with communities along the canal and which will create a lasting publicly accessible archival record.

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KI.22 Establish a Documentary History Discovery Programme which engages with communities along the canal and which will create a lasting publicly accessible archival record. KI.23 Establish a full and methodical Oral History Discovery Programme which engages with communities along the canal and which will create a lasting publicly accessible archival record. KI.24 Undertake a detailed review of the options for the establishment of a Chesterfield Canal Archive either as a separate entity or as contribution to an existing archive. Based upon the conclusions of that review produce an action plan to implement its recommendations. KI.25 Reinvigorate the Biodiversity Sub Group with an additional remit to (a) recruit appropriate specialist contributors, (b) develop an action plan for the Chesterfield Canal Natural Heritage Discovery Programme and (c) to oversee and guide implementation. KI.26 Develop an action plan, and seek appropriate resources, for the implementation of a Chesterfield Canal Natural Heritage Discovery Programme. KI.27 Undertake a preliminary strategic study of potential opportunities and locations to develop arts and cultural facilities, venues and attractions on the canal. KI.28 Work to instigate an ‘Art on the Canal’ project along the entire canal. KI.29 Work to encourage the incorporation of art works and performance spaces within plans for canal-side developments. KI.30 Seek to encourage the growth of cultural industries as potentially beneficial “good neighbours” in new build developments.

Chesterfield Canal Partnership xiii Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Key Recommendations

xiv Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section One: Context

Section One Context

Summary The purpose of the Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy is to examine the ways in which all forms of access by all possible user 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. This section looks at why an Access Strategy is needed and examines the context for its development.

1.1 Introduction

1.1.1 This is a working document intended to identify key actions which must be undertaken to make the Chesterfield Canal open and accessible to all. 1.1.2 The broad framework for the restoration and development of the canal is set out in the Chesterfield Canal Partnership’s “2020 Vision – A Strategy for the Restoration and Development of the Chesterfield Canal” (first edition 1997, third revised edition 2005) (see http:/www.chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk/index.shtml). 1.1.3 2020 Vision recognises the potential of the Chesterfield Canal as a major resource for local recreation and regional tourism. It sets out a vision of the canal as a catalyst for economic and social regeneration; the canal having a key role to play in improving the quality of life of local communities and as a focus for the development of sustainable tourism.

1.2 What is the Access Strategy For?

1.2.1 The Access Strategy is intended to realise a key objective of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership, namely “the improvement and widening of public access to the canal” (2020 Vision, 2005). The purpose of the Access Strategy is therefore to promote the widest possible use of the canal and its corridor.

1.3 What do we mean by “Access”?

1.3.1 Access refers to the way in which people are enabled, encouraged and empowered to make use of, or engage with, a particular location, resource or activity.

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 1 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section One: Context

1.3.2 There are many different forms of access ranging from the physical to the intellectual. Physical access deals with moving on, along or around the canal. Intellectual access deals with understanding the historical and natural importance of the canal and provides the means to use the canal -- potential users need to be made aware of the canals existence, given sufficient information to enable them to use it and understand its historic and natural significance. This intellectual appreciation of the canal and its surroundings can serve to develop confidence in its use and ultimately a shared feeling of ownership. 1.3.3 It is convenient to think of physical access in terms of anticipated activities since this enables us to ask whether the facilities offered are “fit for purpose” and whether they are fully accessible by all members of the community. 1.3.4 The Chesterfield Canal is a tremendous resource and has a very large potential user base with an equally wide range of mobility or disability represented. The key activities which are currently anticipated include;

• Walking • Cycling (in some locations only) • Horse Riding (in some locations only) • Angling • Nature Discovery • Heritage Discovery • Boating • Canoeing and Paddlesports • Model Boating

1.3.5 National studies by the Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council (IWAAC) and British Waterways have identified a number of reasons which prevent people from using or accessing the waterway environment for leisure activities (IWWAC 2001 ”The Inland Waterways: Towards greater social inclusion”; British Waterways 2002 “Waterways for People”). These include;

• Difficulty reaching the canal corridor • Physical access difficulties on the canal itself • An unpleasant and neglected environment • Fears for personal security and safety • Too few activities to provide positive experiences • Absence of a proactive personal approach to promote sustained use • Feelings of disassociation or exclusion from the canal and the heritage which it represents • Absence of appropriate information

1.3.6 It will be noted that the enabling access is not only about physical access but also about establishing an intellectual connection between users and the site. These issues occur across the full range of canal activities both on the bank and on the waterspace and are therefore addressed repeatedly in this strategy. 1.4 Why do we need an Access Strategy?

2 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section One: Context

1.4.1 Because, although the Chesterfield Canal is an historic entity which has a physical integrity and a distinctive character, it passes through six different local authority areas, is managed by two navigation authorities and different aspects of its natural and built heritage are subject to controls by the Environment Agency, English Nature and English Heritage. 1.4.2 The Access Strategy is therefore required to co-ordinate the work of the Partners towards a shared vision of a sustainably restored canal, open and accessible to all and serving the widest possible community. The Access Strategy will: -

• Provide a framework of achievable complimentary actions by all of the organisations of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership in respect of all forms of access to the canal. • Identify key themes which make the best possible use of the canal’s rich and varied resources in terms of its history, archaeology, wildlife and landscapes. • Ensure sustainable development by seeking to balance the widening, improvement and increased ease of access to the Chesterfield Canal with the need to conserve, protect and enhance the rich and varied natural and human history which the existing canal infrastructure supports. • Develop a cohesive strategy to help attract investment into the canal corridor and acquire funding to help implement the specific key actions.

1.4.3 Wherever possible, the Access Strategy should also seek to contribute to the reduction of anti-social activity along the canal corridor, especially with regard to issues such as trespassing, littering, unauthorised motorcycling, use of firearms and so on. Such contributions are not always obvious -- well-designed signage and maps, for example, are not only an important source of visitor information, but can also help to direct the flow of visitors away from potential or actual problem areas. 1.4.4 The Access Strategy is a working document and will require periodic revision to take account of progress on the ground, changes in local circumstances and changes in the policies of Government and our Partner organisations.

1.5 How does the Access Strategy Link with National, Regional and Local Access Policies and those of our Partners?

1.5.1 Each organisation which supports the Partnership has its own strategic frameworks and policies. For the Access Strategy to be a deliverable framework it must be complementary to the existing strategies of our Partners and operate within the broad policy structures of Government, Local Authorities and British Waterways. 1.5.2 Some of the national, regional and local policies and strategic plans which are reflected in aspects of this strategy are given in table 1.1. Wherever possible specific key actions proposed here also fulfil the requirements of National, Regional and Local Policy and Strategy as expressed by our Partner organisations.

1.5.3 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership will seek to promote co-ordinated activities for incorporation in the policies and activities of the different authorities and agencies along the route.

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 3 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section One: Context

1.6 The Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Sets Out:

• To examine the Canal Corridor and audit the current access arrangements • To identify obstacles to access, issues of exclusion and potential conflicts of interest and to propose means of overcoming these challenges • To identify opportunities for improving all forms of access • To propose a series of complimentary actions which should be undertaken by all of the organisations of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership to improve all forms of access to the canal.

1.7 Structure of the Access Strategy

1.7.1 The Access Strategy is in six parts. This section explains the purpose of the strategy and outlines the context for widening access and tackling exclusion. 1.7.2 Section Two provides a statement of the historical and natural resources of the Chesterfield Canal and its surrounding region. It is a summary of the potential of the corridor and does not pretend to be a complete statement. 1.7.3 Section Three examines how users can reach the canal corridor by public and private transport. It suggests means by which the existing transport provision can be better utilised and the practical ways in which it could be improved. 1.7.4 Section Four explores physical access to the Towpath. It reports the result of the Access Node and Footpath Condition Survey and suggests key improvements which will be required to make the canal fully accessible for all levels of mobility. 1.7.5 Section Five considers access to the waterspace and notes the importance of waterbased activities. It makes recommendations which could improve access to water and tourism in the canal region. 1.7.6 Section Six looks at the barriers to intellectual understanding and enjoyment of the Chesterfield Canal. It examines the ways in which the diverse heritage and environment of the canal could be explored and promoted to local communities and education. 1.7.7 Sections Three to Six propose a series of key actions which have a reference within the text (e.g., KT.7). For ease of reference these are also brought together as a single list in the executive summary in the preface.

National Policy & Strategy The Inland Waterways: Towards Greater Social Inclusion. Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council 2001. Waterways for People. British Waterways 2002

4 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section One: Context

Increasing Access to the Wider Countryside for Disabled People. Fieldfare Trust 2001. Draft Policy on Sustainable Access. Environment Agency 2004 By All Reasonable Means: Inclusive access to the outdoors for disabled people. Countryside Agency 2005 Managing Public Access: A guide for land managers. Countryside Agency 2005 Rights of Way Improvement Plans – Statutory Guidance to Local Authorities in . DEFRA 2002 Water Ways – Inland Waterways and Sustainable Rural Transport. A good practice guide by British Waterways and the Countryside Agency in association with the Environment Agency and the Association of Inland Navigation Authorities. 2004 Making it Happen: The Northern Way. Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2004. The Value of Public Space: How high quality parks and public spaces create economic, social and environmental value. CABE Space 2004 The Historic Environment: A Force for Our Future. Dept. for Culture, Media and Sport 2001. Recharging the Power of Place: Valuing local significance. Campaign to Protect Rural England, National Trust & Heritage Link 2004 Unlocking the potential of the rural urban fringe. Countryside Agency and Groundwork 2004. Just Add Water: How our inland waterways can do more for rural regeneration – A practical guide. Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council 2005. Waterways & Development Plans. British Waterways 2003 Your Rivers for Life – A strategy for the development of navigable rivers 2004-2007. Environment Agency 2004 Navigation restoration and environmental appraisal. Environment Agency 2004. British Waterways and Biodiversity – A framework for waterway wildlife strategies. British Waterways 2000. Regional Strategy Regional Economic Strategy for Yorkshire and 2006-2015. Yorkshire Forward 2005 Progress in the Region 2005: Key Findings and Policy Implications for Yorkshire & Humberside. Yorkshire Futures 2005 East Midlands Rural Action Plan. EMDA 2000 East Midlands Creative Industries Study: Final Report. Comedia for EMDA / EMAB 2001. East Midlands Public Health Strategy. East Midlands Regional Assembly 2001 East Midlands Strategic River Corridors Initiative. East Midlands Local Gov. Association 2003. Local Biodiversity Action Plan for Nottinghamshire. Nottinghamshire County Council 1998. Heritage Counts: The State of the East Midlands Historic Environment 2005 English Heritage 2005 (and previous reports in 2004, 2003) Preparing a Heritage Management Plan. Countryside Agency 2004 Trans Pennine Trail Tourism and Marketing Study. Yorkshire Tourist Board 2005 Regional and Local Plans Nottinghamshire and Joint Structure Plan (pre-deposit draft). Nottinghamshire County Council 2003 All Together Better: Nottinghamshire Local Area Agreement (First Submission). Nottinghamshire County Council 2005. Nottinghamshire Pilot Rights of Way Improvement Plan. Nottinghamshire County Council 2005. Cultural Strategy. Nottinghamshire County Council 2006. Bassetlaw Local Plan 1995. Council 1995. Bassetlaw Local Plan Modifications Book 1999. Bassetlaw District Council 1999. A New Local Plan for Bassetlaw: Issues Report 2002. Bassetlaw District Council 2002.

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 5 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section One: Context

Retford Conservation Area Policy Statement. Bassetlaw District Council 2003. Conservation Area Policy Statement. Bassetlaw District Council 2003. Worksop Renaissance Town Plan. Bassetlaw District Council 2005. Rotherham Unitary Development Plan. Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council 1999. Derbyshire Structure Plan. Derbyshire County Council East Derbyshire Greenways Strategy 1998 A report for Derbyshire County Council by Land Use Consultants, Transport for Leisure & Les Lumsdon. (Supported by Countryside Commission). The Way Ahead: A Management and Development Strategy for 2004 to 2009. Derbyshire County Council Countryside Service 2004. Chesterfield Borough Local Plan (First Deposit). Chesterfield Borough Council 2003. North East Derbyshire Local Plan Review 2001-2011 (Revised Deposit). North East Derbyshire District Council 2003. A Greenprint for Chesterfield. Chesterfield Borough Council / Derbyshire Wildlife Trust 2003. Community Strategy for Chesterfield & North East Derbyshire 2005-2015. CHART LSP 2005 Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire Joints Art Development Strategy 2006-2011 (first draft) Chesterfield Borough Council and North East Derbyshire District Council 2006 Prior Relevant Chesterfield Canal Strategies & Studies A Waterway for All. Chesterfield Canal Society 1992. Follow the Cuckoo Way along the Chesterfield Canal. Chesterfield Canal Society 1993 Chesterfield Canal – Strategy for Protection and Restoration. Rotherham MBC 1992. Adopted by all Canal Partnership Councils in 1993. The Chesterfield Canal “Recreational Strategy”. Derbyshire County Council, 1993. River Rother Wildlife Strategy. A Joint initiative by Derbyshire County Council, RMBC, NEDDC, CBC, BDC and the City of Sheffield 1994. The Chesterfield Canal Corridor “A Plan for the Future”. Bassetlaw District Council, 1997. Kiveton Colliery Rotherham – Waterspace Masterplan. British Waterways, DLA Landscape & Urban Design and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council 1999. Chesterfield Canal Design Guide. Chesterfield Canal Partnership 2000 Communications Strategy. Chesterfield Canal Partnership 2004 (March) Chesterfield Wharf: Realising the development potential of the canal corridor in Chesterfield. Chesterfield Canal Partnership 2004 (July) Staveley Town Basin: Some possibilities for the development of a and visitor facilities at Staveley, Derbyshire. Chesterfield Canal Partnership 2004 (September) 2020 Vision for the Chesterfield Canal – Bringing the Past into Focus for the Future. Chesterfield Canal Partnership, 1997 2nd revised edition 1999, 3rd revised edition 2005. Next Navigation I: Chesterfield Canal Integrated Design Study Staveley to . Chesterfield Canal Partnership (Final Report in Preparation) The Cuckoo Way – Chesterfield Canal Rights of Way Improvement Plan and Countryside Access Report 2006 (Draft). Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council 2006.

Table 1.1: Some of the Key Strategy and Policy Documents on which the Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy is based.

6 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Two: Statement of Resource

Section Two The Canal Resource

Summary

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.

This section provides a brief statement of the built and natural heritage resources of the Chesterfield Canal and points readers towards further sources of information.

2.1 Introduction

2.1.1 The Canal Resource comprises all elements of the built and natural heritage of the canal. The combination of these elements makes for the distinctive character of the canal and ultimately makes it an attractive and interesting place to visit (cf. “Recharging the Power of Place”, Heritage Link 2005). The access strategy is about how we provide access to this resource; this section summarises the resources along the canal and in the immediate corridor. 2.1.2 This section is intended to provide a context for the recommendations of the access strategy; it is not an exhaustive review of the current resource and full reference is made to readily available published sources.

The Environment and Landscape Context

2.2 The Chesterfield Canal and its Corridor

2.2.1 The purpose of this section is to describe the route of the canal and place it in the context of its surrounding environment and landscape. 2.2.2 It outlines the character of the canal as it winds its way from Chesterfield to West Stockwith and outlines the environmental and heritage resources which can be found along its route.

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 7 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Two: Statement of Resource

Figure 2.1: Location of the Chesterfield Canal showing main transport links (source: Nottinghamshire County Council).

2.3 The Canal Landscape

2.3.1 The Chesterfield Canal runs 46 miles from Chesterfield to West Stockwith on the River Trent. The landscapes through which it flows have strikingly different characters which owe much to their underlying geology and local landscape histories. 2.3.2 At Chesterfield the canal commences on the floor of the Rother Valley. Here the river corridor is relatively narrow, constrained to the south-west by the slopes of Town Hill and to the east by Tapton & Castle Hills. From the site of the original terminal basin the canal crosses the alluvium of the valley floor and, leaving the River Rother behind, takes up a position at the foot of the eastern valley side and just above the natural valley floor – a position which it will occupy for much of its course. 2.3.3 The canal then follows the Valley of the Rother northwards, the valley becoming broader around Whittington. Slopes are gentle and rolling with no surface exposures of the underlying Carboniferous Middle Coal Measures, although there is evidence of former coal mining at several locations along the route. From Chesterfield to Staveley the canal formerly ran through a heavily industrialised landscape dominated by the Coal, Iron, Chemical and Glass industries. The majority of this industry has now closed and the canal now runs through a landscape which has either been reclaimed or is about to be reclaimed.

8 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Two: Statement of Resource

2.3.4 The surrounding valley side landscape was less heavily industrialised than the valley floor and lower slopes and much of the surroundings of the canal from Chesterfield to Staveley is a mixture of urban development interspersed with pockets of farmland and pasture characterised as “Coalfield Village Farmlands” and “Estate Farmlands”. 2.3.5 The canal then re-enters an urban setting at Staveley. It skirts the northern flank of the town where, at Lowgates, it crosses the low interfluve from the Rother to the Doe Lea Valley which it then traverses on a striking earth embankment known as the Puddle Bank. The Doe Lea Valley has suffered considerable mining subsidence and the valley floor has developed a number of shallow ponds or flashes. These are of exceptional nature conservation value and those to the south of the Puddle Bank have local nature reserve status. 2.3.6 The canal then reaches the eastern side of the Doe Lea Valley where it swings south to resume its course along the lower flank of the valley side. It is joined at that point by the former Norbriggs Cutting (branch canal). The surrounding landscape is characterised as Estate Farmlands until Renishaw when the character changes to wooded farmlands. 2.3.7 Renishaw itself is another former iron and coal town now undergoing regeneration. Beyond Renishaw the canal continues a largely wooded course passed isolated farms until it reaches the outskirts of Killamarsh. Killamarsh is an example of a small urban community which has grown from a string of small hamlets and villages along the canal. 2.3.8 At Killamarsh the canal turns due east and ascends the eastern side of the Rother Valley using a small tributary valley. It passes through the coal measures which form the valley crest in the Norwood , emerging at Kiveton Park on the Coal measures but close to the western flank of the Permian Magnesian Limestone escarpment. 2.3.9 From Kiveton Park the Canal continues eastwards passing down the dip slope of the Magnesian Limestone escarpment in a steep sided valley, the Broad Dike. The course of the canal is enclosed by dense semi-natural woodlands several of which have Local Nature Reserve status. Quarries along this stretch produced the stone for the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament in the 1850’s and also lime for agricultural improvement on the heavy coal measure soils to the west. 2.3.10 By Turnerwood the valley has become wider and more open but the course of the canal remains largely wooded with only glimpses of the limestone farmlands beyond. Field banks and walls are constructed of Limestone as are the vernacular buildings, with red pantiles being the most common form of roofing. 2.3.11 At the character of the canal corridor changes at it encounters the first of several small former mining villages on the outskirts of the Worksop. It also passes from the Magnesian Limestone to the overlying Middle Permian Marl. The latter is very soft and gives rise to a rolling landscape with few notable topographic features. At Worksop this in turn gives way first to the distinctive red sandstones of the Lower Mottled Sandstone and then, at Bracebridge, to the bright red sandstones of the Bunter Pebble Beds. 2.3.12 As the canal leaves Worksop at Manton it follows the shallow valley of the eastwards, occupying a position on the lower southern flank of the valley. The landscape character here is dominated by historic parklands and open estate

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 9 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Two: Statement of Resource

farmlands. Plantation woodlands, often of non-native species such as spruce, are prominent elements. Hedgerows were common but have largely been removed; fortunately they do survive along much of the canal and together with some small fringing woodlands provide a welcome wildlife refuge. 2.3.13 At Ranby the River Ryton turns northwards towards Blyth and . The Canal, however, leaves the shallow Ryton valley and continues eastwards across the Bunter Pebble Sandstones towards Retford. The landscape continues to be open and undulating and dominated by estate farmlands. 2.3.14 Immediately west of Retford the Canal runs along the margin between the Bunter Pebble beds and overlying Quaternary sands and gravels which occupy the Idle Valley. The Canal then crosses the Idle on a low embankment and an aqueduct in the centre of Retford. It then turns northward to follow the Idle valley along the foot of the rolling ridge of low Keuper Marl hills separating the Idle and Trent valleys. The Keuper escarpment, although low, is a significant feature and largely explains why the canal did not head directly from Retford to Gainsborough. 2.3.15 The canal here lies on the boundary of two different landscape characters; to the west the low lying and artificially drained 19th century estate farmlands of the Idle Valley, now marked by extensive sand and gravel extraction. To the east the foot of the Keuper scarp with a string of ancient villages (above the flood level but near enough the for transport) and areas of fossilised open fields and modern boundaries that reflect open fields. 2.3.16 The Canal crosses fully on to the Marls at Drakeholes where a short tunnel through a spur of the Marls gives access to the south side of the Idle valley without following the valley through its long detour west north and east around Matersey, Scaftwith and Bawtry. The canal then follows the lower flanks of the northern limit of the Keuper Marl hills past the hill top villages of and Walkeringham. Again the canal lies on a boundary with artificially drained intensive open farmlands below and to the north and enclosed farmland, reflecting more ancient boundaries, “up the hill” to the south. 2.3.16 The canal finally descends onto the Quaternary sands and gravels of the Trent Valley at Misterton and then crosses the same deposits to reach West Stockwith. Here the canal is entirely surrounded by a relatively recent landscape of regular geometric open fields, deep straight drainage dykes and isolated pumping stations. Hedgerows are rare and only a few isolated trees break the horizon.

10 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Two: Statement of Resource

Canal Landscapes

(a)

Rother Valley

Between Holingwood and Stavley the Canal follows the edge of the River Rother Flood plain

(b)

Magnesian Limestone Ridge.

Near Thorpe Salvin the canal crosses the Magnesian Limestone ridge via a natural valley against a backdrop of wooded rolling hills.

(c)

Lower Idle & Trent Valleys.

View North from the Canal near Gringley-on-the-Hill over the lower Idle and Trent valleys.

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 11 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Two: Statement of Resource

2.4 Ecology

2.4.1 Throughout the entire length of the Chesterfield Canal’s 46 miles, many nationally and locally important species (such as water vole and great crested newt) are found either in or adjacent to the waterway. As well as individual habitat components such as open water, species-rich scrub and grassy banks, the canal acts as an important wildlife corridor, especially where it flows through areas of intensive agricultural land. It also links other areas of important habitat such as broadleaf woodlands, low- intensity farmland and adjacent watercourses. 2.4.2 The canal provides an important wildlife corridor through the Chesterfield Borough area. It is close to the wetland at Brearley Park, Whittington, which is Chesterfield’s only Local Nature Reserve. The canal, river oxbows, meadows and woodland at Bluebank, between Station Road and Bilby Lane, form a proposed Local Nature Reserve site, where unimproved meadows are currently managed under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. Several wetland County Wildlife Sites are present in the vicinity of the canal, and opportunities for their development are sought by the River Rother Wildlife Strategy Group. Restoration of the canal has brought, and will continue to bring, opportunities for wildlife habitat creation and management along the canal corridor. 2.4.3 Whilst none of the Chesterfield Canal within Rotherham is afforded any statutory nature conservation designation, it does provide an important patchwork of habitats for a range of flora and fauna and is bordered along much of its length by the protected ancient woodlands of Old Spring Wood and Hawks Wood. In addition, a range of locally important natural heritage sites exists along the canal’s course through the Borough. 2.4.4 In Nottinghamshire, the twenty-kilometre section of the canal between Retford and Misterton has been notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to its uncommon plant communities. The remainder of the canal through the county is designated as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation due to its flora and fauna.

2.5 Historical Context

2.5.1 The story of the origins, rise and eventual decline of the Chesterfield Canal is unique. Many of its features are distinctive and have given rise to unique attributes – even the boats used on the Canal were strikingly different from those used in other regions.

Origins 2.5.2 The Chesterfield Canal runs west to east across the north-south grain of the country. This reflects the patterns of trade established in this area by the 1300’s. At that time the fledgling Lead and Iron industries of North Derbyshire and South Yorkshire found their main outlets via pack horse to the inland port of Bawtry at the head of reliable navigation on the River Idle. From Bawtry cargoes where dispatched to Hull and onward to eastern England, London and the Low Countries. In return it imported goods from throughout Europe and Scandinavia. By 1350 Bawtry was one of the principal ports for South Yorkshire & North East Derbyshire.

12 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Two: Statement of Resource

2.5.3 The River Idle navigation underwent improvement during the late 1600’s but trade from South Yorkshire fell away with the improvements to the River Dun (Don) undertaken from 1720’s onwards. Trade from Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire began to be hampered by the poor state of the roads to Bawtry and high tolls on the Dun Navigation. In Chesterfield thoughts began to turn to replacing the road with a canal and by 1768 there was sufficient local interest to engage the services of a civil engineer; . 2.5.4 By 1768 James Brindley had an enviable reputation as a canal engineer. Many schemes were clamouring for his services and as a result he sent one of his assistants, John Varley, to undertake the initial survey. In early 1769 Varley surveyed a route from Chesterfield to Shireoaks that was almost identical to the route eventually constructed. At Shireoaks, following his brief to survey a “water way to Bawtry”, his proposed route turns north east across open country to reach the shallow valley of the Ryton which he then followed to the Idle and Bawtry. 2.5.5 In December 1768 the notion of the canal began to circulate in Retford. Inspired by a visit to the Bridgwater Canal (designed by Brindley) the headmaster of Retford Grammar School, the Reverend Seth Ellis Stevenson, began a vigorous campaign to bring the canal to Retford. Approached to the Chesterfield promoters brought a positive response and by June 1769 Varley was again in the field this time searching out a route via Worksop and Retford to West Stockwith. 2.5.6 In August when the first public meeting was held in Worksop to promote the canal Brindley supported the Retford route. At that same meeting parties from Gainsborough made strong representations that the canal should terminate on the Trent at Gainsborough not West Stockwith. There followed a brief but spirited campaign between the two camps which was settled by the intervention of the Reverend Stevenson. When, in January 1770, Brindley spoke to another crowded meeting at the Crown in Retford he was able to announce that the route would be Chesterfield -- Worksop -- Retford -- West Stockwith.

Building the Canal 2.5.7 The early records of the canal company have survived and provide an almost unique insight into the construction of the canal. They show the struggles of local shareholders to come to terms with this new technology and to overcome the inevitable crises which followed the death of James Brindley in 1772. 2.5.8 At first sight the Chesterfield Canal appears to be a typical early meandering contour canal, however, it also displays civil engineering features which presage the later, straighter, cut and fill canals. These include the overall boldness of the route, the first extensive use of locks in multiple flights and the use of embankments and cuttings to shorten the line. In consequence the physical remains of the canal include several pioneering civil engineering features and unique survivals of late 18th century canal construction. Many of these structures are listed ancient monuments. 2.5.9 Brindley’s death in 1772 resulted in the works being carried to completion by his assistants Varley and Henshall and it is a moot point if some of the innovations seen on the canal where designed by Brindley or were the work of his assistants. Whatever their origins, the civil engineering innovations on this canal warrant greater recognition.

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 13 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Two: Statement of Resource

Opened for Business 2.5.10 The Chesterfield Canal opened in 1777 and faced an early struggle caused by the economic recession which followed the loss of the American colonies the previous year. Nevertheless, within ten years the canal began to show a modest dividend and steady trade in all manner of goods was established, including:

• Agricultural produce • Coal and Coke • Malt • Iron Ore • Hops • Iron Bar and Cast Iron products • Sail Cloth • Lead • Gravel • Lime • Bricks and Tiles • Marble

2.5.11 The canal was built as a narrow canal from Chesterfield to Retford. At Retford the canal became wider and the locks from there to the Trent were built to broad beam (Trent Flat or Barge) dimensions. The intention was to have broad beam boats working to Retford but the presence of several pinch points and narrow bridge holes meant that this vision was not realised and Trent boats never did reach Retford! 2.5.12 From the outset the canal had several short branch canals or arms of which the Norbriggs Cutting at Mastin Moor was the longest at 1 _ miles. Shorter arms led to coal wharfs at Killamarsh (Church Lane) and Staveley (Bellhouse Lane, Lowgates) and a stone quarry at the Lady Lee Arm, near Worksop. 2.5.13 Much of the trade in Derbyshire reached the canal via an intricate network of feeder tramways, plateways and railways, including the earliest know “raile way” in Derbyshire from Norbriggs Wharf to Norbriggs Colliery and dating from 1789. These tramway feeders mostly brought coal to the canal although the tramway from Whittington which terminated near Bilby Bridge brought iron castings and glass to the canal as well. These tramways flourished from the 1790’s through to the 1830’s and 40’s when several appear on the first Ordnance Survey maps. Most went out of use by the 1850’s but one or two lingered on until the 1870’s.

The Coming of the “Stephenson” Railways 2.5.14 Once the early trade depression concluded the canal settled down to a steady if not spectacular life with a steady stream of modest dividends. Long distance railway competition arrived in the 1840’s with the opening of the North from to Leeds. After initial attempts by the company to seek powers to convert the canal into a railway by 1842 the canal company had settled on an agreed sale to the Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. 2.5.15 Initially this stimulated additional activity on the canal; the railway company opening a new interchange wharf near Kiveton Park Station and attempts where made to compete on through tariffs with the Midland Railway. Certainly the canal receipts for the period from c.1840 to around 1860 remain relatively buoyant, but by the late 1860’s revenues had begun to seriously decline and it was clear that the canal was unable to compete with the speed of the railways. By the 1880’s the MS&LR had

14 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Two: Statement of Resource

begun to think of expansion southwards and the creation what became its “Derbyshire Lines”. Once the Derbyshire lines were completed the majority of canal side customers were connected to the railway system or had a very local station and as a result trade on the canal fell away quite dramatically. 2.5.16 The construction of the MS&LR’s “Derbyshire Lines” in the late 1880’s had marked consequences for the Chesterfield Canal; the planned route south followed a straight course and was to cross and re-cross the original line of the canal – to avoid the cost of numerous bridges a number of diversions were carried out. These were:- • Killamarsh to Renishaw (the Long Straight); The cut-off loop of canal to the west of the new railway was abandoned but can still be traced today. • Renishaw to Hague Lane; here the cut-off sections were largely removed or buried by the construction of the Goods Yard of Renishaw Central Station. • Hounsfield Bridge to Staveley Works; the isolated section was again west of the new railway and ran around the margins of the Stanton and Staveley Works. Any trace of the Brindley route has been destroyed through a combination of works redevelopment, opencast coal extraction and land reclamation. • Chesterfield Wharf. The Brindley Wharf was isolated from the canal by the Railway and a new wharf was constructed upstream on the edge of the new railway goods yard. This became known as the “Great Central Wharf”. 2.5.17 All of these new sections were constructed quickly and all were in use by the opening of the railway from to Staveley Central and thence to Chesterfield in June 1892. Eventually this became part of a new route to London. On 1st August 1897 the MS&LR changed its name to the .

Decline, a Fall and Revival 2.5.18 The arrival of a parallel railway route accelerated the inevitable decline in trade. By the early 1900’s most manufactured goods and sundries trade had been lost and the cargoes which remained were low-value and high-bulk; coal, coke, stone, bricks, aggregates and grain. 2.5.19 The western end of the canal was isolated by the partial collapse of the in October 1907 and all trade west of Norwood ceased around 1914-18. For some time after the war the canal remained in water to supply various industries but in many places became overgrown and neglected. In the interwar years in Killamarsh, rowing boats where hired out on the length near Bridge Street. By the 1950’s the canal was no longer required for water supply and sections were sold off and gradually infilled. 2.5.20 To the east of the tunnel the decline was more gradual and regular cargoes continued from Shireoaks Colliery, Worksop and Gringley to the Trent until the late 1950’s with the last sporadic commercial carrying being in the early 1960’s. Fortunately this coincided with the rise of the preservation movement and attempts to downgrade the entire canal to remainder status where defeated. In 1976 the Chesterfield Canal Society was formed to promote the use of the canal and its eventual restoration.

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 15 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Two: Statement of Resource

The History of the Chesterfield Canal: Some Key References

Clark, E. 2000 Upgate and Downgate – Working the Chesterfield Canal in the 1930’s. Hallamshire Press, Sheffield.

Hadfield, C. 1970 (2nd Edition) The Canals of the East Midlands (especially chapters 2 & 9). David & Charles.

Richardson, C. 1998 Minutes of the Chesterfield Canal Company 1772-1778.

Richardson, C. 1999 The Waterways Revolution: From the Peaks to the Trent, 1768-1778. Self Publishing Association.

Richardson, C. 2005 James Brindley. Waterways World Publications.

Roffey, J. 1989 The Chesterfield Canal. Buckingham: Barracuda Books Limited.

2.6 The Canal Industries and their Communities

2.6.1 The arrival of the Chesterfield Canal helped to shape the landscape and communities through which it passed. 2.6.2 This effect is most marked in Rotherham and North East Derbyshire where towns and villages expanded dramatically or where entire new communities came into existence as industries sprang up alongside the canal. The pattern of settlement it helped shape was built upon by the railways and to a great extent persists today. 2.6.3 The origins of the canal are closely tied to the Derbyshire lead industry and the iron foundries at Staveley and Renishaw. The presence of the canal encouraged the growth of these ancient industries and led to the precocious expansion of the Derbyshire Coal industry; feeder tramways from pit to canal include the first record of Newcastle style “raile way” in Derbyshire. A similar tramway led to the glassworks at Whittington. The arrival of the canal and the relatively breakage free transport which it offered resulted in the expansion of the glass industry and its associated chemical industries. 2.6.4 To some extent the canal in North East Derbyshire entered an already partially industrialised landscape and, through providing cheap transport, permitted the rapid growth of ancient industries and the appearance of many new industries. As a result the canal served practically all the key heavy primary manufacturing industries of the industrial revolution. 2.6.5 In contrast the eastern reaches of the canal initially traversed an almost entirely rural landscape. The arrival of the canal occurred at a time of major reorganisation of the landscape and many of the new model farms constructed by the larger estates at this time had their own wharfs and used the canal to export their produce. 2.6.6 Throughout the Nottinghamshire length the canal again permitted local craft activities to expand and industrialise where raw materials existed. For example the

16 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Two: Statement of Resource

growth of the brick and tile manufactories at Misterton and Gringley can be tied to both the ease of export of the finished product and to the ease of importing Derbyshire coal as fuel. One unique trade brought cargoes of Trent silt or warp to brickworks like those at Walkeringham for drying and grading to produce polishing powders used in the Sheffield cutlery finishing trade. Some of these industries were ephemeral and have left scant record bar a few entries in a boat book; others proved long lived – the last cargo from Walkeringham Brick Works was carried in 1955 – and have left a rich archaeological legacy. 2.6.7 The canal therefore runs thorough two regions with very different histories and in consequence landscapes. 2.6.8 The waterway was also used for more than transport. Water power was a vital element in the rural economy until the twentieth century and, especially on rivers, conflicts between mill and navigation interests were common. In such a low lying district the waterways also played a key role in land drainage. Conversely, waterways were often key water suppliers with water being abstracted for industrial purposes as varied as brewing, irrigation, chemical works and brick making. All these activities have left a further archaeological legacy along the water corridor.

2.7 What Remains: The Surviving Built Heritage of the Chesterfield Canal

2.7.1 In Derbyshire the navigation has been derelict over many years, and some structures have been lost. Listed structures that have been restored in the section between Chesterfield and Staveley include Tapton Mill Bridge, St. Helena’s floodgate, and the at Tapton. A number of other structures, while not listed, are of considerable interest including the Tunnel – a separate underground tub-boat canal system leading from coal mines to a transhipment wharf onto the main canal. 2.7.2 In a recent survey on the section under restoration from Staveley to Killamarsh nearly 300 features relating to the canal and its feeder tramways have been identified. On the main route the Norbriggs cutting and wharf , the Staveley Puddle Bank (one of the first earth cored load bearing canal embankments in the world) and the remains of the mines and ironworks at Renishaw are of particular note. Very significantly almost the entire length of the 1777 route abandoned when the Railway was built has survived and provides a unique insight into the 18th century canal construction – key features include a mystery lock-like structure at Old Boiley Farm Bridge (none is recorded at this point), the Park Brook canal embankment (stone faced) and the almost unique survival of a tramroad transhipment wharf for the Setcup Railway at the site of Old Eckington Bridge. 2.7.3 The built heritage of the Chesterfield Canal in the Rotherham area is rich and varied, with many of its features being listed structures. These include the flights of locks at Norwood, Thorpe Salvin and Turnerwood which are thought to be some of the earliest examples of staircase locks in England. Archaeological investigations prior to restoration at Turnerwood have given an insight into how the locks were built and their subsequent history of use and reconstruction .

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 17 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Two: Statement of Resource

Figure 2.2: The main designated Natural and Built Heritage features along the Chesterfield Canal (Source: Nottinghamshire County Council)

2.7.4 At Kiveton Park the now derelict Norwood Tunnel is believed to have been the longest tunnel in the country at the time of its construction. To the east of the tunnel the cottage row opposite the former Maltings (now demolished) are an early feature while beyond is the remains of the railway transhipment wharf built by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway in the 1840’s. As one continues east towards Worksop the remains of Limekilns and their wharfs are visible framed by the surrounding ancient woodland. 2.7.5 The Nottinghamshire stretch of the canal is dotted with many buildings and structures that are directly related to the historic development and use of the canal system. One especially valuable survival is the canal wharf at Worksop where the wharf, the grade II* listed warehouse straddling the canal, canal offices, stable block and blacksmiths shop can still be found within their original curtain wall. 2.7.6 Similar wharf and warehouse groupings occur at Retford, and West Stockwith. The basin at West Stockwith being a rare survival of a river / canal transhipment point. As if to emphasise the importance of the canal to the local economy each of the major estate farms long the canal had its own canal wharf and good examples survive at Retford, Wiseton and Misterton. Similar wharves served villages and local industries. 2.7.7 A key industry was brick and tile manufacture which thrived on local Trent Clay and a supply of Derbyshire coal from the west. Warp, coal and bricks were among the last cargoes carried on the canal. There were important brickworks at Misterton and

18 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Two: Statement of Resource

Walkeringham; at the latter the chimneys still stand over the canal and the remains of the brickpits have a new use as a local nature reserve. 2.7.8 With only modest gradients this length has only single chamber locks of modest rise, but Drakeholes Tunnel at 154 yards has the dubious honour of being the longest canal tunnel in the county of Nottinghamshire. 2.7.9 In its course the canal passes close to important country houses of various architectural styles, and the ruins of medieval Mattersey Priory. It also flows through several conservation areas where the North Nottinghamshire historic building traditions are displayed, and a gradual change in styles can be detected when following the canal from one side of the county to the other.

Social and Economic Context

2.8 Social Context

2.8.1 The Chesterfield Canal served the industries and communities of the East Midlands and South Yorkshire for nearly two hundred years before finally succumbing. Now the industries which it helped shaped and support have themselves succumbed to changing economic circumstances. In consequence the route of the canal passes through several areas with exceptionally poor quality of life indices. 2.8.2 The decline of the iron, steel, glass and chemical industries in Chesterfield, Staveley and Renishaw has had dramatic effects on the surrounding communities. The challenge of tackling long term unemployment and social deprivation is being met by community led projects such as Staveley Neighbourhood Management and county led projects such as the Markham Vale scheme (formerly the Markham Employment Growth Zone). Notwithstanding these and other programmes the communities of North East Derbyshire remain some of the most disadvantaged and socially excluded in the UK. 2.8.3 Similar economic and social problems are also evident in the former coal mining communities in South Rotherham and North West Nottinghamshire. Worksop and surrounding mining communities were especially hard hit and have experienced intense deprivation in some areas. Again a combination of community (bottom up) and local authority & government (top down) programmes are in place to address these complex issues. 2.8.4 To the east of Worksop the canal passes through largely rural communities and the market town of Retford. While seemingly idyllic the rapidly changing face of the countryside means that these areas face other, equally intractable, issues including rural deprivation and inequality of access to services and resources. 2.8.5 While the restoration and development of the canal cannot be seen as the sole solution to all these complex issues there is a case that it can make a contribution to the improvement in the overall quality of life and the economic well being of the communities through which it passes.

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 19 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Two: Statement of Resource

2.9 Community

2.9.1 Community involvement regarding the canal increased dramatically in 1976 with the formation of the Chesterfield Canal Society (now Trust) which is firmly rooted in the communities along the canal. The Trust remains a loyal and pro-active force behind many of the canals restoration projects and continues to act as a major constituent member of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership. 2.9.2 In Derbyshire, restoration to date has provided opportunities for the involvement of community group members to be involved in environmental improvement and management work. This includes the Three Valleys Volunteers, North Derbyshire Community Mental Health Service, Chesterfield Action for Access and others. Young people who have suffered long-term unemployment have made a significant contribution through the Touchground Intermediate Labour Market Team. Temporary jobs have also been created by contractors employed in restoring the canal. 2.9.3 In Nottinghamshire, it is recognised that the improvements brought to this area along the course of the waterway serve to attract greater leisure use of this important corridor. Increased access for walking and cycling in addition to the waterborne traffic has created demand for information on refreshment facilities and accommodation availability within Bassetlaw District. Increased revenue streams for such providers along the canal will increase opportunity for employment in the leisure and the hospitality sector. Landscape improvement programmes associated with the revival of the waterway serve to engender a “pride of place” feel to the communities and assist their regeneration. 2.9.4 In addition to this pro-active community involvement, local people will also enjoy the benefits of the restoration of the canal. Such benefits will include increased recreation opportunities, improved local amenities and services, a potential increase in property prices in the locality and a general improvement in the health and quality of life of the canal’s local communities.

2.10 Recreation

2.10.1 The reclaimed section of canal in Derbyshire offers public boating over an 8km (five mile) section. Fishing is established in zones such as the sections between Bilby Lane and Dixons Lock and between Hollingwood Lock and Mill Green. The canal towpath is used extensively by families and other local people as a recreation facility for walking and cycling and also offers horse-riding links to bridleways. The Three Valleys Project, which manages the canal, offers an extensive range of public events and opportunities for local people to get involved through volunteering. 2.10.2 Where the canal is still to be reclaimed it forms an important local walking route, especially for dog walkers. There are some difficulties of inappropriate use of the canal, for example by motorcyclists and those with firearms. 2.10.3 The Chesterfield Canal Trust operates a trip boat, the John Varley, from Tapton Lock Visitor Centre. This operates every weekend throughout the summer and on selected weekends in the winter. The boat is equipped with a wheelchair lift. 2.10.4 Since the 1960s, opportunities to pursue recreational activities along the Rotherham and Nottinghamshire sections of the canal have become increasingly pursued by the

20 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Two: Statement of Resource

general public. Activities such as walking, boating and angling have changed the formerly held perception that the canal could only be used for commercial activities. In addition, the development and improvement of a number of moorings along the canal in Rotherham and Nottinghamshire by British Waterways has provided a range of modern facilities for both water-borne visitors and long-term boaters. These moorings include the Shireoaks Marina, Cuckoo Wharf and West Stockwith Basin which all provide a range of well-maintained amenities for users of the canal. 2.10.5 In 2005 the Chesterfield Canal Trust introduced a new trip boat for operation on the Rotherham and Nottinghamshire sections of the canal. The Seth Ellis operates from Retford and is proving extremely popular.

2.11 Tourism

2.11.1 The Heart of England Tourist Board’s “England’s Waterways” promotion has been useful in raising the profile of the Chesterfield Canal as a whole. Such inland waterways feature as a priority for action in the Board’s regional tourism strategy, ‘Visitor Strategy’. 2.11.2 The reclaimed canal in Derbyshire and the amenities it offers have been promoted through the Three Valleys Tourism Project and the visitors centre at Tapton Lock, which, though small, now attracts nearly 20,000 visitors per year. Although many of these visitors are local people, the canal has recently regained a regional significance. The towpath between Chesterfield and Staveley is part of the Trans Pennine Trail, European Walking Route E8 and the National Cycle Network, Route 67. The canal is close to, and links, several attractions such as the Chesterfield Market and Crooked Spire, the Revolution House at Whittington, the Barrow Hill Round House and Renishaw Hall. Development of the infrastructure to cater for group visits and to encourage overnight stays is under consideration by the CHART tourism sub-group. 2.11.3 The Chesterfield Canal in Rotherham has not previously been marketed as a major tourism attraction, due to its neglected state, the limited access to its resources and its remoteness from other areas of notable tourism interest. However, the opportunities to actively promote the canal will improve dramatically as a consequence of the wider regeneration and environmental interpretation work, as will the implementation of the proposed improvements to key access nodes along the canals course throughout the Borough. 2.11.4 The Chesterfield Canal is featured in the Nottinghamshire Visitor Guide. The two main population centres of North Nottinghamshire are the market towns of Retford and Worksop. Both of these town have notable examples of Mediaeval, Post Mediaeval, Georgian and Victorian architecture and both are subject to ongoing “renaissance programmes”. These programmes include development of the tourism potential of the area.

2.11.5 Existing or developing tourist destinations in North Nottinghamshire include:

• Sherwood Forest (various sites and locations) • Worksop Priory & Mediaeval Gatehouse (Norman Church and 14th Century Gatehouse)

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 21 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Two: Statement of Resource

• Worksop Castle (Motte and Bailey) • Mr Shaw’s House, Worksop (1930’s time capsule, now NT) • Clumber Park (Gardens in the stewardship of the National Trust) • Babworth Church (with its association with the Pilgrim Fathers) • Retford Town Square (Fine example of early 19th century town square) • The NWT & RSPB Wildlife Reserves in the Idle Valley • Mattersey Priory (English Heritage) • The Mediaeval Churches of the Trent Villages (Walkeringham, Misterton, etc.)

2.11.6 Opportunities for additional marketing of the canal as a visitor destination and as a sustainable link between other destination should be prioritised via the Coalfield Alliance Tourism Steering Group which is currently examining options for enhanced marketing of the north Nottinghamshire and north east Derbyshire sub-region.

22 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Three: Transport Access

Section Three

Transport Access to the Canal and Surrounding Region

Summary

This section of the access strategy reviews how the canal can be reached by both public and private transport.

It concludes that 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 relatively well served by buses on both weekdays and weekends including Sundays. The review notes 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 the growth of ridership on existing services while at the same time lobbying for links to the Summer “hopper bus” service which operates 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.

3.1 Introduction

3.1.1 The first stage in using the canal is getting to it! 3.1.2 If physical access is to be promoted and managed satisfactorily, public and private transport provisions will need to be considered. 3.1.3 To realise the potential of improved access to the canal, it is important that public transport services are promoted to canal users and that wherever possible, measures to co-ordinate complementary service provisions between operators be examined. Transport is an integral part of managing access and providing incentives to change travel behaviour will form a key element in the promotion of public transport use. 3.1.4 The issue of transportation will need to be a fundamental consideration of all of the proposed key actions and must underpin the strategy’s long-term aim of making

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 23 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Three: Transport Access

such actions sustainable. For example, new signage provisions which link access nodes with transport terminals will play an important role in encouraging visitors to use public transport. 3.1.5 The importance of public transport for developing a sustainable approach to physical access should not, however, preclude some thought as to the best means of managing access by private cars and private charter coaches. For many groups the use of specialist vehicles or vehicles with specific adaptations is a requirement and it would be wrong to exclude them from accessing the canal through the absence of disabled parking bays or minibus bays. 3.1.6 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership will work with local communities for the growth of sustainable integrated transport within the canal corridor through the development of a detailed canal corridor transport action plan and contributions to the Local Transport Plans. It will work within the framework provided by “Water Ways – Inland Waterways and Sustainable Rural Transport” a good practice guide produced in 2004 by British Waterways and the Countryside Agency in association with the Environment Agency and the Association of Inland Navigation Authorities.

KT.1 Develop an action plan to co-ordinate integrated transport provision along the Chesterfield Canal based upon the proposed access improvements.

KT.2 Work with communities and appropriate agencies in the revision of Local Transport Plans to promote the incremental improvement of links to and from the Canal and its surrounding corridor.

3.2 Bus Services

3.2.1 Bus services in the Canal Corridor are controlled by three authorities: • Derbyshire County Council • South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive • Nottinghamshire County Council 3.2.2 The actual bus services are operated by a variety of bus companies. In some cases these companies operate services under contract for an authority, usually these are services of relatively low demand but relatively high social importance.

3.3 Bus Routes

3.3.1 Bus service routes are naturally centred upon the major conurbations and market towns. Within the canal corridor and its immediate hinterland there are seven main bus route hubs:

24 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Three: Transport Access

Canal Corridor Immediate Hinterland Chesterfield Sheffield Worksop Rotherham Retford Doncaster Gainsborough

3.3.2 Routes radiate from these major centres with the majority of local services forming meandering links between key towns. These are supplemented by a number of express services providing limited stop direct links. These hubs serve the vast majority of the population in the area and through changing buses it should be possible for almost anyone in North East Derbyshire, South Yorkshire or North Nottinghamshire to reach the canal. Since these centres also have railway services (see below) this opens intermodal opportunities to bring in visitors from further afield. 3.3.3 Within the canal corridor there is a significant number of services which intersect the line of the canal and serve the communities along the canal. 3.3.4 Route maps illustrate a relatively high density of bus links in the western reaches of the canal with excellent public transport access at Chesterfield, Staveley, Renishaw, Killamarsh and Kiveton Park. Service frequency at these nodes is between four and eight buses per hour with the majority of services running through to Chesterfield and Sheffield, although some services from Kiveton Park terminate in Rotherham. 3.3.5 Between Kiveton Park and Shireoaks there are two regular bus services both running parallel to the canal through Harthill and Thorpe Salvin. Service frequency is lower – with only one bus per hour – but these run through to Worksop and thus form an important east-west link. Worksop is an important area hub with connections to Doncaster, Sheffield, Newark and Nottingham. 3.3.6 Between Worksop and Retford the east-west pattern of bus routes is maintained with a regular (two per hour or greater) service running between these towns parallel to the canal. Ranby provides a local access point mid way between these hubs. 3.3.7 Around Retford and through to West Stockwith there is again a more complex pattern of bus routes and services. The majority of services which intersect the canal commence at Retford and follow circuitous routes through the Trent Valley villages to Gainsborough. While the frequency on any given route is low, the pattern of multiple overlapping routes means that the combined overall frequency of service at villages such as Gringley on the Hill often exceeds four per hour. Other, less frequent, services operate from Retford to Doncaster and from Gainsborough to Doncaster, giving a vaguely triangular pattern of services in this area. 3.3.8 Gainsborough, while not on the canal, does provide an important area hub which gives access to destinations throughout Lincolnshire. 3.3.9 The weekday service frequency on the majority of routes is rarely less than two per hour and often exceeds that. In general service, levels are maintained on Saturdays (with the exception of early morning and mid afternoon buses timed to fit around the school run) but fall very dramatically on Sundays. At the western end of the canal in Derbyshire and Rotherham and North West Nottinghamshire there are

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 25 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Three: Transport Access

substantial numbers of Sunday services with increased services during the summer (some configured primarily for walkers). Regrettably while Retford and Gainsborough remain well served, to the east of Retford there are no Sunday bus services which serve the Trent Valley Villages. This anomaly has serious consequences for the development of sustainable tourism on the canal. 3.3.10 In addition to the standard service buses there are a number of summer only and/or weekend only services designed to link Rotherham with key tourist destinations in both rural Rotherham and Nottinghamshire. These targeted services are timetabled with walkers and family days out in mind. Although the distribution of these services is currently limited they are potentially a valuable resource.

3.4 Relationship of Bus Routes to Access Nodes

3.4.1 There are many locations where bus routes intersect the canal corridor; key bus access points are those locations served by more than one bus route, with a combined service frequency greater than one per hour. Key locations include:

Location (Status) Sunday Service? Chesterfield (Major Hub) Yes Yes Staveley Yes Renishaw Yes Killamarsh Yes Wales and Kiveton Yes Kiveton Park (Dog Kennels Bridge) Yes Worksop (Major Hub) Yes Ranby No Retford (Major Hub) Yes No Hayton No Clayworth No Wiseton No Drakeholes No Gringley on the Hill No Misterton No West Stockwith No

3.4.2 As can be seen the towns and villages along the western end of the canal are relatively well served by bus services during Monday to Saturday but the eastern end of the canal has effectively no public transport on Sundays. 3.4.3 In the case of the major hubs the central bus stations are located some distance from the canal. There is a pressing need to provide or improve signposting from the bus depots to the canal.

26 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Three: Transport Access

3.4.4 In more rural locations bus stops are located immediately adjacent to the canal or near to a bridge over the canal. In situations like this where the canal is clearly visible to the potential users there is little value in additional signposting. 3.4.5 However, in the majority of cases the canal is situated some distance from the road and there is a clear need to develop a comprehensive signposting policy in respect of indicating the whereabouts of the canal and, in the reverse direction, in indicating the location of bus stops. The average distance from access node to bus stop is roughly 400 metres. 3.4.6 The only significant exceptions which have no bus service are the access nodes at Lady Bridge (Sutton Lane), Nr. Babworth, and Barnby Wharf (Old London Rd.), Barnby Moor. In both cases the roads crossing the canal are secondary roads running north-south against the grain of the regional traffic flow. These roads join the east-west Worksop-Retford Road (A620) where there is a regular bus service, however, potential canal users face a road walk of between 1.75km (Lady Bridge) and 2.25km (Barnby Wharf). Given the distribution of settlement and the paucity of potential local traffic, it will be difficult to convince a bus operator to route a regular bus service via these points.

3.5 Information about Bus Services

3.5.1 Bus service information is widely available through print media, websites and telephone information lines. On line timetable services are now common. In order to use that information to effectively access the canal, however, requires a fairly detailed knowledge of the geography of the canal corridor and the points where bus route and canal are likely to intersect. The main timetable maps provided by the bus operators are inconsistent in this regard. The Chesterfield Canal features in outline on the N.E. Derbyshire and South Yorkshire maps but is absent from the Nottinghamshire maps. 3.5.2 Overall there is little linkage in either the electronic or print media between bus routes and the potential tourist destinations or outdoor activities which could take place on the canal or in the region as a whole. 3.5.3 There is also little awareness of the canal among the staff of bus enquiry offices – a telephone survey revealed that staff, while very helpful, had almost no knowledge of the canal or how to reach it. This contrasted with other visitor sites (such as Magna and Rother Valley Country Park) where staff were able to rapidly locate suitable bus services.

3.6 Future Development of Bus Service Provision in the Canal Corridor

3.6.1 The canal is surprisingly well served by bus routes and during Monday to Saturday the service levels are generally good. The greatest anomalies occur on Sunday where the western reaches of the canal (effectively from Retford to Chesterfield) have access to a reduced but still functional service while the eastern reaches (Retford to the Trent) have no Sunday service.

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 27 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Three: Transport Access

3.6.2 Given the relatively high number of services which already serve the canal it is suggested that there is little scope for changing the routes of service and little scope for the provision of new regular services. There is scope however to seek the introduction of tourist hopper buses on the model of the North Wiltshire “Wiggley Bus”.

KT.3 The Partnership will work with the Local Authorities to identify ways in which tourism based Sunday bus services could be extended to the Trent Villages as part of a wider sustainable tourism initiative in the area.

3.6.3 In the interim greater endeavours should be put into maximising use of the existing resource and that effort should be initially concentrated on informing potential user groups about the availability of existing bus services. 3.6.4 To further improve accessibility and ease of use of public transport it is suggested that effort should be made to: • Help bus enquiry office staff become more familiar with the canal by providing information packs. • Use information to integrate bus services with the regions tourist destinations. • Reduce confusion in the available information. For example in bus service numbering and the use of different numbers for weekday & weekend variants. • Explore whether existing summer-only “hopper” bus services linking key tourist destinations (e.g. Sherwood Forest) might be extended to include locations on the canal. 3.6.5 It is concluded that what is required is not the wholesale reorganisation of bus services but rather (1) the better coordination of information regarding public transportation in the area of the canal and in particular the co-ordination of bus and railway information (below), and (2) lobbying for the introduction of either Sunday service to serve the Trent Villages or a separate Sunday tourist bus service possibly based on some form of “on demand” model.

3.7 Railway Services & Railway Routes

3.7.1 The canal is relatively well served by railways. As can be seen from the map there are good railway connections to the canal along its entire length. 3.7.2 The industrial development of the region has left the area with a rich heritage of railway routes. The routes which retain passenger services form a grid across the canal corridor. The grid consists of three north-south routes – the from London to Leeds, the from Nottingham via Mansfield to Worksop and the from London to Edinburgh. These are linked by a west to east line from Sheffield via Worksop and Gainsborough to Grimsby or Lincoln. An underused route from Doncaster to Lincoln joins the west- east route at Gainsborough.

28 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Three: Transport Access

3.7.3 The Sheffield – Lincoln / Grimsby Line is especially important as this closely parallels the canal from Kiveton to Retford and then at a greater distance to Gainsborough (for West Stockwith). This opens opportunities for walk-out / train- back (or vice versa) one way walks in this section. 3.7.4 The key routes which have the potential to give access to the canal to both local users and visitors from further afield are:-

3.7.5 West Country / Bristol / Birmingham – Chesterfield – North East & East Scotland [Virgin Cross Country] (National Rail Timetable 47) Stations with direct access to the Canal: Chesterfield (250m) Service Frequency Weekdays: one per hour. Service Frequency Weekends: one every three hours.

3.7.6 Sheffield – Chesterfield -- Nottingham or Derby -- London [Midland Main Line] [Central Trains] [Virgin] (National Rail Timetable 53) Stations with direct access to the Canal: Chesterfield (250m) Service Frequency Weekdays: two per hour. Service Frequency Weekends: less than one per hour.

3.7.7 Sheffield – Worksop – Retford – Gainsborough – Grimsby or Lincoln [Northern Rail] (National Rail Timetable 30) Stations with direct access to the Canal: Kiveton Park (50m), Shireoaks (100m) Worksop (500m), Retford (500m) [Gainsborough 6km via Trent Valley Way] Service Frequency Weekdays: one per hour. Service Frequency Weekends: variable but less than one per hour.

3.7.8 Doncaster – Gainsborough – Lincoln [Central Trains] (National Rail Timetable 18) Stations with direct access to the Canal: None, but Gainsborough lies within 6km of West Stockwith and is bus route hub serving the lower Trent valley. Further the development of the former Finningley Airfield as a new international airport is creating demand for improved rail services; a new/reopened station is proposed at Finningley and a case is being made for a new/reopened station at Misterton. Service Frequency Weekdays: one per 2_ hours Service Frequency Saturday: one per 2_ hours. No Sunday Service.

3.7.9 Leeds or Newcastle (and North) -- Doncaster – Retford – Newark – London [Great North Eastern Railway][East Coast Main Line] (National Rail Timetable 26) Stations with direct access to the Canal: Retford (500m). Service Frequency Weekdays: one per two hours. Service Frequency Weekends: one per four hours.

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 29 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Three: Transport Access

3.7.10 Nottingham – Mansfield – Worksop (the Robin Hood Line) [Central Trains] (National Rail Timetable 55) Stations with direct access to the Canal: Worksop (500m). Note: This route is potentially very important in making the canal accessible to both Nottingham and the communities of the former Nottinghamshire and East Derbyshire coalfields. The latter communities have relatively low levels of car ownership and high deprivation indices. Service Frequency Weekdays: one per hour. Service Frequency Saturdays: variable but greater than one per two hours. No Sunday Service

3.8 Relationship of Railway Stations to Access Nodes

3.8.1 Railway stations with good canal access are:

Station Approximate Distance Nearest Access Node Chesterfield 250m Access Node 1 Kiveton Bridge 500m Access Nodes 52 & 53 Kiveton Park 50m Access Node 55 Shireoaks 100m Access Node 62 Worksop 500m Access Node 70 Retford 500m Access Node 89

3.8.2 In addition we might add Gainsborough because of its importance to the eastern end of the canal and its potential value as an intermodal transfer point. 3.8.3 All these stations have undergone remodelling to make them accessible to all. 3.8.4 With the exception of Kiveton Park and Shireoaks where the canal is visible from the station, there is no signposting at any of these stations to link the station to the Canal or the Cuckoo Way.

3.9 Information about Railway Services

3.9.1 Information about railway service is available from National Rail Enquiries and from the various Train Operators. Each operates web sites with online timetable information systems of variable usefulness. Printed timetables are also available at cost. As with the bus routes, a good grasp of the geographic relationship of the railways to the canal is needed to be able to use this information to actually reach the canal. 3.9.2 Given the similarity of these comments to those which apply to bus services there is an obvious need to develop a canal-orientated or focused public transport information package.

3.10 Integration of Public Transport Services

30 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Three: Transport Access

3.10.1 Integration of public transport services is a key object of all the regional authorities Local Transport Plans. 3.10.2 In broad terms this has yet to be achieved within the canal corridor. At the most basic levels of information there are still fundamental divisions between bus and rail services (in Derbyshire for example there are two separate timetable books).

KT.4 Lobby for Better Integrated Timetabling – Work to address known timetable and service provision anomalies. If possible remove cross border ambiguity by the removal of duplicate numbering of services.

3.11 Future Development of Public Transport in the Canal Corridor

3.11.1 In order to make the best use of existing public transport provision in the canal corridor there is a need to:

KT.5 Identify the most appropriate and sustainable manner in which to promote the use of public transport services.

3.11.2 Initial priorities should be to:

KT.6 Develop a public access map for the canal corridor. This would show the access nodes, the facilities available, and footpaths and Greenways which link to the canal together with the Bus Routes and Railway services.

KT.7 Produce a Chesterfield Canal Leisure Guide informing people how they can reach the canal and what they might find when they get there. To include map(s) and details of operators, information lines, etc., together with summary bus and rail timetables – This will require Partnership commitment as it will need to be updated every year.

3.12 Private Cars and Private Hire Coaches

3.12.1 It is the policy of all the local authorities in the canal corridor to promote the use of public transport. There are, however, several user groups for whom the private car remains the most likely means of accessing the canal. These include those with equipment to transport (fishermen, trailboaters, etc.) and those with some form of mobility impairment caused by disability or age.

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 31 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Three: Transport Access

3.12.2 While it is not our intention to promote car use, it must be recognised that for many the car remains, and is likely to remain, the chief means of reaching the countryside and visitor destinations within it. A balance must therefore be struck between providing sufficient facilities to make the canal accessible while not promoting car usage. At the same time it is important to encourage visitors to make the transition to public transport wherever possible.

3.13 Current Parking Provision

3.13.1 The presence of formal or informal car parking was recorded during the access node survey (Appendix A, Table 2). Of the 130 access nodes identified during the survey 51 had some form of adjacent car parking, but only nine of these could be strictly described as formal parking. 3.13.2 Formal long stay parking is present in Chesterfield, Worksop and Retford, but usually at some distance from the canal. Improvements in signposting to and from the canal would improve the accessibility of these sites. 3.13.3 Although not directly on the canal line, long stay parking is also available at Rother Valley County Park (around 2km from the canal) and proposals to improve the links between the canal and the park (below) would enable better use to be made of this existing facility. 3.13.4 The vast majority of canal side “parking” comprises informal road side lay-bys, usually adjacent to bridge crossings; only ten of these road side lay-by sites could be recommended for public use in their current form. 3.13.5 During the survey numerous incidences of nuisance parking were encountered at all locations along the canal and there is clearly a significant unmet need for small scale parking for anglers and walkers. 3.13.6 In addition none of the sites surveyed could provide adequate parking for private hire coaches to load or unload in the vicinity of the canal. Where adequate space existed it was usually in a town, some distance from the canal and was time-limited. This restricts both tourist development (especially with regard to the elderly and disabled) and the potential use of the canal for educational purposes (see intellectual access).

KT.8 Integrate Car and Coach Parking provision into the overall transport strategy for access to the canal.

3.14 Development Potential

3.14.1 Development of additional car parking provision will be subject to the appropriate planning policy guidance and will require compliance with policies which promote access by a variety of means of transport. Consideration will be given to issues of personal security such as the provision of CCTV at key parking locations.

32 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Three: Transport Access

3.14.2 It is envisaged that all parking provision will be very low key, use appropriate materials and provide sufficient public transport information at the site to encourage visitors to use alternative means of transport on their next visit. 3.14.3 In total 32 access nodes were identified as having potential for the provision of improved parking facilities. Of these, fourteen are nodes with existing recommended public parking arrangements which are in need of only minor improvement or appropriate signage:- Access Node Number Location 5 Lockoford Lane, Chesterfield 6 Wheeldon Mill Bridge, Brimington 7 Newbridge Lane, Brimington 11 Mill Green, Staveley 24 Main Road, Renishaw (TPT car park) 53 Hard Lane, Kiveton (British Waterways Fishing Ponds) 55 Kiveton Park Station & Dog Kennels Bridge, Kiveton Park 80 Old Blyth Road, Ranby 84 Barnby Wharf and Bridge 95 Hop Pole Bridge, Retford 102 Hayton Low Bridge, Hayton 104 Otter’s Bridge, Clayworth 110 Drakeholes 122 Misterton

3.14.4 A further eighteen nodes cannot at present be recommend for public parking but have strategic importance and have demonstrated significant demand. All these sites have suitable land available close to the canal and access node for the development of a small number of low key off-road parking bays (for between six and ten cars) with designated disabled bays and in some cases a designated coach bay.

Access Node Number Location 1 Holbeck Close, Chesterfield 10 Hollingwood Road Bridge, Works Road, Brimington 13 Hall Lane, Staveley (Staveley Town Basin) 16 Bell House Lane, Lowgates, Staveley 20 Norbriggs Wharf, Mastin Moor 44 Bailey Drive, Killamarsh 62 Shireoaks Upper Bridge, Shireoaks 63 Shireoaks Marina, Shireoaks 74 Manton Bridge, Worksop 85 Lady Bridge, Sutton Lane

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 33 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Three: Transport Access

98 Clarborough Top Bridge, Clarborough 106-107 Wiseton Top Bridge, Wiseton 112 Hewitt’s Bridge, Gringley on the Hill 113 Middle Bridge, Gringley on the Hill 114 Shaw Bridge, Gringley on the Hill 115 Smiths Bridge, Walkeringham 124 Stockwith Basin, West Stockwith

3.14.5 The survey also identified locations where parking should be discouraged (practically all other nodes) and those where it should be activity restricted. These include:-

Access Node Number Location 60 Turnerwood Bridge, Turnerwood 77 Lock Plantation, Osberton

KT.9 Develop a parking action plan to control or discourage nuisance parking, upgrade existing parking and develop new parking areas as appropriate. This to form an integral part of any access node development plan.

34 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Four: Access to the Towpath

Section Four Access to the Towpath

Summary

This section deals with physical access to the towpath and banks of the canal and the physical links from surrounding communities to the canal.

The Towpath runs for 46 miles from Chesterfield in Derbyshire to West Stockwith on the River Trent in Nottinghamshire. It has been developed, designated and promoted as the “Cuckoo Way” long distance footpath. At present only small sections are officially sanctioned for cycling and horse riding.

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 here. These results are then employed to identify key opportunities for enhancement based upon the requirements of each user group.

The strategic position of the canal is important – the canal cuts across the “grain” of the country in an east-west direction and intersects three north-south routes – the Trans Pennine Trail, the Archaeological Way and the Trent Valley Way. It therefore forms an important cross regional connector. Proposals are made for improving the connectivity of the towpath both to local communities and to other long distance footpaths and trails.

4.1 Introduction

4.1.1 It is estimated that over ten million visits are made to the waterways each year (British Waterways 2002; Waterways for People) the vast majority of these visits are land based and involve access to canal or river banks and waterside paths. 4.1.2 This section considers land based access to the Chesterfield Canal. It considers the main activities which take place on, or from, the bank and towpath of the canal to be; • Walking • Cycling (in some locations only) • Horse Riding (in some locations only) • Fishing (in some locations only)

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 35 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Four: Access to the Towpath

4.1.3 Fishing is also discussed in the following section, Access to the Water, but is considered briefly here because although fishing obviously uses the water the anglers themselves are on the shore – they need to gain access to the canal, they use the towpath to reach their fishing pegs and the way in which these pegs are set out can sometimes be a cause of conflict with other shore based users.

4.2 Access Objectives

4.2.1 A central aim of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership is the “improvement and widening of public access to the canal” (2020 Vision: A Strategy for the Restoration and Development of the Chesterfield Canal, Chesterfield Canal Partnership 2005) 4.2.2 The canal is an extremely valuable recreational amenity. It is effectively a linear country park stretching from Chesterfield to the Trent with the potential to provide access to the countryside for communities along its length and to link together a much wider network of recreational trails, tourism centres and parklands across three counties. Gentle gradients offer relatively easy walking and cycling routes and make the towpath especially suited to access by those with limited mobility or families with young children. The towpath therefore has a role to play in community health as well as access. 4.2.3 As a result of past efforts, the entire 46 miles of the Chesterfield Canal towpath from Chesterfield to West Stockwith is now open and way-marked as a long distance footpath known as the Cuckoo Way. The Cuckoo Way title is recognised by the Ordnance Survey and was officially adopted on all new maps from 1999 onwards. 4.2.4 The canal towpath is one of the chief assets of the Chesterfield Canal and its further development is of central importance to realising the “co-ordinated and complementary development of visitor facilities and interpretation, including the creation of long-distance / circular recreational routes for walking, cycling, horse riding, etc.” (2020 Vision for the Chesterfield Canal, Chesterfield Canal Partnership 1996). 4.2.5 It is commonly agreed (e.g. Countryside Commission 1997) that multi-user, multi- activity routes should ideally: • Provide a safe environment for walkers, cyclists and horse riders with an adequate network for all users and proper separation of activities where required. • Serve both utility and recreation by developing sustainable use by local communities for journeys to work, shops and schools as well as casual leisure. • Provide access to the countryside by linking rural and urban areas. • Encourage sustainable tourism by providing routes which link key visitor attractions. • Promote routes which are well served by the public transport system or where public transport can be developed. • Develop long distance connectivity by establishing links to other routes in surrounding areas. • Provide “access for all” irrespective of disability.

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4.2.6 It may not always be possible to deliver all these ideals in one location but our overall long term goal is to develop the Chesterfield Canal, wherever possible and appropriate, to provide “high quality multi-use routes which enable people to access the countryside near to their homes” and wherever possible they “are designed and managed for shared use by people on foot, bicycle and on horseback” (Countryside Commission 1997). 4.2.7 As a guiding principle for further development the Partnership adopts the recommendation in “Waterways and Development Plans” (British Waterways 2003) that “the optimum use of the towing path as a shared surface for walking, recreational cycling, angling and mooring should be promoted within the constraints of safety and sustainability”. 4.2.8 It is important to note that a great deal of work has already been carried out by British Waterways and the Local Authorities along the canal route – both to manage and make greater use of existing footpaths, tracks and bridleways and also to develop new routes. This work has been undertaken over many years often in the face of severe constraints. The “success which has already been achieved is evidence of the foresight of the relevant local authority committees and the dedication of rights of way, leisure and development, and planning officers” (British Waterways 2004 Water Ways – Inland Waterways and Sustainable Rural Transport).

4.3 Access for Walking

4.3.1 Walking is the single largest towpath based leisure activity and is the way that the vast majority of visitors experience Britain’s canals. The reasons for walking range from the pragmatic to the pleasurable; being used to both reach workplaces and leisure destinations and also to experience the countryside or study industrial archaeology – the motivation of walkers will therefore differ at different locations on the canal and thus the degree of demand also varies. 4.3.2 All the Local Authorities along the canal have policies in place to improve the Public Footpath and Rights of Way network and are required by 2007 to produce Rights of Way Improvement Plans. These will usually incorporate existing strategic plans, e.g. Derbyshire County Council’s Greenways Strategy for East Derbyshire (1998).

4.4 Mobility and Access

4.4.1 The mobility range of “walkers” encompasses every grade from fully active to mobility impaired to wheelchair bound. It is estimated that some 12 million people in Britain have some form of disability and the Chesterfield Canal Partnership is committed to making the canal more accessible for them. In Derbyshire the Bluebank Loop Walk at Whittington has been designed and promoted as accessible to the less mobile. It provides a model of good practice on which to draw. 4.4.2 “Designed with a horse rather than a buggy or wheelchair in mind, towpaths are not always the easiest places to reach or travel along. However, towpaths are often wide and not very steep, so can be ideal places for easy contact with the environment” (British Waterways 2002 Waterways for People).

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4.5 Cycling

4.5.1 Cycling is a rapidly growing area of towpath use but one that has the potential to generate conflict. 4.5.2 Best practice (DoT Local Transport Note) suggests separation of walking and cycling routes. The majority of towpaths on the Chesterfield Canal are too narrow at present to permit segregation throughout and careful consideration will have to be give to the recommendations of the Joint Mobility Statement Streets and External Environments (Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and RNIB, 1997) which notes “cycling on pedestrian areas endangers and can scare pedestrians especially those with visual impairments. The needs and concerns of pedestrians…should be taken into account as part of national and local walking and cycling policies. Shared facilities for pedestrians and cyclists should never be introduced”. While this may be an extreme view there are clearly potential areas of conflict and any introduction of cycling must be done with sensitivity to other users. 4.5.3 Notwithstanding these concerns, development of cycling facilities can contribute significantly to the use of the towpath for journeys to work and other utility uses. As such the canal can contribute to sustainable transport initiatives and accommodating cycling should be considered as part of every development. Indeed within Derbyshire the towpath forms part of long distance multi-user trails and greenways and these can demonstrate how cycling and other towpath uses can be successfully integrated through sensitive design. In this regard the Partnership will be guided by the recommendations in “Waterways and Development Plans” (British Waterways 2003) and “…consider proposals where the likely level of use will not cause hazards or conflict with other users”.

4.6 Horse Riding

4.6.1 There is pressure to expand the Bridleway network throughout the region traversed by the canal. This mirrors national pressure to provide a greater degree of connectivity between bridleways and to reduce the need to use lengths of public highway. Increasing traffic on what were once quiet lanes (up c.83% since the 1980’s) has resulted in a rise in horse and rider injuries over the last ten years and a campaign to both impose lower speed limits on narrow lanes and to provide additional powered-vehicle free routes (British Horse Society 2006). 4.6.2 Although the canal towpath was intended to be used by horses these were not ridden and in consequence the structure of the original canal makes no allowance for a mounted rider. Narrow towpaths and restricted bridge holes mean that it is not always possible to integrate horse riding with other demands on the towpath. Where ever possible in the reinstatement of the canal, new structures are designed to facilitate the introduction of horse riding along those parts of the towpath. 4.6.3 The use of the canal by horse-drawn trip boat is referred to in later sections as an integral part of accessing the canal heritage. The development of suitable lengths of towpath that could accommodate a led working horse will be considered in specific improvement plans.

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4.7 Fishing

4.7.1 Fishing is one of the most important leisure activities undertaken on the canal. Many thousands of people in the East Midlands regard fishing as their primary hobby and many thousands more undertake it on an casual and infrequent basis. In consequence fishing has a very significant economic impact on the local economy and those fishing will often be the single largest group of users on the canal at any given time. 4.7.2 The water based requirements of fishing are dealt with in Section Four but here we note that modern coarse fishing requires considerable equipment and that the majority of those fishing will reach their chosen fishing site by car. Parking is therefore a particular issue and access to the limited parking that is available is a cause of conflict with other user groups and local residents. 4.7.3 The location of fishing pegs as built ‘off towpath’ structures can reduce conflicts with other towpath users but also reduces bank erosion and nature conservation concerns. Cost effective pegs have been constructed on the Derbyshire fishery in consultation with the Angling Club. These have proved successful.

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Access Audit

4.8 Access Audit

4.8.1 In 2003 the Chesterfield Canal Partnership identified a need to gather additional information on the condition of the canal towpath and the access points leading to the canal. This information was required to guide planning for physical access improvements. 4.8.2 A survey of canal access points and towpath condition was carried out from July 2004 to May 2005 along the entire canal from West Stockwith to Chesterfield. The results of this survey are summarised below and the full results are held on file at the Chesterfield Canal Partnership Offices (Chesterfield Canal Access Node and Towpath Condition Survey 2005). It is intended to periodically update this survey information.

4.9 Methods and Survey Criteria

4.9.1 The entire canal was surveyed in stages from July 2004 to May 2005. A pair of pro- forma record sheets were used to record the condition of access points and the canal towpath. 4.9.2 The survey criteria used were based upon the Fieldfare Trust / British Telecom “Access for All” standards. Additional information specific to the use of the canal (such as links to local communities, facilities, visitor attractions and wider footpath links) was also noted. 4.9.3 The chief criteria used to record and assess “accessibility” were:

Surfaces The nature of the walking / cycling surfaces present and their overall condition.

Width of Paths The average width of the path in metres, together with any critical pinch points which could restrict access.

Barriers Any structures used to control or restrict access (gates styles, keyhole motorcycle control barriers, etc). The degree to which these control structures impede access by legitimate but mobility restricted users. Gradient of Path The steepness of any paths linked the canal (expressed as a 1 in x gradient) and the total vertical distance which must be climbed in metres. At access nodes this includes the rise (or fall) of entry/exit ramps and paths. Cross Slope The presence (or absence) of cross slopes or adverse camber on paths which may make walking or wheelchair use difficult. Steps The number of steps, the rise of each step (and regularity of each tread-rise) and their total rise (or fall) of the flight in metres. Whether steps are the sole means of access or one alternative.

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Surface Breaks The presence (or absence) of boardwalks, manholes, grates, grills etc. which can impede or interfere with movement or which can present a trip hazard to the visually impaired.

Clear Walking Tunnel The presence of any overhanging structure which could restrict walking room and/or the presence of overhanging / encroaching vegetation.

Passing Place The locations of points where people can easily pass. Resting Place The locations where users can rest (usually equipped with seats or benches) may also be passing places.

Signage The type and clarity of directional, informational and interpretive signage which is provided.

4.9.4 Based on these observations an overall assessment of the condition of each access node using the appropriate accessibility criteria of the Fieldfare Trust was then made. Based on this standard access nodes or towpath lengths are classed as:

Excellent Meets all requirements of Access for All. Good Meets the significant majority, 75% plus, of Access for All requirements and would require little work to bring up to standard. Moderate Meets most, 50% plus, of the requirements and would require only moderate work to bring up to full standard. Poor Meets only 25% of requirements and would require significant work to bring up top standard. Very Poor Meets none of the basic requirements of access for all and either requires (a) very significant work to bring up to standard or (b) is so restricted and confined by physical structures (e.g. an historic bridge) in such a way that an alternative Access for All route should be found.

4.10 The Number and Distribution of Access Nodes

4.10.1 The survey identified 130 access points or access nodes along the canal. The distribution of nodes is shown in Figure 4.1. A summary of the location and current condition of the access nodes along the canal is presented in Appendix A, Table 1. An extract from this table organised by arbitrary canal sections is given below (Figure 4.1) and this shows the distribution and density of nodes and their suitability to provide Access for All.

4.10.2 The total of 130 nodes is a slight underestimate of the actual number of points where people enter and leave the canal towpath line as it excludes fence breaks, informal scrambles and private gated entries from back gardens, etc. The presence of such entry points was noted in the survey but where it was obvious that they were of restricted or intermittent use they were not given node status.

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4.10.3 It should be noted that an access node is simply a location where access onto the canal has been recorded or is possible – the identification of a node does not imply it has any legal status. Many nodes, while clearly being in regular use (presence of desire lines, etc.), do not lead to recognised Public Rights of Way or Public Roads and thus cannot be promoted for wider public use. When this restriction is taken into account the number of promotable nodes falls to around 100.

4.10.4 The distribution of access nodes is irregular with clusters of nodes in towns and villages and fewer nodes in open countryside. In urban spaces (Chesterfield, Killamarsh Worksop and Retford) the density of nodes is high with 6 to 8 per mile reflecting a relatively porous boundary to the canal although there remain a number of “urban canyons” (especially in Worksop) where connections could be improved (see below). This pattern can be seen in the summary table below where urban sections of the canal have been shaded grey for clarity.

4.10.5 In rural areas there are marked differences in the density of nodes between Derbyshire, South Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire. The greatest number of nodes per mile was in Derbyshire (4) closely followed by South Yorkshire (3.6), the lowest density by a considerable margin was in Nottinghamshire (1.3 to 2). The extent to which the towpath links with other footpaths also varies, with more links in Derbyshire and Rotherham than in Nottinghamshire. Both density of nodes per mile and degree of connectivity appears to be a reflection of the different landscape histories and characters of each area.

4.11 The Current Condition of Access Nodes

4.11.1 The Access for All condition of the access nodes for the major sections of the canal is summarized in the table above. This shows that condition varies from Excellent and Good (21%) through Moderate (28%) to Poor (35%) and Very Poor (12%). A number of other potential nodes where not assessed or not rated because they failed to provide public access (4%).

4.11.2 The condition of access nodes reflects the recent restoration history of the canal. The majority of nodes from Chesterfield to Staveley and Kiveton Park to Shireoaks – both fully reopened in 2003 -- are in good to excellent condition. Towpath surfacing at Worksop and more recently at Retford (see below) has also involved access node improvements and again many nodes are rated highly.

4.11.3 Areas which have not been subject to restoration either because they remained in water or because they have yet to be restored have a more patchy quality of access node. Generally in those areas which are yet to be restored the node quality is poor to very poor. In those areas that remained in water the Access for All quality is moderate to poor.

4.11.4 Overall 60 out of 130 access nodes (or 47%) fail to meet basic Access for All standards and a further 37 (28%) reach only half the appropriate Urban or Rural Access for All Standard. This is hardly surprising as the canal is an eighteenth century structure which was not designed for the purpose we are now asking of it – it is to the credit of the restoration work undertaken to date that as much as 21% of the canal access nodes reach or are close to Access for All standards.

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4.11.5 One of the key problem areas throughout the canal was the poor state of direction and destination information signage. At most access nodes there is little indication of the destination of possible routes onto or off the canal. The absence of signage is in part a failure of co-ordination and in part reflects high levels of vandalism and anti- social behaviour in the region.

Sections & Location Nodes Distance /Density Access Node Condition Location Start Node No. of Nodes Chesterfield Moderate Poor Very Poor Not Rated Section End Node Nodes per Mile Exc. / Good (Total) Canal Miles from Section Length in Miles

A Chesterfield 1 4 4 0 - _ 0.5 8.0 0 1 3 0 0 B Chesterfield- Staveley 5 13 9 _ - 5 4.5 2.0 7 2 0 0 0 C Staveley - Killamarsh 14 34 22 5 - 10_ 5.5 4.0 0 8 7 6 1 D Killamarsh 34a 45 12 10_ -12_ 2.0 6.0 0 3 7 2 0 E Killamarsh - Kiveton Park 46 54 9 12_ -15 2.5 3.6 0 2 7 0 0 F Kiveton Park - Shireoaks 55 62 8 15 -18_ 3.5 2.3 4 3 1 0 0 G Worksop 63 74 12 18_ - 22 3.5 3.4 4 7 0 1 0 H Worksop - Ranby 75 79 5 22 - 26 4.0 1.3 2 0 1 1 1 I Ranby - Retford 80 86 7 26 - 30 4.0 1.8 2 1 1 3 0 J Retford 87 95 12 30 - 32 2.0 6.0 7 1 2 2 0 K Retford - Drakeholes 95a 110 16 32 - 40 8.0 2.0 0 5 10 0 1 L Drakeholes - West Stockwith 111 124 14 40 - 46 6.0 2.3 2 4 6 0 2

Canal Wide Totals 130 46.0 3.6 28 37 45 15 5 As % 21.5 28.5 34.6 11.5 3.8

Figure 4.1: Summary of Distribution, Density and Condition of Access Nodes along the Chesterfield Canal based upon the survey information in Appendix A, Table 1.

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4.12 Towpath Condition

4.12.1 The results of the Access for All condition survey are summarized in Appendix A, Table 3. This shows the lengths of Towpath with similar surface conditions and the points where surface condition changes. This information is further summarized in the table below (Figure 4.2) where lengths are grouped by major section and an overall assessment made of the condition of the entire section. 4.12.2 The grouped presentation loses much of the subtlety of the original survey information – the Towpath or Cuckoo Way is just over 46 miles long and the conditions of its surfaces reflect not only broad patterns of restoration but also local community action or small scale patterns of wear. The grouped figures are therefore only broadly indicative and should be viewed with caution. 4.12.3 Nevertheless both the length and section data illustrate that the extent to which the towpath meets Access for All standards is far from uniform. As with the access nodes the variable condition of the towpath reflects the restoration history and recent local upgrading in association with cycleway construction and urban renewal programmes. In consequence the Chesterfield - Staveley and Kiveton Park – Worksop sections are in good condition and accessible. The majority of the section through Retford is also in excellent condition. 4.12.4 It will be noted that just over half (54%) of the towpath lengths are in poor or very poor condition and these tend to be located in the sections which have yet to be restored. 4.12.5 Each length reflects a difference in surface conditions and the greater number of lengths in Derbyshire and the west part of Rotherham reflects the great variety of surfaces and land management found here. To a great extent this is a mirror of the fragmented land ownership and the different management practices along these sections – the more uniform surfaces and conditions (i.e. longer lengths) along the British Waterways owned sections east of Worksop reflect a successful long term management strategy.

4.13 Cycling and Horse Riding

4.13.1 At present Cycling is only formally supported along limited sections of the towpath although it is clear that the majority of the canal is already being used by cyclists to varying degrees. 4.13.2 From Chesterfield to Staveley the towpath doubles as the multi-user Trans Pennine Trail and where pinch points exist separate routes for cyclists and walker have been provided. From Shireoaks to Worksop (Bracebridge Lane) the canal towpath has been upgraded to serve as part of National Cycle Network Route Six (Sheffield and Rotherham to Derby and Nottingham). 4.13.3 Horse riding is limited to short sections. The Towpath from Bluebank Lock to Bilby Lane Bridge in Chesterfield and from Hall Lane to Lowgates in Staveley are concessionary Bridleways. In Nottinghamshire, there are several sections of track alongside the towpath which are used by riders, however, British Waterways does not permit horse riding on the towpath itself and would seek to discourage further development.

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Sections & Location Lengths Supported Use Towpath Condition (no. of lengths) Section Location Start Length End Length Section Length in Miles Walking Cycling Horse Riding Summary Towpath Condition Exc. / Good Moderate Poor Very Poor

A Chesterfield L1 L1 0.5 0 0 0 1 B Chesterfield- Staveley L2 L3 4.5 2 0 0 0 C Staveley - Killamarsh L4 L13 5.5 1 2 5 2 D Killamarsh L14 L16 2.0 0 1 0 2 E Killamarsh - Kiveton Park L17 L19 2.5 0 1 1 1 F Kiveton Park - Shireoaks L20 L21 3.5 2 0 0 0 G Worksop L22 L22 3.5 1 0 0 0 H Worksop - Ranby L23 L23 4.0 0 0 1 0 I Ranby - Retford L24 L26 4.0 1 0 2 0 J Retford L27 L28 2.0 1 0 1 0 K Retford - Drakeholes L29 L29 8.0 0 0 1 0 L Drakeholes - West Stockwith L30 L33 6.0 1 2 1 0

Canal Wide Totals 33 46.0 9 6 12 6 As % 27 18 36 18

Figure 4.2: Summary of Towpath Condition & Promoted Uses along the Chesterfield Canal based upon the survey information presented in Appendix A, Table 3.

4.14 Current Patterns of Towpath Use

4.14.1 Information on the current pattern of use is relatively poor. Towpath footfall counters were installed in 1998 at Tapton Lock on the Derbyshire County Council run section and more recently in 2005 at Kiveton Park, Ranby, Retford and West Stockwith on the British Waterways section. Over time these will enable changes in user numbers to be monitored. The available figures are shown below (Figure 4.3) and show that in the first year for which complete figures are available (2005-2006) over 110,000 people visited the Chesterfield Canal on foot or cycle.

4.14.2 Given that counter coverage is not complete (the most obvious omissions being the potentially heavily trafficked urban areas of Staveley, Killamarsh and Worksop) this is obviously a minimum estimate of total numbers but is does serve to indicate that the canal towpath is very well used throughout its length. The density of use varies, however, with the greatest number of towpath users being in the urban setting of

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Retford where the upgrading of the path to an all weather surface has encouraged use of the towpath as a route to work, school and shops.

4.14.3 The longer term figures from Tapton Lock suggests an overall gradual increase in towpath visits followed by relative stability. This probably reflects the ongoing restoration of the canal and the gradual improvement of access and facilities, together with increased public awareness of the canal in the local area. The levelling off seen at Tapton Lock may also reflect local factors such as restricted parking and the effects on visitor numbers of the Trailboat Festivals.

Year 1998- 1999- 2000- 2001- 2002- 2003- 2004- 2005- Location 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Tapton Lock 7,110 10,183 11,019 15,665 19,972 17,390 14,631 15,235

Kiveton Park 14,973

Ranby 8271

Retford 44,944

West Stockwith 23,150

Figure 4.3: Summary Towpath Visit Figures for five key locations on the Chesterfield Canal. Data from DCC Three Valleys Project, Tapton Lock Visitor Centre, and British Waterways East Midlands, Newark.

4.14.4 The detailed monthly cumulative total data for Tapton Lock is given in Figure 4.4., below. This shows, possibly unsurprisingly, that the greatest footfall is in the spring and summer. It should be noted, however, that there are still significant numbers of walkers throughout the winter “closed” season. This indicates that the surfaced towpath remains attractive to walkers in inclement weather and that the path is fulfilling one of the aims of the Chesterfield -- Staveley reinstatement project – to provide an alternative, sustainable, route to work. A similar pattern is noted in Retford where considerable numbers of users – 3000-4000 per month are noted throughout the winter months.

4.14.5 The detailed figures from Tapton also show peaks around particular events such as the Inland Waterway Association Trail Boat Festivals and the Santa Specials on the Chesterfield Canal Trust’s Trip Boat. This emphasises the importance of water based events in promoting the use of the canal. To ensure a steady increase in numbers there is a need for regular quality events and continual promotion. A key limiting factor for events is the availability of car parking.

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25000

98-99 20000 99-00

00-01 15000 01-02

10000 02-03 03-04

5000 04-05

05-06 0 2 6 3 7 1 5 9 4 8 11 12 10

Figure 4.4: Annual Visitor Figures for Tapton Lock Visitor Centre. Data from Derbyshire County Council Three Valleys Project, Tapton Lock Visitor Centre.

4.15 Local Links

4.15.1 A summary of the connections of the canal towpath to local communities, local tourist attractions and long distance routes together with an outline of transport provision at each access node can be found in Appendix A, Table 2.

4.15.2 It will be apparent from Table 2 that the connectivity of the canal towpath with local communities is not especially high – the purpose of the towpath was as a haulage route not as a means of communication in its own right. In many case the canal is crossed by farm tracks or private drives over which there is no public right of access. In consequence these nodes are effectively cut off from the community which they could serve and cannot be promoted or developed for public use without securing the agreement of the landowner.

4.15.3 The extent of connectivity also reflects the historical origins and development of the local landscape. The former industrial communities of Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire have created a dense network of public footpaths -- these tend to avoid the river valleys and hence outside urban areas connection between footpaths and the canal towpath is not a high as might be supposed. In South Yorkshire many routeways cross the line of the canal and there are numerous under exploited links.

4.15.4 In Nottinghamshire to the south of the canal in the Clumber / Sherwood Forest area there is a extensive network of public footpaths and bridleways. These tend to peter

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out at the edge of the parklands and have few links to the canal. There are also relatively few links between rural and urban areas; this is a particular problem in Worksop.

4.15.5 Beyond Worksop the Canal traverses estate lands with relatively few public footpaths and the density of connections falls (as reflected by the numbers of access nodes). Beyond Retford the canal passes along the margins of several linear villages – Hayton and Clarborough and connections rise before falling again as the canal skirts the reclaimed geometrical landscape of the lower Idle and Trent Valleys.

4.16 Long Distance Routes and Wider Connections

4.16.1 The location of the Cuckoo Way and other long distance way-marked footpaths and trails in the area is shown in Figure 4.5. The orientation of the canal is important – It will be seen that the Cuckoo Way forms a vital element in the regional footpath network; the canal cuts across the “grain” of the country in an east-west direction and intersects several north-south routes. These include:

Trans Pennine Trail 4.16.2 The “Main Line” of the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) runs from Southport to Liverpool and then via Warrington, Manchester and Stockport to Penistone and Barnsley. From Barnsley a northern branch reaches up to Wakefield and Leeds. South from Penistone and Barnsley a series of loops bring the trail to Sheffield, Rotherham and, via the southern extension, to Chesterfield. To the east of Barnsley the Trail passes through Doncaster to Selby where a branch to York commences. Beyond Selby the main line runs to Hull and finally reaches the North Sea at Hornsea. 4.16.3 The TPT is a significant investment and was the country’s first national multi-user route for walkers and cyclists, with many sections available for horse riders. Much of the TPT is traffic free. Easy gradients and surfaced paths make the TPT suitable for people using wheelchairs and pushchairs. 4.16.4 The TPT has been designated as the English Section of European Long Distance Footpath Number 8 (E8). This is a walking route from the west of Ireland to Istanbul. The TPT also forms part of the National Cycle Network – the section from Chesterfield to Staveley is route no.67 4.16.5 At Chesterfield the Canal Towpath is utilised by the Trans Pennine Trail Southern Extension from Holbrook Close through to Staveley where it diverges from the towpath along the former Great Central Railway. The Cuckoo Way and the TPT then intersect at Renishaw and later again run parallel to each other between Boiley and Birley Farms. This opens the possibility of multiple circular walking routes with different distances. 4.16.7 The section from Chesterfield Railway Station to St.Helena’s Floodgate is in very poor condition but will form the centrepiece of a major new urban redevelopment over the next five years. Beyond Tapton Lock the joint Cuckoo Way and Trans Pennine Trail is in excellent condition with wide gravel surfaced paths and where the towpath becomes narrow, separation of the cycle and walking tracks.

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The Archaeological Way (Proposed Northern Extension) 4.16.8 At Turnerwood the Canal Towpath intersects public footpaths which are proposed for incorporation into the Northern Extension of the Archaeological Way. 4.16.9 The Archaeological Way commences at a junction with the Meden trail near Pleasley and runs northwards through Langwith and to Whitwell. The proposed northern extension runs from Whitwell to Turnerwood, where it crosses the canal, to Lindrick Dale and thence to Stones and eventually to Roche Abbey. From Roche Abbey a further extension/link has been proposed to Bawtry – It is understood that proposals for this link are under development by RMBC.

National Cycle Route 6 4.16.10 National Cycle Route 6 runs from Sheffield and Rotherham to Nottingham and Derby via Sherwood Forest. At Worksop the section of Chesterfield Canal towpath from Shireoaks to Manton forms part of the route. From Manton to Clumber Park the route offers a signposted on-road link between the Canal and the Robin Hood Way.

The Robin Hood Way 4.16.11 The Robin Hood Way takes a circuitous 105 mile route through Sherwood Forest and the Dukeries to Nottingham. Its route passes through Clumber Park (one of the most visited National Trust properties in England) where it comes close to the canal although it does not actually intersect it.

The Trent Valley Way 4.16.12 The Trent Valley Way commences south of Nottingham at the village of Thrumpton. The Way follows the course of the Trent through Nottingham, Newark and Torksey until at Littleborough, south of Gainsborough, it heads north-west away from the Trent to climb the low ridge of hills that lie between the Trent and its tributary valley, the Idle. Running along the ridge the Way passes through South and North Wheatley and Gringley on the Hill before dropping back down into the Idle valley. It then joins the Chesterfield Canal at Gringley Wharf (Shaws Bridge) where the Trent Way and Cuckoo Way unite and jointly follow the Chesterfield Canal as far as West Stockwith where both end. 4.16.13 From West Stockwith there is a public right of way south towards Gainsborough along the West (Nottinghamshire) bank of the Trent. This path gives access to Gainsborough and its associated public transport hub.

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Figure 4.5: The Cuckoo Way in relation to other Long Distance Paths & Trails.

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Access Proposals

4.17 Detailed Planning and Ongoing Access Audit

4.17.1 The Access Node and Towpath Condition Survey records should be updated on a regular basis and the overall condition of physical access be continually monitored.

KA.1 Work with our Partners to undertake regular access audits of the canal towpath and linking paths so as to monitor progress towards implementation of the Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy and relevant Partnership Rights of Way Action Plans

4.17.2 Where necessary further detailed survey of the footpath links from the canal to local communities should be undertaken. These surveys will form the basis of detailed Rights of Way Action Plans. Such a detailed survey of the Rotherham Section has already been undertaken by the RMBC Rights of Way Officer (The Cuckoo Way – Chesterfield Canal Rights of Way Improvement Plan and Countryside Access Report 2006). This report has identified priority locations where improvements would have the most beneficial effect not just upon the canal towpath but upon the local footpath network as a whole. The result is a convincing approach to the development of the canal towpath as an integral part of the local footpath and cycle way network. 4.17.3 Lessons learnt from this study should be incorporated in future work in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. The conclusions of such studies will form local rights of way action plans and should be promoted for incorporation into the relevant Rights of Way Improvement Plans.

KA.2 Work with our Partners to draw up local Rights of Way Action Plans which can contribute towards both increasing access to the canal and meeting the needs of the relevant local authority Rights of Way Improvement Plans.

4.18 Canal Access Node Improvement

4.18.1 Development locations are defined as Primary, Secondary or Tertiary Nodes 4.18.2 Primary nodes are locations where multiple public transport routes terminate, cross or interchange. Primary nodes connect with a several different major walking or cycling routes and offer a variety of opportunities to access visitor attractions. 4.18.3 Primary nodes are locations with high access development potential; they are locations where significant targeted capital investment may be appropriate and where visitor facilities are either already concentrated or may be expected to develop within the foreseeable future. They are sites which have regional or sub- regional potential.

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4.18.4 Secondary nodes are locations which have good public transport access and where one or more walking or cycling routes intersect with the canal. They may connect with local visitor attractions or permit access to public rights of way. 4.18.5 Secondary nodes are locations with modest access development potential; they are locations where modest capital investment may be appropriate and where visitor facilities are either limited or are unlikely to be cost-effective in the short to medium term. They are sites with district or area potential. 4.18.6 Tertiary nodes are locations with limited or no public transport access and where the canal intersects local paths or tracks. They permit local access to the canal and while they may have local importance as, for example, a route to work or school, they generally have relatively limited potential for development as part of a sustainable tourism initiative. 4.18.7 Tertiary nodes have limited access development potential; they are locations where no significant investment is envisaged in the short to medium term. 4.18.8 In considering the possible future development of both nodes and the towpath and the relative ranking of the nodes attention was paid to the environmental setting of the node and any potential negative impact on the flora and fauna of the canal corridor which may result from node or towpath improvement such as disturbance of water vole habitats, etc. 4.18.9 The following summary listings identify the areas at which specific works should be targeted to ensure that new access development enhances rather than compromises existing features of value along the canal corridor. The listings also identify those areas where access by car will not be actively encouraged and where it will be discouraged (see also Section Three: Transport).

4.19 Primary Access Nodes

4.19.1 These sites represent the most appropriate opportunities for both physical and intellectual access to the Chesterfield Canal, providing ideal scope to develop new, and improve existing, facilities such as public transport links, moorings, information and interpretation, refreshments, toilets, disabled access and car parking. Primary access nodes will be actively promoted using publicity and off-site signage.

Derbyshire

4.19.2 Chesterfield – The western terminus of the canal and an important transport hub with excellent rail and bus links providing easy access from all parts of the country and also links to the Peak District for boaters arriving at the terminus. A major town with all urban facilities, including car parking. Access will be via a number of nodes:

AN 1 Holbeck Close, Chesterfield – Site of second (Great Central) wharf now infilled. Node at present connects onto roads close to Chesterfield Station and walking routes to all Chesterfield amenities. Area subject to major urban redevelopment which will see reinstatement of terminal basin. Opportunities for development of visitor facilities (see Section Six: Intellectual Access).

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AN 2 Wharf Lane, Chesterfield – Site of entrance to original (1777) wharf now infilled and partly under A61. Node at present leads to public footpath and bridge over the A61. This area also lies with the A61 Corridor scheme and will be redeveloped. The Cuckoo Way and TPT are central elements of the scheme and provide a sustainable transport corridor through the development. AN 4 Tapton Lock Visitor Centre, Chesterfield – Currently the only Visitor Centre on the canal and the focus for all of the Derbyshire section visitor services, including toilets, shop, mobility scooters and boat trips. On the Trans Pennine Trail. Bus links are very limited and poor car parking is an issue. Slip way access for boat launching. Public house and retail shops nearby.

4.19.3 Staveley – Of great historical significance to the story of the canal. Staveley is a node where several different multi-user trails cross and provides access to Poolsbrook Country Park and the proposed Solar Pyramid public artwork project. Town has good local facilities. Access may be via a number of nodes but the proposed primary node is: AN 13 Hall Lane, Staveley – This is proposed as the site of Staveley Town Basin. The basin will provide boating facilities and moorings together with appropriate waterside development including possible café/bar/restaurant and car parking. Prior to the development of the basin site, the Access Nodes at Mill Green (AN 10) and Bell House Lane, Lowgates (AN 16) will be promoted. Both will continue to be used as secondary nodes following development of the Town Basin.

4.19.4 Killamarsh – Here the Trans Pennine Trail and Cuckoo Way part company. Several different routes give access to Rother Valley Country Park. Town has local facilities and good access to public transport. Diversionary route of the canal through the town was finalised in 2004 and engineering studies undertaken to demonstrate viability in 2005. Green Access Route Project underway to develop whole of new canal line through the town as a multi-user trail (Green Access Route Feasibility Study, Halcrow 2005). Access may be via a number of nodes (which will be developed as the Green Access Route comes forward) but the proposed initial primary node is:

AN 38 Bridge Street, Killamarsh – this gives direct access from the main street to the canal and where access to bus routes and car parking is possible.

Rotherham

4.19.5 Rother Valley Country Park – Although Rother Valley Country Park is not on the original line of the canal the southern end of the site is planned to become part of the diversionary route. This will offer a number of opportunities for the development of moorings and appropriate facilities in Nethermoor Lake and the better linkage of the canal towpath to the rest of the park. The Park site is well served with buses and has excellent facilities including car-parking, cycle hire, boat and canoe hire, toilets, café and visitor centre. Better links from the canal to the park would

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commence at Nethermoor Lake and near the current access nodes at Barbers Lane (AN 41) and Ellison’s Cottages (AN 43).

4.19.6 Kiveton Park – Three nodes at Kiveton Park have considerable development potential:- AN 52b Site and Hard Lane – the former site of Kiveton AN 53 Colliery has now been reclaimed. Three large ponds have been created. These are managed by British Waterways as fishing ponds with the long term intention of converting them into a marina when through connection on the canal is re-established. In the interim BW is working to provide facilities on the site and limited public parking is planned. The site has good access to local shops and public transport -- Kiveton Bridge Station (500m), buses on Hard Lane (50m) and in the village centre (600m). AN 55 Kiveton Park and Dog Kennels Bridge – Situated directly adjacent to the canal and road, Kiveton Park Station provides easy access by rail and bus. The station has car parking facilities but they are inadequate to the demand and will need to be examined.

Nottinghamshire

4.19.7 Shireoaks – The village is served by excellent rail and bus services and has key local facilities including a post office and a canal side café. Promotion will involve two key nodes:-

AN 62 Shireoaks Upper Bridge, Shireoaks – Only 100m from the railway station with good bus links but car parking issues need to be resolved. Public houses nearby. Footpath link to marina site separate from towpath.

AN 63 Shireoaks Marina, Shireoaks – British Waterways Marina offering both visitor and long-term moorings for boaters with a full range of facilities including water points, electric hook-up points, toilets, showers and waste disposal. Surrounding former colliery site is to be developed for housing and this should include new public car parking. A public house is proposed.

4.19.8 Worksop – Rail and bus links, parking in the town. Moorings suitable for both visitors and long-term boaters is available at the Town Wharf, providing facilities such as a public house, water points and waste disposal, as well as access to the nearby town centre amenities. Primary access will develop around:-

AN 70 Bridge Place, Worksop – The Bridge Place access has Town Wharf at the centre and should form the centrepiece of a proposed Worksop Waterfront development. The opportunity should be taken to improve access throughout the town and this will involve improvements at associated nearby nodes including Town Centre Car Park (AN 69) and Canal Road / Priorswell Road (AN 71).

4.19.9 Ranby – Bus services. Roadside car parking and potential for further parking. There is a visitor mooring at the Chequers Inn Public House. Poor access to footpath network. Improvements will centre on:-

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AN 80 Old Blyth Road, Ranby – this has the potential to develop a car park and picnic areas with direct access to the A1 as well as access to public transport. Improvements in signage at Chequer House Bridge (AN 79) and The Barracks, Ranby (AN 81) will enable the three nodes to direct foot traffic into the village.

4.19.10 Retford – Bus and railway stations. Parking provision in the town, with potential to promote further town centre parking. Good pubs, shops etc. Good pedestrian access to canal through town and potential to further promote linkages between access points and the town’s facilities. Visitor moorings are present at the Packet Inn and both above and below the town itself. Again a number of nodes may be promoted but the following can be regarded as key:

AN 89b Carolgate Wharf (Bay Tree Café), Retford – Access to town centre and public transport hub. Links to several other nodes to provide a variety of routeways. Near to junction with proposed “Idle Way” (see below).

AN 95 Hop Pole Bridge, Retford – On the eastern edge of the town, excellent mooring location and a stepping off point for the canal villages of the Idle Valley. Several ROW join or cross the towpath near here with potential to develop links to the Trent Valley Way. Good informal car park which could be developed with information on site to serve as a footpath hub. Good bus service on Welham Road.

4.19.11 Drakeholes – By virtue of its geographic position this should be a primary node. It does possess a bus link but this does not run on Sundays. Car parking is limited and tied to “The Swan” public house. There are visitor moorings and facilities at Drakeholes Wharf.

AN 110 Drakeholes – The node requires work to improve connectivity to the local ROW network – a potential footbridge link over the Idle to Mattersey Prior should be investigated. There is also a need to explore improvements to public transport and car parking if the node is to realise its potential.

4.19.12 Misterton – A growing community and one with good local links. Several nodes may be developed but the primary candidate is:

AN 122 Station Street, Misterton – Good canal side car park adjacent to visitor moorings near site of now demolished “Packet Inn”. Improvements to signage required to make connections to the local ROW network.

4.19.13 West Stockwith – The start, or end, of the canal. There is a visitor mooring at West Stockwith Linear with water point facilities whilst at West Stockwith Basin, a range of amenities for long-term boaters are provided including water points, electric hook-up points, showers, toilets, waste disposal & diesel sales. The Primary access node is:

AN 124 Stockwith Basin, West Stockwith -- Access to the basin is good on foot but requires work to improve signage, make obvious connections to rest of towpath and to create additional parking. The limited parking in the village is inadequate to demand in summer.

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4.20 Secondary Access Nodes

4.20.1 Secondary access nodes represent the points at which there will be upgrading of facilities to accommodate local visitors, with facilities such as moorings, access for people with limited mobility/disabilities and limited car-parking. More localised promotions and low-key signage will be provided with a general upgrade of physical access made in line with the overall strategy. The promotion of public transport opportunities will also be emphasised. The Secondary Access Nodes will be:-

4.20.2 Derbyshire

AN 6 Station Road, Brimington – Public house, good public transport links, small car park. Start of Bluebank Loop -- orientation panel in place. AN 7 Newbridge Lane, Brimington – Good local community access links, part of Bluebank Loop easy access route. Interpretative sculpture and interpretation board. Limited parking. TPT uses towpath. AN 10 Hollingwood Lock – Potential for a visitor information point associated with the old lock house. Very limited parking. Trans Pennine Trail uses towpath. Public transport link. AN 11 Mill Green – Access to town is good, but not level. Small scale car- parking. Trans Pennine Trail uses towpath. AN 16 Bell House Lane, Lowgates. Junction of several routes, with access to Mastin Moor Local Nature Reserve and Poolsbrook Country Park. AN 24 Main Road, Renishaw – Bus link and limited car parking, potential cycle hire and a public house. TPT parallel to towpath. Opportunity to return the canal to water as part of Renishaw Mile Scheme.

4.20.3 Rotherham

AN 51 Stockwell Avenue, Kiveton Park – A new footpath link from Stockwell Avenue is proposed to meet the existing public footpath No 19 which forms part of the Cuckoo Way. There are opportunities to improve the surface of the public bridleway from Stockwell Lane towards Norwood Flight and further west if landowner agreement can be secured. This would create a good quality amenity cycle and bridleway link to Rother Valley Country Park. AN 56 Thorpe Bridge – Surface upgrading is proposed to the existing public bridleways to improve links for walkers, cyclists and horse riders between South Anston and Bunkers Hill (includes use of an existing “at level” railway crossing with good visibility). From Bunkers Hill, a link can be made along the road to Thorpe Salvin which already forms part of the National Cycle Network Route 6. Note: Access from the canal to Old Spring and Hawks Woods (AN 58, AN 59) is to be discouraged due to the sensitive nature of these ancient woodlands.

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4.20.4 Nottinghamshire

AN 67 Deep & Stret Locks (Lock Keeper Public House), Worksop – Bus service. Pub and shops. There is a visitor mooring at the public house. AN 84 Barnby Wharf & Bridge (Old London Road), Barnby Moor – Informal off- street parking (6 places). No bus service. No access to footpath network. A mooring suitable for both visitors and long-term boaters is provided at the nearby Forest Mid Top Lock, offering water points, toilet, shower and waste disposal facilities. AN 85 Ladybridge, Sutton Lane, Babworth – Roadside parking (8 places). No bus service. No access to footpath network. AN 98 Clarborough Top Bridge (Gate Inn), Clarborough – Roadside parking (6 places) plus customer parking at the Gate Inn (25 places). Good bus services. Access to local footpath network. Local shops plus village and canal-side pubs. There is visitor mooring at the Gate Inn. AN 102 Hayton Low Bridge (Boat Inn), Hayton – Roadside parking. Bus services. Very good local footpath network. Local shops and canal-side PH, the Boat Inn, with 30 customer parking spaces. There is a visitor mooring at the public house. AN 103 Clayworth Bridge (Retford & Worksop Boat Club), Clayworth – Parking on roadside, at picnic site and at local pubs. Bus services. Access to local footpath network. Village shop/Post Office, pubs, restaurants and hotels. Attractive village with interesting church. Moorings designed for both visitors and long-term boaters is available and facilities include a public house, water points, electric hook-up points, toilets and waste disposal. AN 104 Otter’s Bridge (St.Peters Lane), Clayworth – Good access to public transport in village and ROW links to Lound. Potential for parking development. AN 112- Gringley on the Hill – Parking on roadside in the village and by the AN 114 canal but heavy demand by anglers often limits capacity. Bus services. Access to local footpath network. Village shop and pub.

4.21 Tertiary Access Nodes

4.21.1 The tertiary access nodes are to be low-level access points at which the development of facilities will be low key and largely directed at the local community. The Tertiary Access Nodes will be: - 4.21.2 Derbyshire

AN 4 Brimington Road North (St Helena’s Floodgate), Chesterfield – Good cycle access from Brimington Road onto the TPT. No vehicular access. AN 8 Bilby Lane – Public Bridleway links to local communities upgraded recently to easy access standard. No vehicular access.

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AN 14a-b Eckington Road, Staveley – Local access point to be integrated into restoration scheme. AN 18-20 Norbriggs Arm – provides links to and from Mastin Moor. Possible upgrade to secondary status in connection with wildlife sites enhancements. Sensitivity to nature conservation issues essential. AN 22 Hague Lane – Country road, no parking. AN 28 Birley Farm / Rabbit Lane, near Renishaw – Intersection of several ROW makes this an important node but one limited by lack of public transport or parking. Public bridleway access to Westthorpe Hills. No vehicular access. AN 34 Old Hall Farm / Forge Bridge (Station Road), Killamarsh – Link with Trans Pennine Trail.

4.21.3 Rotherham

AN 57 Devil’s Hole Bridge. AN 58 Pudding Dyke Bridge. AN 59 Low Spring Wood (aka Thorpe Top Treble) Bridge. AN 60 Turnerwood Bridge – Vehicular access will not be promoted at this site. Overnight moorings at Turnerwood Basin but no facilities. AN 61 Cinder Hill Bridge.

4.21.4 Nottinghamshire

AN 65 Doefield Dun Lock, Rhodesia – Footpath link from Rhodesia. AN 66 Haggonfield, Tanker Lane, Rhodesia AN 74 Manton Bridge (Retford Road), Worksop AN 75 Rayton Farm (Retford Road), Worksop – No public right of access from Retford Road, where a bus stop is located. Good potential access point. Opportunity to explore negotiated permissive access. AN 77 Lock Plantation, Osberton Lock & Bridge – Access to good bridleway network. Access by car not to be encouraged. AN 83 Green Mile Lane Bridge, Ranby – Informal access onto towpath. AN 86 West Retford Cemetery AN 88 Kings Park, Retford AN 96 Whitsunday Pie Lock, Welham – Some access to ROW network. Could be linked to development of Hop Pole Bridge site as car park is midway between nodes. AN 97 Bonemill Bridge (Bonemill Lane), Clarborough AN 99 Church Bridge (Church Lane), Hayton AN 100 Lecture Room Bridge, Hayton

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AN 101 Hayton Narrow Bridge (Scotter Lane), Hayton AN 107 Wiseton Park Turn, Wiseton AN 108 Wiseton Top Bridge, Wiseton AN 115 Smith’s Bridge, Walkeringham – access to public road and bridleway AN 118 Cooper’s Bridge, Misterton

KA.3 Implement an agreed programme of work to improve, retain or restrain access opportunities and associated services at particular primary, secondary and tertiary access nodes.

4.22 Signage

4.22.1 The quality of signage along the entire canal was audited as moderate to poor. Many access nodes have no signage. There is a pressing need to upgrade signage along the canal and also to integrate signage by making better linkage between signage and printed promotional material (way marking of routes promoted by leaflets etc). 4.22.2 It should be noted that a number of sites listed above are centres of local heritage interest and some form, or are within, Conservation Areas. When considering the types of new signage to be developed, this fact must be taken into account as new signage may not always beneficial to the setting of Conservation Areas and listed buildings.

KA.4 Develop a signage strategy for the whole of the route taking into account the types of access nodes present, as an addendum to the Design Guide approved by the Partnership in 2000, and in accordance with the requirements of existing national (e.g. Trans Pennine Trail) and local initiatives (e.g. Cuckoo Way), and landowner requirements (e.g. British Waterways).

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4.23 Canal Towpath Improvement

4.23.1 The Partnership will continue to work for the incremental improvement of the Canal Towpath. This will include; • Upgrading of surfaces to be accessible for all users • Employment of materials sensitive to the location (Rural verses Urban) • Investigation of the potential for widening to accommodate cycling or for the development of segregated cycle lanes. • Removal of barriers to access (see access nodes) • Provision of improved directional / informational signage

4.23.2 The Partnership will work to increase the length of canal towpath that is accessible for people with limited mobility (see 4.27). This will be based upon (a) the extension of existing improved sections and (b) the creation of new isolated improved lengths where they can be shown to have strategic or high local value. The presumption will be that all future towpath upgrading will incorporate access for all standards. 4.23.3 Development of the towpath for use by cyclists will depend upon the outcome of consultation with present and potential users together with research on strategic location and predicted demand (proposed below, 4.28). 4.23.4 Renovation or improvement of towpath surfaces should be undertaken with materials appropriate and sensitive to the historic context of the location (Rural verses Urban). Consideration should also be given to the impact of upgrading on the natural heritage of the canal. 4.23.5 The towpath audit has identified a number of locations along the Cuckoo Way with very poor surface conditions and these should be a priority for improvement: • Chesterfield: Holbeck Close (AN 1) to St.Helena’s Floodgate (Brimington Road North, AN 4) • Norbriggs Cutting Junction (AN 17) to Hague Lane (AN 22) • Main Road, Renishaw (AN 24) to Spinkhill Bridge (AN 27) • Killamarsh: Old Hall Farm (AN 34) to Walford Road (AN 35) • Killamarsh: Nethermoor Lane/Sheffield Road (AN 40) to Ellison’s Cottages (AN 43) • Norwood Tunnel West Portal (AN 48) to Norwood Tunnel East Portal (AN 54) • Manton Bridge, Worksop (AN 74), to Chequer House Bridge, Ranby (AN 79)

4.23.6 Reference to Appendix A Table 3 will show a further eleven lengths with poor surfaces and these should form the basis of a second round of upgrading.

KA.5 Work with our partners to improve the Canal Towpath as part of strategic improvement in the wider footpath and (where appropriate) cycleway network.

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4.24 Strategic Approach to Access Node and Towpath Improvements

4.24.1 The Partnership recognises that the majority of the canal infrastructure is over two hundred years old and is of historic significance. As a consequence upgrading the entire canal to “access for all” standards may conflict with the equally pressing need to conserve and protect the heritage of the canal. The Partnership, therefore, recognises (a) that upgrading the canal to be fully accessible will be a gradual process involving extensive consultation and (b) that heritage concerns mean it may not always be possible to make every part of the existing canal fully accessible and where this is not possible alternative route or access points should be developed. 4.24.2 Wherever possible upgrading should take place within a strategic context with lengths of towpath which have no parallel improved route or which themselves form a key link being the first to be considered. 4.24.3 The Partnership proposes a phased approach -- creating lengths of fully accessible path with multiple fully accessible nodes and then expanding the network to link the isolated lengths as soon as is practicable. The key projects under consideration are; • Holbeck Close to Tapton Lock Upgrading: Extensive upgrading proposed as part of A61 Corridor regeneration scheme. Revitalised towpath/Trans Pennine Trail will form a central sustainable transport corridor in the development. • Renishaw Mile Upgrading: A 1.6 km length of canal from Hague Lane to Boiley Farm Bridge via the Renishaw Foundry Site is to be brought back into water. At the same time the towpath will be upgraded to combined foot and cycleway standards forming a series of loops with the TPT. • Worksop to Retford Towpath Upgrading: Upgrading of existing towpath to combined foot and cycleway standards. Upgrading does not require hard surfacing throughout and a flexible response to improvements and surfacing specification dictated by traffic volumes and ground conditions is indicated.

KA.6 Work with our partners to improve those footpaths that serve the varied needs of local communities.

4.25 Development of Wider Links: Aims

4.25.1 The improvement of links between the canal and the surrounding local communities is a high priority for all the local authorities along the route. Development of better links will play a role in the delivery of ROWIP throughout the area. 4.25.2 The aim is to increase capacity for sustainable modes of transport. Such new capacity provides a fertile niche for community enterprises (for example tea rooms and cycle hire) while at the same time helping to support existing rural enterprises and providing additional footfall at critical locations.

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4.25.3 The existing network of public rights of way, promoted walks, waymarked routes and developing regional and long distance links is a tremendous potential economic and social resource for the Canal Corridor. With relatively limited investment in improving existing footpaths (miles without stiles) and in creating strategic links to “fill the gaps”, a regionally significant sustainable countryside tourist destination and countryside access strategy becomes possible. This will also provide a sustainable transport link between the canal and other tourist destinations. 4.25.4 It is believed that these proposals are complementary to existing strategies by Partner Authorities. It is hoped that these links will be fully incorporated into, and be pursued as part of, the ROWIP’s and sustainable transport strategies for each local authority area. 4.25.5 The proposals build upon existing public transport provision and all the key access nodes can be reached by public transport.

KA.7 Work with our partners to improve walking and cycling routes which provide sustainable links between tourism destinations and which increase diversity of long distance routes within the wider area.

4.26 Development of New Promoted Local Walking Routes

4.26.1 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership believes that there is opportunity to expand on the existing promoted route network of walks along the towpath and existing public footpaths. Such routes will be promoted jointly through a new series of leaflets using the interpretive themes outlined in Section Six of the Access Strategy.

KA.8 Prepare, produce and market collectively a new series of leaflets promoting walking routes, adopting a style of presentation uniform with the existing walks leaflet series and the Partnership Design Guide.

4.27 Development of Routes for People with Limited Mobility / Disabilities

4.27.1 The present combination of uneven surfaces which are poorly suited to wheelchairs and become difficult in wet weather linked to poor quality access nodes means that there is still some way to go before we can declare the canal “open and accessible to all”. 4.27.2 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership, however, is fully committed to the promotion of physical access and recreation for people with limited mobility/disabilities, wherever this is realistically achievable and appropriate. Those locations with existing facilities and where there are opportunities to improve and enhance disabled access are: -

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4.27.3 Derbyshire

Chesterfield to Lowgates, Staveley – All of the towpath length (8km) is easy access. Tapton Lock Visitor Centre – Accessible toilets, refreshments, information and wheelchair accessible trip boat. Shopmobility scooters available for hire. Accessible sensory garden. Bilby Lane to Dixon’s Lock and Hollingwood to Mill Green – Accessible fishing platforms available. The Bluebank Loop – Easy access circular route at Brimington promoted as part of the Partnership’s Cuckoo Way walks series. Route provides tactile boards and waymarkers, frequent resting places, accessible picnic area and several short cuts. Killamarsh/Renishaw – The canal and the Trans Pennine Trail intersect to provide several potential easy access circular routes.

4.27.4 Rotherham

Kiveton Colliery - There is considerable potential to improve and develop access for people with limited mobility/disabilities. Kiveton Park to Shireoaks – Excellent opportunities exist to develop physical access opportunities along this substantial stretch of towpath for people with limited mobility/disabilities.

4.27.5 Nottinghamshire

Shireoaks Marina/Former Shireoaks Colliery/Cinderhill Shireoaks / Worksop– in use as a main easy access route. Retford – Eastern part of route now developed as accessible route way by British Waterways. Good access. Potential to form a circular route in the area.

KA.9 Develop an Access-for-All Action Plan to identify and remedy potential problems along the proposed routes and to identify the likely cost of improving access nodes to make them fully accessible.

4.27.6 It should be noted that any improvements which may be identified may incur a negative impact on the natural and historic heritage features along the canal and its wider corridor. As a consequence, full consideration of such impacts must be taken into account prior to undertaking any such improvement works and imaginative solutions advanced which will provide the maximum disabled access whilst retaining the original fabric and character of the canal.

4.27.7 The survey of current access arrangements took this into account and used the Fieldfare Trusts “Access for All” standard to determine the existing degree of accessibility of each node. The same standards will be incorporated in development

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proposals. As improvements progress applications will be made for Fieldfare Trust’s Millennium Miles Status. This denotes sites that meet Countryside for All standards and enables people with disabilities to access the countryside with confidence.

KA.10 Make Application to the Fieldfare Trust for Millennium Miles Status for those sections of the canal which meet the BT Countryside for All standards and all such subsequent sections as they are improved.

4.28 Development of Cycling & Horse Riding in the Canal Corridor

4.28.1 In Derbyshire the canal towpath is not under British Waterway's ownership and further development of the towpath as a cycleway will not therefore require a license to permit cycling. The current condition of the Towpath between Lowgates (Staveley) and Killamarsh is relatively poor – development of the towpath as a multi- user trail should take into account the existence of the parallel TPT to create circular routes. 4.28.2 In Nottinghamshire and Rotherham, access along the towpath for cycling will need to be by licensed by British Waterways who are the owners of the waterway’s towpath network. As already noted Nottinghamshire has a licence permitting cycling along the towpath from Shireoaks to Worksop (Bracebridge). Rotherham, however, will need to consider the option of pursuing a similar formal agreement with British Waterways to provide scope to actively promote cycling along the towpath as both a recreational activity and as part of the wider sustainable transport facilities to be provided.

KA.11 Fully assess the current cycling provisions and predicted demand along the length of the canal, identifying opportunities and problems likely to be encountered. Make recommendations for cycling development priorities.

KA.12 On the basis of the above study seek funding to upgrade routes to cycleway status and where relevant, apply for a licence. Promote the routes in accordance with the Communication Strategy and Partnership Design Guide.

4.28.3 In Derbyshire, there is some pressure to make the towpath accessible to horses, and where the towpath links with well-used bridle routes this has been accommodated in the restoration work. Provision is mostly on trails parallel to the canal, but horses do have concessionary use of the towpath from Bluebank Lock to Bilby Lane Bridge and Hall Lane to Lowgates. 4.28.4 The towpath from Mill Green, Staveley, to the TPT at Lowgates in Staveley will be replaced and upgraded as part of the Northern Loop road project. It is intended that this will remain a concessionary bridleway.

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4.28.5 In Rotherham and Nottinghamshire, despite the canal towpath’s origins, horse riding is not permitted anywhere along the operational canal. This activity cannot be precluded on public rights of way other than footpaths. At the points where these public rights of way link to the towpath, the subject of horse riding may become an issue of concern.

KA.13 Fully assess the current horse riding provision and predicted demand along the length of the canal, identifying opportunities and problems likely to be encountered. Make recommendations for equestrian development priorities.

4.29 Development of Strategic Long Distance Routes

4.29.1 The Chesterfield Canal towpath is reasonably well connected to the regional and national multi-user routes in Derbyshire, Rotherham and the western part of Nottingham. The most notable gaps are between the Robin Hood Way and the Cuckoo and Trent Valley Ways, while links between the urban centres and the major visitor destinations by foot and cycle way are poor with many links being “on-road”. Given the density of vehicular traffic on the road network in this area (and an 80% increase in traffic volume since 1980) easy and safe movement between sites by foot or on cycle using public roads is questionable. 4.29.2 It is argued that increased countryside access and better physical links between existing visitor attractions will serve to support the development of sustainable tourism in North Derbyshire, South Rotherham and North Nottinghamshire. 4.29.3 To improve the regional connectivity of the canal towpath a number of additional links are proposed here. This includes both the upgrading of existing footpaths and the creation of new strategic links between established long distance routes. Figure 4.6 shows proposals for eight new or upgraded routes directly linked to the canal:

Link 1 “Rother Valley – Norwood Link” 4.29.4 Improved multi-user access from the towpath at Ellison’s Cottages (Norwood Industrial Estate) to the east side of Rother Valley Country Park. This route is followed by several divergent desire lines on the ground and an existing but un- waymarked right of way. It would require upgrading and signage.

Link 2 “Clumber Park Link” 4.29.5 The “Clumber Park Link” would be a new off-road link from the Canal towpath to Clumber Park and the Robin Hood Way in the vicinity of Worksop/Osberton. There is no clear route for this link at present, however, the landscaping of the former Manton Colliery tip and the use of the former colliery bridge over the A57 bypass may provide opportunities in the future.

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Link 3 “Idle Way” (Sherwood – Retford Section): 4.29.6 This would be a new off-road multi-user trail intended to link the Robin Hood Way to Retford via the valley of the River Idle. It would utilise in large part existing public rights of way. 4.29.7 A possible route can be suggested commencing on the Robin Hood Way at Haughton Hall Farm and following the River Maun using Public Rights of Way without interruption to Milton (near Markham Moor). A PROW through Sibthorpe leads to an existing bridge over the A1 and thence via established footpaths to East Markham. Further PROW lead to Askham (with only a short gap) and from there can be followed via Gamston Wood Farm to Low Farm and White Houses on the South Eastern edge of Retford. A short road walk leads to the town centre and the canal. Within Retford there are good opportunities for path creation along the Idle to reduce the road walking element and to achieve a traffic free junction with the Cuckoo Way in the vicinity of Retford Aqueduct.

Link 4 “Idle Way” (Retford – Bawtry Section) 4.29.8 Commencing from the Cuckoo Way a new off-road multi-user trail is intended to link Retford to Mattersey Priory following the banks of the River Idle. The route would utilise some existing public rights of way along the River Idle to reach the developing Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust wetland nature reserve near Lound and then to pass through the reserve to reach Mattersey Priory. Although this section would require several sections of new trail there are significant opportunities to work in conjunction with Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust as they develop new waterfowl and wetland reserves in the Idle valley.

Link 5 “Idle Way” (Bawtry – West Stockwith Section): 4.29.9 New multi-user trail intended to link Bawtry to West Stockwith via the valley of the River Idle. Based largely on upgrading of existing substantial sections of PROW. With Link 4 this would give a range of circular walking routes using part canal and part river. 4.29.10 In addition there are opportunities to further link the Cuckoo Way to the new “Idle Way” with better signposting of existing tracks and footpaths. Such short links would further extend the range of short, medium and long routes possible using a combination of the Cuckoo Way and Idle Way; for example: • Upgraded link from Hayton to Lound crossing and joining the Idle Way at Chainbridge (also gives access from Cuckoo Way to waterfowl reserves). • Possible footbridge across the Idle giving linkage from Mattersey Priory to Cuckoo Way at either Drakeholes and/or Wiseton (depending on where bridge is placed).

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Figure 4.6: Location of Proposed Strategic Links

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Link 6 West Stockwith to Gainsborough (Trent Valley Way Extension) 4.29.11 A multi-user trail along the west bank of the Trent from West Stockwith to Gainsborough based upon the upgrading of an existing public footpath. 4.29.12 The majority of this route lies on the west (Nottinghamshire) bank of the Trent and follows an existing public footpath which requires upgrading. Gainsborough itself is in Lincolnshire and cross-border collaboration will be required to signpost the route to and from the bus and railway stations. The purpose is to give multi-user access to Gainsborough which is both an interesting historic town and the nearest railhead to West Stockwith.

Link 7 Gainsborough to Littleborough (Trent Valley Way Extension) 4.29.13 A multiuser trail along the west bank of the Trent from Gainsborough to Littleborough with a view to completing a Trent Side route for the Trent Valley Way – this does not replace the existing Way but adds further possibilities for circular walks etc. There are opportunities to work in collaboration with the Trent Valley Partnership to achieve this goal.

Link 8 Retford/Clarborough to Clarborough Grange (Trent Valley Way) 4.29.14 A short (2km) link between Clarborough and Clarborough Grange using existing Green Lanes and Public Bridleways. Suitably waymarked this would create a link with the Trent Valley Way. From Clarborough Grange the TVW passes north of South Wheatley and eventually back to the canal at Gringley on the Hill. It also heads south towards Sturton-le-Steeple and from there to Littleborough.

4.30 The Idle Way

4.30.1 Routes L3, L4 and L5 follow the course of the Idle and would naturally be known collectively as the “Idle Way”. 4.30.2 These links offer an opportunity to progressively develop a route which would eventually extend to Bawtry and from there to West Stockwith. At West Stockwith the route would intersect both the Trent Valley Way and the Cuckoo Way opening up several alternative circular walking routes of varying lengths – Such a route would naturally be known collectively as the “Idle Way”. 4.30.3 In addition to linking the canal and creating circular walking routes it would link several communities with traffic free routes in an area where continuous routes are rare. The relatively level landscape through which it would pass favours cycling but is not devoid of interest. 4.30.4 The “Idle Way” would also be an opportunity to tell the story of the landscape of North Nottinghamshire. There are a number of possible key themes: • River and canal trade and traders -- the rise and fall of the Idle Navigation and its eventual replacement by the canal • The changing fortunes of Bawtry and its central role in the economy of Mediaeval North East Derbyshire and South Yorkshire. • The role of the church, and later the major estates, in shaping the landscape.

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4.30.5 The Idle Way would also provide an opportunity to interpret the spectacular archaeological finds of late Iron age and Roman “corduroy roads” and bridges at Scaftwith which have not been given the prominence they possibly deserve.

KA.14 Work with our Partners to investigate the practicability, costs and benefits of the proposed link routes and where feasible and beneficial work to incorporate those route proposals in the ROWIP strategies for North East Derbyshire, South Rotherham, North Nottinghamshire, North Lincolnshire and Doncaster.

4.31 Other prospects Out-with the Formal Remit of the Partnership

4.31.1 A multi-user trail from West Stockwith to Keadby and thence to following the Trent. This is a major new project and would involve many different bodies outside the current Partnership. It is not something which the Partnership will actively explore but which it feels should be noted as a desirable adjunct to the development of tourism in the wider area. Further extension of the Trent Valley Way to the west from Nottinghamshire through to the source of the Trent would provide a truly national walking/cycling route.

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70 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Five: Access to the Water

Section Five Access to the Water

Summary

This section considers those activities which take place in and on the water spaces of the canal corridor. It reviews the current provision in terms of water based activities including Boating, Paddlesports, Angling and Model Boating and sets out strategic development goals.

At present the nationally linked section from West Stockwith (on the River Trent) to Kiveton Park is owned and managed by British Waterways whilst the isolated length between Staveley and Chesterfield is owned and managed by Derbyshire County Council. It is reasonable to expect that these agencies will take the lead in the development of water based activities in these sections of the canal.

The ongoing restoration of the canal and the potential for the construction of the Rother Valley Link from the Chesterfield Canal to the South Yorkshire Navigation will greatly increase boating access to the entire canal and make the canal part of a “South Yorkshire Cruising Ring”.

5.1 Access to the Water

“…a ribbon of still water winding through the meadows to some unknown destination.”

LTC Rolt; Narrow Boat (1944).

5.1.1 At the heart of a living canal is water. The activities which take place in and on water are essential to giving canals their unique character and making them attractive places. The presence of activities on the water enhances not only the waterspace but also the view of the waterspace from the towpath. The water based activities which are actively promoted on the Chesterfield Canal are: • Boating • Paddlesports • Angling (partly considered in previous section because the angler is on the bank) • Model Boating

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5.1.2 Without water, however, a canal is simply a dry ditch. Central to increasing access to the water is the pursuit of restoration of the remaining un-restored canal from Staveley to Kiveton Park. This will complete the reinstatement of the original canal and enable through cruising from the Trent to Chesterfield. In conjunction with the development of the A61 Corridor site as a new canal terminus this will open up Chesterfield as the waterway gateway to the Peak District. 5.1.3 The development of a Rother Valley Link from the Chesterfield Canal to the South Yorkshire Navigation opens up the prospect of further increasing waterborne access and activities. The Link will create a 100 mile cruising ring through North Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire as well as offering boaters a non-tidal access to the Chesterfield Canal. The link, and the cruising ring it will create, is a vital element in the long term development sustainable tourism in this region. The link and the increased boat numbers it will bring underpins the thinking behind the long term proposals for Marina development noted below.

5.2 Boating

5.2.1 Canal boating is an expanding leisure activity, with boat numbers (and ownership) rising by on average around 2 to 3 % per year over the last 8 years. Boats range from permanently occupied residential boats through boats registered as continuously cruising to smaller “day boats” and “trail boats” which are placed in the water for a day or a short period before being taken on to other locations. 5.2.2 The background of canal boaters is similarly mixed with a broad range of social and economic groups participating. Boats may be privately owned, privately owned as part of a timeshare consortium, or available for weekly or daily hire from commercial boat hire concerns. 5.2.3 The current number of boat movements per year on the Chesterfield Canal is difficult to estimate as there are no boat counters at intermediate locations on the canal, however, the lock at West Stockwith is manned and the number of lock pennings are noted. These record boat movements between the Canal and the River Trent and give an approximation of visiting boat movements on the canal.

Year Number of Notes (Jan to Dec) Lock Pennings 2002 442 Figures for 1990-2001 “similar” 2003 1,132 Extension to Kiveton Park Opens, Spring 2003 2004 1,302 2005 1,241 2006 902 (figures to August only)

5.2.4 The figures show that the extension of the canal from Shireoaks to Kiveton Park appears to have resulted in a marked increase in visiting boats. These appear to have stabilised at around 1300 Boat Movements per Year (BMY). 5.2.5 It is British Waterways’ national policy to encourage a two fold increase in overall usage of the canal network of the next ten years. This includes both access to the

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towpath and boat usage and ownership. It is one of the aims of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership to see increased access to the Chesterfield Canal waterspace and this includes access to boats and boating.

5.3 The Navigable Canal and Access to the Water (Navigation Authorities)

5.3.1 When opened in 1777 the Chesterfield Canal was 46 miles long and had a total of 65 locks. By the late 1950’s when the last regular commercial traffic was carried the canal had dwindled to 25 _ miles and 16 locks. It is a tribute to the work of all the Partnership organisations that the majority of the waterway is now navigable, albeit at present in two sections and controlled by two different navigation authorities: • West Stockwith to Kiveton Park: 32 miles, 47 locks. Ownership and navigation authority: British Waterways East Midlands, Newark. Telephone 01636 704481. Connects with the River Trent at West Stockwith and thus to the rest of the inland waterways network. • Staveley to Chesterfield: 5 miles, 6 locks. Ownership and navigation authority: Derbyshire County Council Countryside Service, Tapton Lock Visitors Centre, Lockoford Lane, Chesterfield. Telephone: 01246 551035. Currently isolated from the national network but reconnection is planned.

5.4 Access to the Chesterfield Canal and Navigation on the River Trent

5.4.1 Access to the Chesterfield Canal from the national canal network requires visiting boaters to navigate the River Trent which is tidal from its mouth at Trent Falls as far inland as Cromwell Lock, four miles north of Newark upon Trent. • Boats from Yorkshire via the South Yorkshire Navigation enter the Trent at Keadby, nine miles south of Trent Falls. From Keadby it is a 12 _ mile upstream journey to West Stockwith. • Boats from Lincoln and Boston via the Fossdyke Navigation enter the Trent at Torksey Lock and have a 14 _ mile downstream journey to West Stockwith. • Boats from the Midlands navigate the canalised Trent as far as Cromwell Lock from whence it is 30 miles downstream to West Stockwith. 5.4.2 The Navigation Authority for the River Trent upstream (or south) of Gainsborough is British Waterways, downstream (or north) of Gainsborough it is Associated British Ports (ABP) Water. 5.4.3 Navigation on the tidal Trent is subject to special restrictions and care must be taken. Boats venturing onto the tidal Trent must be equipped with proper navigation lights, anchor and cable and other safety equipment. 5.4.4 Both British Waterways and the Trent Boating Association publish excellent guides to boating on the tidal Trent. British Waterways also publishes a guide to the use of West Stockwith Lock. These are available from the BW East Midlands office at Newark. British Waterways lock keepers at all the locations noted above will

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provide specialist advice on navigating the Trent and operate a telephone and VHF link system to report boats on the tidal section and their expected arrival points. 5.4.5 Moorings on the tidal Trent are restricted - it is not possible to moor on the banks and only limited pontoon moorings are available at Dunham and Gainsborough. 5.4.6 In spite of the excellent information and support now available, there is no doubt that venturing onto tidal waters in a canal boat requires special preparation and additional equipment and is something which many inland waterways enthusiasts are reluctant to undertake. This has arguably reduced the popularity of visiting the Chesterfield Canal and must be addressed. 5.4.7 The Partnership suggests that consideration should be given to developing a boat guidance scheme on the tidal River Trent. This might take the form of seasonal river guides who would be able to assist the lock keepers in advising prospective boaters and would undertake to guide boats through the tidal section, possibly by leading the working of a group of boats in convoy. 5.4.8 The presence of working boats on this section of the River creates further hazards, however working boats use VHF Marine Band radio to communicate and report their position. For boats without VHF radio the Partnership would like to see the investigation of a VHF radio loan scheme. Radios could be obtained from and returned to the Lockkeepers at each of the locks into and out of the tidal section – this would enable visitors to the Trent to maintain a listening watch on the position of working boats. 5.4.9 A further option might include the development of a “tidal waters loan package” including river anchors & chains, life jackets/buoyancy aids, 50ft ropes for deep locks and copies of the British Waterways and Trent Boating Association Guides. 5.4.10 It is acknowledged that such measures may be costly to establish but would serve to increase access, and if not applicable all year round, might operate on a seasonal or restricted -days basis or in conjunction with a major waterways festival or event.

KW.1 Work with British Waterways to develop cost effective appropriate additional support to help boaters to safely and confidently navigate the tidal Trent. In particular to explore boat guidance and equipment loan schemes.

5.5 Canal Dimensions (Gauge) & Maximum Craft Dimensions

5.5.1 The size and type of boats which can be accommodated on any length of the canal is governed by the width & and depth of the channel and the dimensions of the bridges and locks. 5.5.2 From the River Trent into West Stockwith Basin the largest boat which can be accommodated is 14ft (4.26m) by 72 ft (21.95m) by 4ft (1.2m) draught. This allows larger river boats to enter the basin but a relatively low bridge at the exit from the basin means that larger river craft (cabins greater than 8 ft / 2.4 m, draught greater than 2 ft 6 inches) cannot proceed further inland.

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5.5.3 From West Stockwith Basin to Retford (Town Lock) the canal was intended to be a Broad Canal. This can be seen in the broad locks designed to take Trent “flats” or river barges or two narrow boats working abreast. In the broad section the maximum Lock dimensions were 14ft (4.26m) by 72 ft (21.95m) by 2ft 6 inches (0.76m) draught with a headroom above water of no more than 7 ft 1 inch (2.159m). There are, however, several “pinch” points on the canal including the bridge hole at Manor Farm Bridge and Drakeholes Tunnel which brings the navigable width down to around 9ft and prevents broad beam craft from reaching Retford. 5.5.4 From Retford Town Lock through to Chesterfield the Canal was constructed as a Narrow Canal. In this section the maximum dimensions were 72 ft (21.95m) by 6 ft 10_ inches (2.082m) by 2ft 6 inches (0.76m) draught. In theory this section should accommodate boats up to 7ft (2.13m) wide but some of the locks are a little tight to gauge and it is generally recommended that boats no wider than 6 ft 10_ inches (2.1m) proceed beyond Morse Lock, Worksop. All new or restored locks in the section undergoing restoration are being built to take boats at the full 7ft (2.13m) width.

5.6 Planned Restoration & Access

5.6.1 The long term goal of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership is the restoration of navigation to the entire length of the canal from Chesterfield to West Stockwith. 5.6.2 In planning for reinstatement the importance of full access for all has long been recognised. The accessibility of the restored Chesterfield to Staveley and Worksop to Kiveton Park sections, for example, are a demonstration of this commitment. These standards will be maintained and incorporated into all new structures and access points.

KW.2 Work to ensure that all future restoration will continue to incorporate the highest possible level of accessibility to both the water and the towpath.

5.7 Proposed Long Term Management Framework

5.7.1 The long term goal of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership is the restoration of navigation to the entire canal from Chesterfield to West Stockwith. As and when restoration of navigation is accomplished, it will be undesirable to retain two separate navigation authorities for the canal. At the present time (and without prejudice to future changes in structure and organisation of the respective bodies) the intention is to explore the option of entering into a long term management agreement between Derbyshire County Council and British Waterways, with a view to transferring management of the navigation for the Derbyshire section to British Waterways. This aspiration will be kept under review as restoration progresses bearing in mind the long term nature of the restoration process, rapid changes in national funding regimes and the consequent changes in waterways management strategy.

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KW.3 Work towards a framework agreement for the long term management of the non-BW section of the Chesterfield Canal.

5.8 Boat Moorings

5.8.1 There are long term moorings at Shireoaks Marina (British Waterways), Forest Locks (British Waterways), Retford (Retford Mariners Boat Club), Clayworth (Retford and Worksop Boat Club), Drakeholes, West Stockwith Linear and West Stockwith Basin (British Waterways). 5.8.2 It is understood that there are waiting lists to obtain moorings at all these sites. British Waterways’ plan to expand numbers of boats using the canal will place these moorings under additional strain. There is a need to examine how this additional capacity can be accommodated. 5.8.3 There are dedicated short term mooring berths at all the long term mooring locations. In addition there are overnight moorings at Kiveton Park, Kiveton Wharf, Worksop, Ranby, Drakeholes, Gringley and Misterton. 5.8.4 On the currently isolated section there are moorings at Tapton Lock (on both sides of the A619 tunnel, Bridge No.1a), Brimington Wharf, and Mill Green (Staveley). Given the small numbers of boats on the isolated canal there are no marina facilities at present but planning is in place for their development when this becomes appropriate (see below). 5.8.5 The Chesterfield Canal Trust has identified a number of locations where it is working, with the agreement of British Waterways, to install mooring rings to improve or create additional short term moorings. These are: • Thorpe Salvin: Near Quarry or Pudding Dyke Bridge (No.34). • Manton: Near Milestone 23, between Manton Turnover Bridge (No.46) and Long Bridge (No.47). • Osberton: Osberton Mill Bridge (No.50) (near Milestone 24). • Ranby: South of Chequer House Bridge (No.51). • Babworth: Lady Bridge (No.54). Possibly in wood on off-bank to west of bridge, possibly on site of former wharf east side of bridge. • Hayton: Church Bridge (No.63). • Clayworth: Near Otter’s Bridge (No.68). • Wiseton: Near Wiseton Top Bridge (No.70). • Drakeholes: Near Everton style (Access Node 111). • Gringley: Opposite Scott’s Wood, above Gringley Top Lock (No.61) and Hewitt’s Bridge (No.74). • Gringley: East of Shaw Bridge (No.76). • Walkeringham: Near Smith’s Bridge (No.77).

5.9 Future Long Term Mooring Provision

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5.9.1 Current demand for long term moorings on the Chesterfield Canal appears buoyant. Should hire boat operations expand this will place additional pressure on existing moorings. There is a clear need to explore possible sites for additional long term moorings and hire boat base development (see below). To date the following locations have been noted as possible sites:

5.9.2 Chesterfield Waterside: Proposals have been made for comprehensive redevelopment of the area between the A61 and the Brimington Road (Chesterfield Borough Council Planning Brief 2005). This would involve the construction of a new length of canal (with capacity for linear moorings) and a new terminal basin. 5.9.3 Staveley Town Basin: Proposals are being investigated to develop a small basin and slipway at Staveley between Hall Lane and Eckington Road. This could be linked to the development of a waterside pub & and restaurant. The basin would have a similar capacity to the existing Shireoaks Marina and would have a full range of facilities. These proposals have been noted in the Chesterfield Borough Local Plan and will be subject to detailed planning consent. 5.9.4 The above two sites are located on the currently isolated section and will only achieve their full potential once the canal has been reconnected.

5.9.5 Nethermoor Lake, Killamarsh: The preferred route for the reinstatement of the canal in Killamarsh involves passage through Nethermoor Lake. The Lake is located at the southern end of Rother Valley Country Park on the northern edge of Killamarsh. This would also be the likely junction between the reinstated original, east-west line of the canal and the proposed Rother Valley Link. The site is well suited to the construction of a low key marina. 5.9.6 The above site is located in the centre of the nine mile un-restored section and clearly cannot be developed until the canal is restored to through navigation.

5.9.7 Kiveton Park (former Colliery Site): The Waterspace strategy for this site is in the process of being implemented by British Waterways. This proposes a three stage development of marina facilities. Stage 1 The construction of a series of lakes on the former colliery site which will be stocked and operated as fishing lakes. This stage of the development is now being implemented by British Waterways (2005) and opened to the public in the summer of 2006. Stage 2 Reopening of a short length of the Norwood Tunnel to a point just short of Hard Lane; opening out of the tunnel into a cutting and the construction of three locks which will then bring the canal up to the level of the fishing lakes. Conversion of the largest lake into a marina with full integrated sanitary station provision. This would then form a temporary head of navigation on the canal. Stage 3 Reinstatement of the canal on a new line through the colliery site (using the agreed protected line) and reconnection to the isolated canal via the Norwood flight and Killamarsh. This will be accompanied by the expansion of the marina (connection of the remaining ponds to the main

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pond) and the transfer of the fishing stands to the line of the canal through the site.

5.9.8 Worksop: Worksop is currently beginning a process of redevelopment (Worksop Renaissance Town Plan, Bassetlaw District Council 2005) which could see better use of the canal corridor within the town and the development of a series of canal orientated “waterfront” buildings. The potential clearly exists to develop new moorings and to enhance the use of the Grade II* Listed Straddle Warehouse building.

5.9.9 Retford: Retford is an attractive town and is an important nodal location on the canal. With its excellent road and rail links, Retford has obvious development potential as a hire boat base and for long term moorings. Within the town there are potential sites between Grove Mill Bridge (No.57) and Hop Pole Bridge (No.59). Outside the town it is understood that there have been proposals in the past for a marina near Whitsunday Pie Lock which failed to gain planning permission.

5.9.10 West Stockwith: There is the potential to create additional mooring space at West Stockwith either through the northwards extension of the basin into the area now used as a BW Stockyard or through the construction of additional basin space to the west of Basin Bridge (No.85). At present the only hire boat company on the canal is based here and expansion of their activities would require additional mooring space.

KW.4 Work with British Waterways to undertake a study of expected demand for both long and short term moorings on the Chesterfield Canal. Explore the options for the development of new moorings and develop a strategy for meeting anticipated demand in the short, medium and long term.

5.10 Boat Facilities

5.10.1 On the currently isolated Chesterfield – Staveley section in Derbyshire, facilities for boaters are available at Tapton Lock managed by the Visitors Centre. Facilities include a slipway, water supply, refuse and “elsan” chemical toilet waste disposal point. 5.10.2 A summary of current BW facilities on the Chesterfield Canal from Kiveton Park to West Stockwith is given in their Waterways Guide: Chesterfield Canal, River Trent, Fossdyke & Witham Navigations (British Waterways 2003). 5.10.3 Facilities available include Combined Sanitary Stations (chemical toilet waste disposal, water supply and showers) these are located at Shireoaks Marina, Worksop, Forest Locks and West Stockwith. Water supply, refuse and chemical toilet waste disposal is available at the Worksop and Retford Boat Club moorings at Clayworth and water supply only at Hop Pole Bridge (Retford).

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5.10.4 West Stockwith Basin also has sewage pump out facilities, and diesel and gas supply (managed by the BW Lock Keeper). 5.10.5 It will be noted that at present there are no boater facilities at Kiveton Park. As Kiveton forms the current head of navigation there is a pressing need to develop some appropriate facilities on this site. Water supply and rubbish disposal being the most urgent.

KW.5 Work with British Waterways to undertake a study of expected demand for boating facilities on the Chesterfield Canal. Explore the options for the development of new facilities and develop a strategy for meeting anticipated demand in the short, medium and long term.

5.11 Launching Facilities

5.11.1 Slipways are located at: • Chesterfield, Tapton Lock (Derbyshire County Council) • Shireoaks Marina (British Waterways) • Retford (Private -- Retford Mariners Boat Club) • West Stockwith (British Waterways) 5.11.2 The main boat clubs on the canal arrange crane hire for seasonal craning out of boats for winter maintenance although canal -side hard standing is currently limited to West Stockwith and a small area at Clayworth. 5.11.3 The Partnership believes that the development of increased trail-boat and paddle sport usage of the canal would be assisted by the development of new slipways at key locations (cf. British Canoe Union Access Policy). 5.11.4 On the section currently under restoration, slipways are proposed at Staveley (Town Basin), Renishaw (Foundry) and Killamarsh (Nethermoor Lake). It is understood that a slipway will be incorporated into the Kiveton (former Colliery Site) Marina when this is connected. 5.11.5 On the existing canal there is potential to construct new slipways at several possible locations including Worksop, Barnby Moor/Forest Locks, Ranby, Retford, Drakeholes and Gringley.

KW.6 Work with British Waterways to explore the need for additional slipways on the existing canal and integrate this into development plans for each access node.

5.12 Boat Yards & Maintenance Facilities

5.12.1 At present there is one part time boatyard situated at West Stockwith which offers a range of repair and maintenance services as well as pump out, diesel and gas.

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5.12.2 There is no commercial chandlery on the canal. 5.12.3 There are no boat builders on the connected (BW) section although, somewhat ironically, there are two boat builders located near to the currently isolated (DCC) section. Soar Valley Boats is located immediately adjacent to the canalised River Rother south of the Wharf Lane Footbridge in Chesterfield. Sea Otter Boats has a modern factory at Ireland Industrial Estate, Staveley, approximately 1km from the canal. Both companies have used the canal for testing and demonstration purposes but have no plans to develop “on canal” facilities at this time. 5.12.4 A particular concern raised repeatedly by boat owners is the absence of a dry dock anywhere on the canal. Dry docks are essential for many maintenance tasks and the alternative, craning out, can be costly as a one -off activity. The Retford and Worksop Boat Club has plans to build a dry-dock at Clayworth but these have yet to come to fruition. Until the 1960’s there was a dry dock at Retford but this is now in- filled and lies under the Retford Mariners Boat Club although the site remains undeveloped at present. This “lost” drydock is of considerable heritage as well as practical value.

KW.7 Work with BW and the boat clubs on the canal to develop a strategy for the stepwise improvement of maintenance and repair facilities. In particular to explore the best means of providing a dry dock on the canal.

KW.8 Explore the potential for attracting commercial chandleries / boat yards and/or boat builders to the canal.

5.13 Trip Boats

5.13.1 Trip boats provide an introduction to canal boating for people who may never have been on the water. They serve to widen access to the water and encourage people to consider canal boat holidays. The presence of the boat also serves to draw attention to the canal and publicise it as a tourism attraction. 5.13.2 At present there are two trip-boats operating on the Canal, both of which are owned and operated by the Chesterfield Canal Trust: • John Varley operates from Tapton Lock, Chesterfield and is equipped with a wheelchair lift. • Seth Ellis operates from the Hop Pole Inn, Retford. 5.13.3 Both boats are staffed by trained and certificated volunteers and operate 30, 45 or 60 minute cruises (depending upon demand) at weekends throughout the spring, summer and early autumn. In addition further “Santa Special” trips operate in the run up to Christmas. 5.13.4 In 2005 the trip boats carried in excess of 3000 passengers and this is likely to be exceeded in 2006. This level is approaching capacity for these boats and there may be scope to develop additional trip boat operations (including, for example, wine &

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dine cruises) or to extend the operating season / days of operation as new canal- side developments become a reality.

KW.9 Work with the Chesterfield Canal Trust to help them develop the full tourism and publicity value of the Trust’s trip boat operations.

5.13.5 There is also considerable potential to develop horse -drawn boat trips on the canal if a suitable boat were to become available. The Chesterfield Canal Trust’s New Dawn Group are planning to build an accurate replica of the traditional horse-drawn boats, unique to the Chesterfield Canal, known as Cuckoo Boats. There are constraints on the locations that may be suitable for use of horse drawn boats as discussed in section 4.6, nevertheless the promotional and tourism value of such an operation is considerable.

KW.10 Work with the New Dawn Group to explore the heritage tourism and publicity value of horse drawn trip boat operations.

5.14 Hire Boats

5.14.1 For many, boat hire provides their first extended experience of boating; for other more seasoned boaters it provides a means of experiencing many different waterways. Many prefer to hire rather than face the ongoing financial commitments which boat ownership entails. 5.14.2 Hire boat based tourism brings income from boat hire fees, and sale of supplies to visitors, and the additional tourist spend at attractions close to the canal or easily accessible from it. The development of the hire boat sector is therefore a vital element in the overall growth of the canal economy. 5.14.3 Canal boating is a relatively low impact tourist activity (measured by, for example, energy consumption per tourist day) and can contribute to building stronger local and rural economies because of the reliance of visitors upon suppliers and facilities which can be reached by walking or cycling from the canal. Boat based tourism is widely regarded as a sustainable activity.

Current Hire Boat Availability 5.14.4 Day Hire: There are no day hire boats on any part of the canal. Plans to offer a single 4- person motor cruiser for hourly or day hire from Tapton Lock Visitor Centre, Chesterfield, are currently on hold. 5.14.5 Weekend/Weekly/Residential Hire: Three 6 to 8 berth canal boats are available for extended hire from the Chesterfield Canal Boat Company (Telephone 01522 5145774), based at West Stockwith.

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Prospects for Hire Boat Development 5.14.6 Comparison with other waterways in the UK illustrates the potential which is currently unrealised on the Chesterfield Canal. The isolated Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal (33 miles, 6 locks) currently supports six hire boat companies offering a total of some 40 boats (some electrically powered). This would suggest that there is scope for the development of additional hire boat capacity on the Chesterfield Canal. 5.14.7 Development of additional capacity must be accompanied by active marketing of the canal as a desirable location to visit. It will depend upon changing entrenched external perceptions of North Nottinghamshire and North East Derbyshire and upon marketing the canal in a wider tourism context. 5.14.8 As part of a general increase in activity upon the canal, the Partnership would like to encourage increased hire boat availability. This could be through attracting existing hire boat companies to the canal or through the creation of new community enterprises based around boat hire. Increased Hire Boat capacity has knock -on effects on other areas (such as marina provision).

KW.11 Work with Derbyshire County Council Countryside Service to develop and increase day boat hire operations on the Chesterfield – Staveley section.

KW.12 Work with British Waterways and Commercial Operators to increase hire boat operations on the Chesterfield Canal.

KW.13 Explore the potential for community based hire boat operations offering reduced rate hire to local community groups or individuals.

KW.14 Work with tourism agencies to change the external perception of the canal region and to create a positive image of the Chesterfield Canal and its potential as a canal holiday destination (See also the aims of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership Communications Strategy 2004).

5.15 Paddle Sports

5.15.1 Paddle sports include canoeing, kayaking and rowing. Paddle sports are one of the fastest growing sporting pursuits and there is a constant demand for new venues. 5.15.2 The British Canoe Union has a memorandum of understanding with British Waterways to gradually expand paddle sport access to the canal network. The Partnership fully supports this memorandum and would like to see increased use of the both western (DCC) and eastern (BW) controlled sections of the canal for paddle sports.

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5.15.3 Within the section yet to be restored, it should be noted that the Rother Valley Country Park, adjacent to the route of the proposed canal in Killamarsh, is an important centre for flat water canoeing. Clearly there is also considerable potential for developing stronger links in this area.

Paddle Sports: Current Position 5.15.4 Permits are required to use both the BW and DCC controlled sections of the canal for paddle sports. Those paddlers who are members of the British Canoe Union are covered by a national agreement with British Waterways and are not required to purchase a separate permit for each waterway. A similar agreement to cover the isolated section in Derbyshire is under consideration. 5.15.5 Concerns over water quality in the Derbyshire Section have previously restricted development of paddle sports in this section. The quality of water from the principle feeder (the River Rother) has shown marked year on year improvement and the water quality is now sufficiently improved that promotion of the length for paddle sports is now being undertaken. 5.15.6 No specific arrangements are yet in place for paddle sports along either length of the canal as the facilities required are minimal. Slipways can be an advantage when launching canoes or row boats, but are not essential. Improvements suggested above to increase the number of slipways on both sections will be advantageous but not essential. Access to toilets and showers are advantageous where these already exist or can be incorporated into proposed developments with little cost.

KW.15 Work with the British Canoe Union and local Paddle Sports Societies to develop a local paddle sports access plan which identifies what specific actions have to be undertaken to improve access for these sports.

5.16 Angling

5.16.1 Angling is one of the most important and popular leisure activities in the UK and one with a very broad base of support from all social and economic groups. 5.16.2 Angling obviously requires access to the water space but equally obviously also requires access to the towpath. Some of the issues governing access to fishing also apply to other towpath users – in particular the provision of adequate parking at key angling hot-spots and the condition of the towpath surface. 5.16.3 On other canals conflict has arisen between anglers and other tow path users, especially cyclists. Proposals to upgrade the towpath to accommodate cyclists should have cognisance of this area of potential conflict. Provision of an adequate vegetated berm between the towpath and the canal bank together with bankside fishing platforms (moving the angler of the towpath) can considerably reduce the potential for conflict.

Angling: Current Position

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5.16.4 Both British Waterways and Derbyshire County Council lease the fishing rights for each length of the canal to angling societies. The licences / leases currently let are: • Chesterfield to Staveley (sections only): Barrow Hill Memorial Angling Club. • Pebley Reservoir: Norman Somerset. • Harthill Reservoir: Tony Marsden. • Summit Pound: Wales & Kiveton Park Colliery Angling Club. • Cinderhill to Shireoaks Marina: Station Hotel. • Shireoaks Locks to Bracebridge: Grafton Angling Society. • Bracebridge to Ranby: Worksop United. • Ranby to Retford: Retford Anglers Association. • Retford to Drakeholes: Worksop and District. • Drakeholes to West Stockwith: Sheffield and District.

5.16.5 The former Norwood Flight and Ponds was let for fishing by the previous owner, the current owner has returned it to private use and fishing is no longer permitted. 5.16.6 At Killamarsh commercial fishing ponds have been established. Several ponds occupy old quarry sites near to the canal but one has been constructed by clearing and re-watering a length of the old canal line. It is understood that planning permission on this section was granted on the condition that this was a temporary use prior to full restoration. It is anticipated, however, that full fishing rights on this section following restoration will remain private. Killamarsh Fisheries provide car parking for users and are developing supporting facilities including a bait and tackle shop, café and toilets. 5.16.7 The angling clubs on the eastern canal are represented on the Canal Users’ Forum run by British Waterways. 5.16.8 Fishing within each leased length is controlled by the individual angling clubs. Most operate exclusively for their members, however, some do make available day-tickets or visiting anglers permits available. 5.16.9 Between Chesterfield and Staveley, day tickets are available from bailiffs and the Derbyshire County Council Countryside Service at Tapton Lock Visitor Centre, Lockoford Lane, Chesterfield.

Angling: Objectives 5.16.10 The Partnership recognises the importance of angling to the health and economy of the canal and supports the development of appropriate fishing facilities on the canal. 5.16.11 The Partnership recognises that facilities for anglers outside the commercial fishery at Killamarsh are limited. Further it notes the need for anglers to transport equipment and thus the need for car parking near to the canal itself. 5.16.12 Angling is popular and widespread; the Partnership supports existing positive moves to create a more open and inclusive angling culture on the canal through the support of community angling projects and “considerate anglers” schemes such as that at Ranby where young people from Worksop and Retford were brought in and taught both angling skills and towpath etiquette. Day ticket and permit exchange agreements will extend the potential use by anglers along the canal.

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KW.16 Support “considerate anglers” schemes.

KW.17 Seek to encourage the further development of commercial fisheries along the canal.

KW.18 Encourage the development of community angling groups so as to ensure low cost access to fishing on the canal

KW.19 Encourage the development of angling day ticket and permit exchange schemes along the canal.

5.17 Model Boating

5.17.1 Compared to the activities previously considered, model boating has a relatively limited, but very enthusiastic, following. Notwithstanding levels of support the sight of model boats on the water again adds interest and life to the canal.

Model Boating: Current Position 5.17.2 On the British Waterways owned section of the canal model boating is discouraged because of the potential for conflict between model and full sized boats. 5.17.3 On the Derbyshire County Council owned section model boating is actively encouraged and a model boat landing stage has been provided at Tapton Lock, Chesterfield. A small charge is made for the use of these facilities.

Model Boating: Future Developments 5.17.4 Facilities required by model boaters are minimal. Derbyshire County Council has provided a model boat landing stage at Tapton Lock, but boats can be just as easily launched from the towpath. What is more important is the provision of car parking to enable boats to be transported and the presence of a sufficiently wide towpath corridor or landing platforms so that potential boater / walker / cyclist conflicts can be averted. 5.17.5 Whilst on the Kiveton – West Stockwith Section individual use may continue to be discouraged, there is considerable scope for developing better links with local model boat groups with a view to holding regional or national events on the canal in the future. Such events require proximity to temporary car parking and public transport. 5.17.6 There is obvious potential for conflict between model boats and full-size boats during such events and temporary bank side “model boat zone” warning signs would be advised.

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KW.20 Encourage the further development of model boating on the canal through engagement with model engineering and model boating societies in the wider region. In particular, encourage model boat enthusiasts to consider the canal as a potential venue for regional gatherings and events.

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Section Six Intellectual Access

Summary

Intellectual access enables communities and individuals to feel engaged with the heritage of the canal and to feel a sense of ownership.

Four key crosscutting themes are identified; Canal Lives; Industry, River, Canal & Railway; Canal Landscapes and Canal Nature. These form the basis of intellectual access programmes which propose combining elements of Information, Interpretation, Education, Discovery and Inspiration to explore and present the different facets of the canal.

The Partnership will promote the development of community based initiatives for the development of intellectual access to both the natural and built heritage of the canal

6.1 Introduction

6.1.1 Intellectual access describes all activities which serve to further understanding and appreciation of the canal, its history and environment and its contribution to the lives of the communities through which it runs. 6.1.2 Intellectual access aims to make people feel engaged with and involved in the canal; valuing it for its natural or built heritage or for its contribution to the health and well being of local residents. Such activities serve to foster feelings of community “ownership” of the canal and can play an important role in reinforcing community cohesion and arguably reducing anti-social behaviour. 6.1.3 Intellectual access in this section refers to the provision of knowledge to all potential users of the canal, whether local people or armchair enthusiasts many miles away. The importance of quality information is undisputed as a tool to encourage increased tourism visits and spend related to the canal and the actions recommended in this section will assist with the economic regeneration of the areas through which the canal passes. 6.1.4 The Partnership shares the view that intellectual access to be effective needs to be socially inclusive, for both local people and visitors alike. The needs of each are considered together through out this section. 6.1.5 The Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council report “The Inland Waterways: towards Greater Social Inclusion” (IWWAC 2001) identified a number of intellectual barriers to social inclusion on the waterways. These included insufficient knowledge

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or information about access to the canal (Could anyone walk a towpath? Where did it go? etc.), the lack of a human face to the canals (absence of guided walks, etc.), and, arguably the most important, a feeling of alienation from the heritage which the canal represents. This latter factor was observed strongly in both young people and in ethnic minority groups. 6.1.6 Building upon the IWWAC report and its recommendations, the British Waterways strategy “Waterways for People” made a clear commitment to “…promote the use of waterways within projects addressing the causes of social exclusion” (British Waterways 2002, p.3). The Canal Partnership supports this goal and is committed to working towards the greatest possible social inclusion through adoption of a range of methods and media which will ensure that all potential user groups can benefit from, and contribute to, intellectual access activities along the full length of the canal.

KI.1 Intellectual access will be developed to help users’ understanding and appreciation of the Chesterfield Canal.

6.2 A Thematic Approach to Intellectual Access

6.2.1 The Chesterfield Canal and its adjacent corridor represent a valuable resource in terms of its built and industrial heritage, its archaeological monuments and the wildlife which is evident throughout its length. Current perceptions of the importance of the canal vary and are linked to different local concerns. For example, in Derbyshire the communities and social history associated with the canal are seen to be particularly important. In Rotherham, the significance of the built heritage is of specific relevance to the canal. In Nottinghamshire, the canal corridor contains numerous historic landscape features. All these themes could be developed to provide a coherent approach to intellectual access. 6.2.2 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership will therefore employ a number of linking themes in developing intellectual access projects. These themes cut across the traditional geographical and administrative areas and, while some themes may be more important in one area than in another, they will collectively help to lend a sense of cohesion to the canal as an historical entity. Possible themes include: 6.2.3 Canal Lives: This theme emphasises the human story of the canal and its people and would address the following: The social history of the communities along the canal; the social fabric and lives which developed around both the local industries and the canal itself; the impact of the development of the canal and associated industries upon communities; how the canal was built and worked. 6.2.4 Industry, River, Canal & Railway: This theme emphasises the built heritage and archaeological record of the canal and its related industries and would address: The development of industry prior to the building of the canal; the role of early roads and river shipping in developing a west to east grain of economic activity which led to the canal being constructed along its present course; the methods used to construct the canal; the increased pace of industrial development following the arrival of the canal and its eventual decline in the face of railway competition.

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6.2.5 Canal Landscapes: This theme emphasises the very diverse range of landscape characters which the canal traverses on its journey from Chesterfield to West Stockwith. Understanding the origin and development of these landscapes encompasses elements of geology, geography, history and economics and provides an opportunity to explore the impact of canals upon the social and economic fabric of the region as a whole. 6.2.6 Canal Nature: This theme emphasises the natural heritage which has developed along the canal. In many locations the plant and animal communities of the canal are of regional and even national importance. This theme addresses how the plant and animal communities along the canal came into being, how they are being conserved and how they might be enhanced for the future.

KI.2 Further develop the linking themes and integrate them into intellectual access activities along the Chesterfield Canal.

6.3 Opportunities and Means of Enabling Intellectual Access

6.3.1 Since there are very many opportunities, and means, of enabling understanding there are very many strands to developing an Intellectual Access programme. The key strands examined here are:

• Information Sections 6.4 – 6.9 • Interpretation Sections 6.10 – 6.13 • Education Sections 6.14 – 6.18 • Discovery Sections 6.18 – 6.26 • Inspiration Sections 6.27 – 6.29

6.3.2 These strands are interwoven and interrelated – the discovery elements, for example, will greatly enhance the possibilities for interpretation and education while in turn the interpretation and education element will promote community engagement and the discovery projects. 6.3.3 All strands share a common need to engage with the communities along the canal, to remove barriers to participation and to foster a sense of community ownership and pride in the canal, as well as engaging the new and out of region visitor.

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6.4 Information

6.4.1 Information enables the use of the canal. The Chesterfield Canal Partnership will work towards: • The provision and dissemination of promotional information about the canal, canal based activities, destinations, visitor attractions and events • The provision and dissemination of information on public transport & access to the canal • The provision of appropriate levels of directional, advisory and informational signage along the canal

6.5 Current Provision of Promotional Information

6.5.1 Promotional information is variable in quality, accessibility and reach, although strong efforts have recently been made to co-ordinate provision, achieve a group identify and improve distribution. Printed Material 6.5.2 British Waterways produces an excellent Waterways Guide to the Chesterfield Canal, River Trent, Fossdyke & Witham Navigations (British Waterways 2003). This provides a good, clear introduction to the British Waterways owned section of the canal and its attractions. The guide also makes brief reference to developments in Derbyshire and specifically Tapton Lock Visitor Centre. 6.5.3 British Waterways also produces a number of information leaflets on aspects of the canal including the operation of the double and treble locks found at Turnerwood and advice on navigation of the River Trent. In addition British Waterways supplies a large range of generic information relating to the use and enjoyment of waterways in general including fishing, cycling on the towpath, waterways safety and boat handling. Much of this is relevant to the Chesterfield Canal. 6.5.4 British Waterways information is distributed via its offices in Newark and other waterways centres, via Tourist Information Centres within the canal region and via Tapton Lock Visitor Centre. 6.5.5 Information produced by the Chesterfield Canal Partnership is at present directed towards increasing the number of visitors on foot to the canal and includes a range of walks leaflets including: • Around the Bluebank Loop • Barrow Hill Roundhouse Ramble • Eckington and Chesterfield Canal Circular Walk • Thorpe Salvin, Turnerwood and the Chesterfield Canal • The Lady Lee Circular Walk • Pilgrim Fathers and Sober Men • Around the Junction

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6.5.6 These leaflets are distributed to Tourist Information Centres in towns along the canal both as single leaflets and also as part of a Walks Pack containing a full set of walks leaflets together with a selection of leaflets produced by the Canal Trust. 6.5.7 The Chesterfield Canal Trust, working in conjunction with the Chesterfield Canal Partnership, has produced a number of leaflets including:

• An Introduction to the Chesterfield Canal • Places to Eat and Drink on the Chesterfield Canal • Enjoy a Cruise on the Chesterfield Canal -- Information on the Canal Trust Trip Boats at Tapton Lock and at Retford. • Restoration Remaining – A summary of what remains to be done.

6.5.8 The Trust has also commenced a series of text based information leaflets which provide information on various aspects of the canal including its history and the story of its unique working boats – the Cuckoos. 6.5.9 In addition the Chesterfield Canal Trust produces a quarterly magazine entitled Cuckoo. This has won the Inland Waterways Association award for the best publication by a Canal Society for two years running and has been excluded from further competitions for two years “in order to give others a chance”. The Cuckoo provides valuable information to volunteers and the public about the canal. 6.5.10 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership has produced a leaflet outlining its work and is working to produce a newsletter summarising recent achievements which can be employed as a campaign tool. 6.5.11 The Trust and the Partnership have gained extensive press coverage in both the local general press and in the national waterways press.

Web Pages 6.5.12 All of the local authorities have web sites but at present few of these contain extensive information on the canal. The Canal Partnership does not run a separate web site. 6.5.13 The Chesterfield Canal Trust has an extremely well-presented web site which has been developed by the Trust’s volunteers, with professional assistance. The Trust site provides a summary of the story of the canal and summarises the campaign for restoration to date, provides advice on walking the canal and gives basic information on how to reach it. This web site is capable of considerable further development if resources become available. 6.5.14 British Waterways runs two closely related web sites: the British Waterways site (www.britishwaterways.co.uk) which is largely concerned with the organisation and management of its canals (the day to day running of the network) and the tourism- orientated Waterscape site (www.waterscape.com). Both contain multiple pages dedicated to the British Waterways owned section of Chesterfield Canal. 6.5.15 The Waterscape site is looking to expand its coverage of events and activities along all canal corridors and there is considerable potential for assisting in this process (for example by the provision of information about walks or by linking to the Canal Trust web site).

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Other Media 6.5.16 A video of the National Trail Boat Festival 2002 was produced and this has been distributed successfully as a promotional tool. 6.5.17 British Waterways (with some additional financial support from the Canal Partnership) commissioned a helicopter-based film survey of much of the canal (including the Derbyshire Section). It is intended to use this footage to generate a number of short publicity films. 6.5.18 Coverage by local radio has been good with regular event related appearances on BCC Radio Sheffield, Peak FM (Chesterfield), TRrax FM (Worksop) and Saga FM (Nottingham). The 2002 and 2005 National Trial Boat Festivals produced local television coverage and the canal has subsequently featured on regional news programmes.

6.6 Current Provision of Public Transport Information

6.6.1 The provision of information regarding public transport and access is an integral part of the transport access strategy and has been discussed in Section Three. Here we stress the importance of ensuring that such transport information provision is seamlessly integrated into other forms of information (for example on the Chesterfield Canal Trust web site) and is readily available at all main access points along the canal and at other potential destinations in the surrounding region.

6.7 Current Provision of Directional, Advisory and Informational Signage

6.7.1 Directional, advisory and informational signage is an integral part of developing and improving physical access and has been discussed at length in the appropriate sections of this document. Here we note that the review of signage along the canal, conducted as part of the Towpath and Access Node Survey, has revealed the relatively poor state of signage and the urgent need for this to be addressed in any access node improvement action plan.

6.8 Proposed Development of Information Provision

6.8.1 The provision of information on the canal is a central concern of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership Communication Strategy (2004). This identified a number of key actions to further publicise and market the canal including;

• The establishment of a marketing group • Review of canal image and branding. • Making better use of existing informational web sites (e.g. Waterscape.com) • Engagement with local and regional tourism offices and initiatives • Provision of additional visitor information (e.g. updated accommodation guide, walks packs, etc.).

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6.8.2 The Partnership has established a Communications & Marketing Working Sub- Group and is currently working to implement the Communications Strategy employing a range of media including web based resources, print and broadcast media. Wherever possible information provision will employ the corporate image outlined in the Chesterfield Canal Partnership Design Guide (2001).

KI.3 Undertake the full implementation of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership Communications Strategy (2004).

KI.4 Work to further diversify the range of information on offer and ensure that it is distributed effectively to the public through the Partner Organisations and their associates.

KI.5 Establish an audience development programme to ensure that information is distributed to major towns and cities in the region and is available in appropriate formats for ethnic communities and those with disabilities.

6.9 Web-Site Development

6.9.1 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership acknowledges that electronic communication is a vital method of promoting the canal and its features and improving intellectual access for a greater number of potential user groups. In addition, the internet is also becoming an increasingly popular means by which visitors source their holiday information. To this end the Partnership will: • Supply information and updates on canal related events to established waterways news sites (such as the British Waterways site waterscape.com). • Work with local tourism agencies and holiday companies to promote the canal and develop a stronger electronic presence for the canal. 6.9.2 The Chesterfield Canal Trust has a well-presented web site, developed by the Trust’s volunteers. The Partnership wishes to see this web site promoted through printed materials and appropriate web links and further augmented through the development of:- • Additional pages of information on the canal and associated visitor attractions with appropriate, and reciprocal, web links. • Pages with improved access and transport information with links to local transport providers. This could also include provision of downloadable walks information with links to locations where printed walks packs can be purchased. • More effective, and reciprocal, links with the appropriate pages of partner organisations’ web sites.

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• Links to any archival or heritage records site which may be created through the Discovery elements of intellectual access. • Pages with educational programme information of links to sites specifically directed to this end. 6.9.3 The Partnership is keen to avoid the over-proliferation of web sites relating to the canal and feels that evolutionary development of existing resources is preferable to parallel creation. The Partnership acknowledges that if the Trust web site is to function in this way it will require additional financial support and that specific targets noted above will require funding to be sought from local, regional and national agencies as appropriate.

KI.6 Initiate links to the Chesterfield Canal Trust web-site from all Local Authority and other Partnership members’ web-sites. Ensure that details of the Chesterfield Canal Trust web-site is provided on all new interpretative material, including leaflets, panels and where appropriate, on signage.

KI.7 Work with the Chesterfield Canal Trust to develop additional web based resources for access information, public transport information, interpretation and discovery.

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6.10 Interpretation

6.10.1 Interpretation enhances the use and enjoyment of the canal by facilitating users’ understanding of its natural and built heritage. 6.10.2 Interpretation employs a wide variety of passive and interactive media including web pages, temporary displays, fixed information boards, walks leaflets or guided walks. 6.10.3 Wherever possible disparate media are integrated through the use of common themes and graphic designs (Chesterfield Canal Partnership Design Guide 2001). 6.10.4 Interpretation activities overlap with information provision and many information leaflets or web-pages will also contain extensive interpretive material.

Current Interpretation Activity and Development Proposals 6.10.5 Interpretation of the canal is at present somewhat patchy and, relative to the scope of the resource, poorly developed. Interpretative activities undertaken on the canal by the Partnership or its members include: • Interpretation Leaflets • Interpretation Boards and Other Interpretative Signage • Interpretive Web Resources • Interpretation Centres • Canal Interpretation /Outreach Officers • Guided Walks

Interpretation Leaflets 6.10.6 The existing interpretation leaflet resource serving the Chesterfield Canal is good and continues to expand, with individual publications providing information on issues such as walking and visitor facilities. Many of the leaflets described previously – especially the walks leaflets -- have a strong interpretation element and this contributes greatly to users’ enjoyment of the canal. There is, however, a notable scarcity of leaflets which concentrate on specific themes and it is clear that there is scope to develop a fully co-ordinated suite of new leaflets regarding features and areas of the canal which are of special interest.

KI.8 Produce a series of interpretive leaflets specifically related to the various themes identified in this strategy to complement the existing leaflet resource. All leaflets produced should adopt presentation uniform with the agreed Chesterfield Canal Partnership Design Guide.

Interpretation Boards and Other Interpretative Signage

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6.10.7 There are several existing interpretative panels along the Chesterfield Canal’s 46 miles, although with a few exceptions these are now rather dated, dilapidated, and inconsistent in style. The Partnership has identified new and co-ordinated interpretative panels as a key intellectual access priority and has identified an appropriate style within the agreed Partnership Design Guide. 6.10.8 Interpretation may also include elements of signage which help users to locate themselves in a landscape and orientate themselves with respect to maps. For example, bridge numbers and names could be more prominently displayed. To this end the Partnership must ensure a consistent naming style within its interpretive material.

KI.9 Prepare a series of interpretation panels based on the themes identified in this strategy, and consistent with agreed Chesterfield Canal Partnership Design Guide principles.

Interpretive Web Based Resources 6.10.9 The Chesterfield Canal Trust web site will be further developed as a means of accessing interpretive materials about the canal and its surrounding district. It will do this via: • Additional web pages dedicated to specific themes relating to the natural and built heritage of the canal. • Additional links to relevant pages hosted by Partnership members • Links to an archival web site (see “Discovery”, below). • Interpretation material embedded within promotional material and vice versa.

KI.10 Develop the existing web based resources to increase the depth and breadth of interpretive material available on-line and to ensure that there is greater linkage between web based interpretation and other media.

Interpretation and Visitor Centres

6.11 Interpretation and Visitor Centres

6.11.1 The term Visitor Centre is used here in its widest sense to denote a location which can engage with visitors on a number of levels using a variety of media and where activities can encompass elements of information provision, interpretation, educational engagement and individual and community discovery. Tapton Lock Visitor Centre, Chesterfield

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6.11.2 At present there is only one dedicated visitor centre on the Chesterfield Canal, at Tapton Lock, Chesterfield. The Tapton Lock Visitor Centre is run by Derbyshire County Council’s Countryside Service through the Three Valleys Project. This project is itself a partnership supported by Derbyshire County Council, Chesterfield Borough Council and North East Derbyshire District Council. 6.11.3 The Tapton Lock centre provides a static display describing facets of the natural and built heritage of the canal between Chesterfield and Staveley and places this in the wider context of the entire canal. The centre provides free information leaflets as well as a range of walking and cycling guides for purchase. The centre is not a tourist information centre as such although it does provide extensive information on attractions, activities and events in North East Derbyshire. 6.11.4 Near the Tapton Lock Visitor Centre a new events area has been developed with funding from the East Midlands Development Agency. The events area has an improved slipway and associated hard standings, gravelled access paths (all wheelchair-accessible), water supply and facilities for sewage disposal. Several new artworks have been commissioned for the area around the centre and an Art on the canal trail is being successfully developed (see Arts below). 6.11.5 Staff based at the centre provide both a Ranger / Warden service along the canal (and at other countryside sites in the district) and a variety of interpretive activities and services ranging from schools visits to canal based events. 6.11.6 Canal based events at the centre include both locally planned waterways celebrations and larger events run in conjunction with other partners. For example, the National Trailboat Festival organised jointly by the Chesterfield Canal Trust, Derbyshire County Council and the Inland Waterways Association. 6.11.7 The Tapton Lock Visitor Centre is highly successful attracting between 15,000 and 20,000 visitors per year. The Chesterfield Canal Partnership believes that there is considerable scope to expand these activities in Chesterfield. 6.11.8 Expansion of the current range of activities and the scope of the displays at Tapton Lock is severely hampered by several factors. The relatively small size of the building (sited within the footprint of a lock keeper’s cottage) precludes large displays or the accommodation of educational parties while the relatively poor and disjointed access to public transport compounds the lack of dedicated coach and car parking.

Other Potential Locations for Visitor Centres 6.11.9 To overcome the limitations at Tapton, opportunities have been identified to develop new visitor facilities within the proposed A61 corridor development (“Chesterfield Waterside”). New visitor facilities and an interpretation centre next to the terminal canal basin were highlighted as highly desirable in the development consultants’ report and were retained in the subsequent planning consultation (Chesterfield Borough Council, Supplementary Planning Advice 2005). There is now an urgent need to examine this concept in detail and to determine the appropriate mechanisms for bringing it about.

KI.11 Initiate a feasibility study for a new Chesterfield Canal Visitor Centre within the A61 Corridor Development in Chesterfield.

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6.11.10 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership believes that there is considerable scope to develop other new visitor and interpretation centres on the Chesterfield Canal. The canal forms a 46 mile long west-east route through communities with relatively few tourism or community related facilities or developments. It links the Tran Pennine Trail and the Trent Valley Way and several important leisure/tourism destinations, and runs across the northern edge of Sherwood Forest.

6.11.11 Comparable linear trails based on historical transport routes often host several visitor centres each dealing with different aspects of the natural and built heritage. Multiple centres offer many development opportunities including one-way cycle hire, one-way self guided interpretive walks (using modern “speaking guide book” CD Rom technology) and provide obvious transport nodes for the development of hopper bus links.

6.11.12 As has already been identified under Section 4, there are a number of nodes where development of visitor facilities might be considered highly desirable. Based on current tourism patterns and the inherent infrastructural limitations of road access and current public transport provision, the following locations are suggested as possible venues for some form of staffed visitor facility:

• Kiveton Park • Ranby • Shireoaks • Retford • Worksop • West Stockwith

6.11.13 There is a need to ascertain which, if any, of these sites would be a viable tourist destination and which could potentially be financially sustainable. A study to establish a on long term canal wide strategy for interpretation centre development. 6.11.14 Any study should give consideration to the mix of facilities which can embrace and support interpretation, formal education and informal discovery activities as well as the likely staffing levels required. Attention will need to be given to short term capital funding and to the long term sustainability of the development.

KI.12 Initiate a study of Visitor Centre provision along the entire Chesterfield Canal with a view to creating a long term strategy for Visitor Centre development.

6.12 Canal Interpretation /Outreach Officers

6.12.1 Derbyshire County Council Countryside Service employs an Interpretation Officer. The Officer is based at Tapton Lock Visitor Centre and undertakes a very wide range of duties including preparation of newsletters, leaflets, interpretation boards, school visits, art on the canal activities, etc. The officer has proved invaluable in developing a very exciting programme of activities at Tapton Lock and without their presence the profile of the centre would be considerably lower. It is vital that this post is safeguarded in the long term.

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6.12.2 The officer operates throughout North East Derbyshire and is working at full capacity, so there is no realistic prospect of extending their geographical area of operation. 6.12.3 There is no other existing officer-supported interpretation serving the canal and any future expansion of this type of service will have to involve additional staff. (see visitor / interpretation centres above).

6.13 Guided Walks & Guided Cycle Rides

6.13.1 In Derbyshire, a series of guided interpretive walks are offered annually as part of the Three Valleys Project events programme. These are often led by expert voluntary leaders with a strong local knowledge, and are very well attended. 6.13.2 Similar guided walks have been organised by the Cuckoo Way Officer of the Chesterfield Canal Trust on the Rotherham and Nottinghamshire sections and have proved equally popular. There is considerable scope for future development in these areas. The annual Rotherham Walking Festival also includes walks along the Chesterfield Canal in its programme. 6.13.3 The Chesterfield Walking for Health Project was inspired by the easy access afforded by the reclaimed Derbyshire section of the Canal. This has left a legacy of easy to use interpretive materials for health walking, and a network group to support new walkers. 6.13.4 Linkage of the guided walks to the themes identified should be encouraged. 6.13.5 The further development of guided walks is dependent upon the identification of suitable staff resources (whether full time or volunteer) and appropriate mechanisms for co-ordinating and publicising such activities across administrative boundaries.

KI.13a Develop a co-ordinated programme of guided thematic walks throughout the length of the canal.

6.13.6 There is also potential for the development of guided cycle rides. A programme of canal-side rides is underway in the Nottingham area and could provided suitable model. Although the lengths of Towpath which are open to cycling are currently limited there is potential for using the already licensed lengths more actively and for specially licensed “one off” events on the rest of the canal. Similar considerations as regards integration with the key themes and staffing also apply to any cycling proposals.

KI.13b Explore the potential for developing a series of guided cycle rides throughout the length of the canal.

Chesterfield Canal Partnership 99 Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Six: Intellectual Access Education

6.14 Introduction

6.14.1 Education is the formal process of understanding and learning about a particular sub-set of knowledge or a particular set of skills. Education can be undertaken in a variety of settings ranging from the formal classroom to the field. 6.14.2 The Chesterfield Canal is a huge, and largely untapped, learning resource. A preliminary assessment suggests that the canal and its immediate environs could make significant contributions in a number of national curriculum subject areas under three broad headings: 6.14.3 Environment: The canal is a 46 mile long corridor through a variety of landscape characters each with its own geology, soils, ecology and patterns of landuse. The canal therefore provides opportunities to examine environments on scales ranging from the microscopic to the regional. National Curriculum Subjects: Science (especially ecology and biology elements), Geography [aspects of], and, somewhat creatively, Mathematics. 6.14.4 Heritage: The history of the canal and the industries with which it is associated encapsulates the story of the industrial revolution, whilst the diversity of landscapes through which it runs enables both industrial/urban and agricultural/rural developments to be examined and the interplay between the two explored. National Curriculum Subjects: History, Geography [aspects such as historical geography and land use], English. 6.14.5 Arts: The canal has a very distinctive character and the part-hidden nature of much of the waterway lends it an air of mystery. The close knit nature of canal and industrial communities, and the stories which have grown from them, are a source of extremely powerful images, words and music. The almost lost world of the canal and its industries could be an inspiration and trigger for imagination and creativity. National Curriculum Subjects: English, Art & Design, Music. 6.14.6 In addition the canal provides a potentially significant resource for Tertiary and Continuing education. Limited engagement with Sheffield Hallam University commenced in 2004 and it is hoped to broaden this association in the future to include more subject areas and a wider range of institutions. 6.14.7 At present the educational use of the canal resource is very limited. Reasons for this vary at different locations but the chief impediments appear to be:

• An insufficiently high profile for education within the Partnership, reflected in our limited contact with educational bodies. • Lack of information about the canal and its potential relevance to different subject areas (e.g. availability of teachers’ packs). • Lack of appropriate access for undertaking school visits (e.g. lack of coach parking at key nodes) • Lack of appropriate facilities and supporting resources

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6.15 Raising the Profile of Education within the Partnership

6.15.1 Education has historically had a relatively low profile because of the understandable focus of the Partnership on restoration and access development. This is reflected in the make up of the Partnership and the officers represented. 6.15.2 The Partnership’s educational profile could be enhanced by seeking out new Partners and members with specifically educational interests; establishing an Education Sub-Group to co-ordinate the key activities outlined elsewhere in this section; and developing an Education Action Plan to co-ordinate educational development of the canal resource.

KI.14 Establish an Education Sub-Group with a remit to recruit appropriate specialist contributors and to develop the Chesterfield Canal as an educational resource.

KI.15. Develop an Education Action Plan for the Chesterfield Canal working in conjunction with the Local Education Authorities, Countryside Service Education Officers and other relevant parties.

6.16 Educational Information

6.16.1 The canal resource needs to be expressed in educationally relevant terms. Some material developed for interpretation purposes – especially the newer “themed” material -- could be employed if linked with other relevant documentation. This would include access arrangements, guidance on health and safety risk assessment on the canal, locations of different types of resource (both on the canal and in local archives) together with appropriate materials.

KI.16 Establish a project to create teachers’ information packs on aspects of the Chesterfield Canal. These to be linked to the three key themes of Environment, Heritage and Arts and be explicitly related to key stage elements within National Curriculum subjects.

6.17 Improving Access for Educational Purposes

6.17.1 Primary and Secondary level school groups tend to be relatively large and may have a considerable range of mobility levels represented. There is a need to ensure that access takes the needs of potential educational users into account. There is considerable evidence demonstrating that the absence of coach and/or minibus parking at key nodes is preventing access to the canal for educational purposes.

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KI.17 Incorporate educational access needs within the physical development plans for the access nodes. Address the particular need for coach parking and disabled access at key nodes to enable school visits.

6.18 Creating Appropriate Facilities and Resources for Education

6.18.1 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership will seek to create a number of additional educationally orientated facilities at key access nodes. A range of proposals will be considered in the development of the education strategy but may include:

• A Floating Classroom using a converted (there are good models for this in Birmingham and London). • Shore based “teaching barns” (semi-covered accommodation) or field classrooms (fully enclosed) possibly equipped as basic field laboratories (suitable for environmental and ecological studies). • Development of suitably landscaped sites close to the towpath which can be employed as amphitheatres for performance or as open-air classrooms. • A “Boat Ashore”: Encourage the imaginative development of access nodes to provide additional educational and educational-play value. For example in the development of a “Boat Ashore” – a simple boat deck mock-up built in resistant materials on the banks of the canal. Constructed appropriately it would have both play value and would serve as the venue for storytelling, drama and music.

6.18.2 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership will also seek the creation of supporting resources for education at key access nodes (in parallel with the development of visitor centres). Support will be sought to create:

• a collection of canal artefacts (windlasses, lamps, copy documents, etc.) suitable for teaching use. • a collection of replica historical costumes suitable for use by children • new staff posts in education and children’s interpretation. Some full time but others part-time and/or seasonal dependent upon demand. • programmes of training for volunteers in supporting educational visits • familiarization opportunities for teachers introducing the educational potential of the canal and working with them to develop materials suitable for their teaching programme. 6.18.3 The Partnership will investigate a number of potential delivery models for all these developments although it is unlikely that any one mechanism will prove suitable throughout.

KI.18 Incorporate educational resource and support needs within the overall development plans for the access nodes with particular reference to educational activities at Visitor Centres.

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6.19 Introduction

6.19.1 Discovery can be thought of as the process by which communities engage with their surroundings. Discovery embraces both elements of formal learning and elements of self driven exploration. It is clearly related to both interpretation and education but will be delivered through separately identifiable community based programmes and projects which will have their own character and champions. The Chesterfield Canal Partnership will promote two main discovery programmes dedicated to collecting and collating new information relating to the canal: 6.19.2 Discovering the Built Heritage: Engaging with local communities to help them record and protect their history and heritage. Work with them to draw together their records to build an archive of canal history encompassing archaeological, documentary and oral history sources. 6.19.3 Discovering the Natural Heritage: Engaging with local communities to help them record, protect and, where possible, enhance their environment and natural heritage. Work with local and regional wildlife organisations to build accurate records of the diversity of flora and fauna on the canal and to establish base line criteria for monitoring change over time.

6.20 The Built Heritage Discovery Programme

6.20.1 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership believes that the heritage of the canal offers an ideal vehicle for engaging with local communities. The potential heritage resource is vast and in consequence a number of related projects are proposed to examine it. These projects will all build upon the key themes noted above, namely: • Canal Lives: The human story of the canal and its people. • Industry, River, Canal & Railway: The built heritage and archaeological record of the canal and its related industries. • Canal Landscapes: The origin and development of the very diverse range of landscape characters which the canal traverses from Chesterfield to West Stockwith. 6.20.2 The exploration of these themes will use all the possible heritage resources (below) and will require extensive liaison with and contributions from the relevant archives, museums, libraries and local, national and regional heritage organisations. 6.20.3 In order to co-ordinate the development of the built heritage programme, a Built Heritage Sub-Group drawn from this wide group will be established with a remit to develop and oversee a Built Heritage Action Plan.

KI.19 Establish a Built Heritage Sub-Group with a remit to (a) recruit appropriate specialist contributors, (b) develop an action plan for the Chesterfield Canal Built Heritage Discovery Programme and (c) to oversee and guide implementation.

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KI.20 Develop an action plan, and seek appropriate resources, for the implementation of a Chesterfield Canal Built Heritage Discovery Programme.

6.21 The Heritage Resource

6.21.1 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership recognises that there are many forms of heritage resource which record the history of the canal and the lives of those that worked on and around it. These range from the physical remains of the canal itself – the archaeological record – to documents -- to the oral traditions and unwritten folklore of the communities along the line of the canal. 6.21.2 The restoration and rebirth of the canal provides an opportunity to create a vibrant record of the canal and the communities which it served. There are at least three possible types of heritage resource which require consideration:

• Archaeological Archive: The physical remains of the canal and its associated industries: o Survey Evidence o Excavation Evidence o Artefactual Evidence (especially portable objects linked to the canal) • Documentary Archive: The written and illustrative record of the canal: o The records of the canal company and its successors o The record of the canal in outside sources; newspapers, memoirs, etc. o The records of associated industries o Papers of private individuals o Maps and Plans of the canal company and its successors o Maps and Plans created by outside sources; Ordnance Survey, Estate maps, etc. o Contemporary artistic illustrations – drawings, paintings, prints, etc. o Photographic records; photographs, postcards, etc. • Oral and Community Archive: The oral history of the canal, the stories and folklore of the canal and its communities. o Oral History o Community History – traditional stories, “canal folklore”

6.22 The Archaeological Record of the Chesterfield Canal

6.22.1 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership identifies a pressing need to establish detailed information on the archaeological record of the entire canal corridor. Given the range of development proposed and a general pressure to develop waterside locations, there is a genuine need for better quality management data. 6.22.2 The Partnership will work to establish a full archaeological survey of the canal corridor using current British Waterways and English Heritage methodologies. 6.22.3 The Partnership will seek to work with communities and archaeological societies to ensure the widest possible public participation in any such project. Individual

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projects will be encouraged to incorporate training elements and open days to publicise results locally. 6.22.4 The partnership will seek to ensure that archaeological evidence recorded by field survey or excavation is made available to the public in a timely fashion via a publicly accessible Chesterfield Canal Archive.

KI.21 Establish an Archaeological Discovery Programme which engages with communities along the canal and which will create a lasting publicly accessible archival record.

6.23 The Documentary Record of the Chesterfield Canal

6.23.1 The documentary record of the Chesterfield Canal is very extensive but extremely dispersed with major holdings in seven key archives and minor, but potentially significant, holdings (including everything from 18th century diaries to photographs of family outings on the canal) in the private care of literally hundreds of individuals. 6.23.2 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership seeks to develop a number of archive based projects with the aims of: • Engaging with local communities and transferring archival skills thereby enabling communities to record their own heritage and build their own community archives. • Adding significantly to our current knowledge of documentary sources relating to the Chesterfield Canal, its industries and communities by encouraging private individuals to bring forward family papers and photographs for recording and where possible copying. • Contributing to knowledge and understanding of the key themes noted above. • Developing a means of archiving known records and new discoveries either in a physical form or as an electronic virtual archive which can be disseminated via the world wide web (see below).

KI.22 Establish a Documentary History Discovery Programme which engages with communities along the canal and which will create a lasting publicly accessible archival record.

6.34 The Potential Oral History Record of the Chesterfield Canal

6.25.1 The oral history of the canal, the stories and folklore of the canal and its communities is a highly valuable, under rated and rapidly declining finite resource. 6.24.2 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership considers that the collection and collation of oral history regarding the canal should be a priority if the wealth of knowledge and

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experience held by members of the public about the canal’s history and development is not to be lost. 6.24.3 The Partnership therefore seeks to develop an oral history recording project with the aim of: • Enabling members of the community to learn oral history recording and interviewing techniques. • Working with schools to enable intergenerational interaction. • Significantly adding our knowledge of the operation of the canal and the everyday lives of people who worked on it. • Contributing to knowledge and understanding of the key themes noted above. • Developing a means of archiving the recordings and transcripts either in a physical form or as an electronic meta archive which can be disseminated via the world wide web (see below).

KI.23 Establish a full and methodical Oral History Discovery Programme which engages with communities along the canal and which will create a lasting publicly accessible archival record.

6.25 A Chesterfield Canal Archive

6.25.1 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership has identified the need for the establishment of an archive for historic material relating to the canal in light of the wealth of information currently known and any that may emerge in the future. 6.25.2 To add to what is already known new archive material has been donated to the Partnership over the last 18 months and more is expected. In addition all the above heritage projects will create new information and records which will also require housing and storing in a controlled accessible manner. 6.25.3 Consideration will need to be given at the outset as to the form of archive or repository which may be developed and whether such an archive should be developed as separate entity or as a contribution to an existing public record office. 6.25.4 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership believes that heritage projects designed to engage with the community and transfer professional skills to the widest possible group will help communities to record and protect their history and heritage. The creation of an appropriate archival system is part of that process. 6.25.5 One of the roles of the Built Heritage Sub-Group will be to consider the best route to creating a Chesterfield Canal Archive. This should examine: • The most appropriate data structure for an archive and whether this can be achieved through existing county, library or museum archives or whether a dedicated new archive or series of dispersed “community archives” are needed. • The range and breadth of material which will form a legitimate part of the archive.

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• The desirability of retaining local distribution of information versus its centralisation given the 46 mile long canal. • The degree of access required to the archive and the potential of electronic distribution of virtual records (metadata). • The physical storage requirements of the existing objects/documents/files to be archived. • The electronic storage requirements of the existing data and the images of the original documents (metadata). • The likely growth of both physical and electronic records over the life spans of the Discovery Programmes and how this might be accommodated. • How best to integrate virtual data from other archives (and its costs). • How best to manage the archive and the appropriateness and costs of employing an archivist. • How best to engage the public in the creation of the archive and encourage them to actively participate in its creation and upkeep.

KI.24 Undertake a detailed review of the options for the establishment of a Chesterfield Canal Archive either as a separate entity or as contribution to an existing archive. Based upon the conclusions of that review produce an action plan to implement its recommendations.

6.26 The Natural Heritage Discovery Programme

6.26.1 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership recognises that the Chesterfield Canal corridor is an extremely important, and in some cases nationally important, series of semi- natural habitats. This is reflected in the designation of a significant length of the canal as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and further lengths as county wildlife sites. As a man made waterway crossing widely different geologies and hydrological catchments, the canal has many unique characteristics and is greatly influenced by the agricultural and industrial activities carried out along its banks.

6.26.2 The Partnership fully acknowledges that the canal is a sensitive habitat which requires careful environmental management.

6.26.3 In order to increase our knowledge of the natural heritage resources of the canal the Chesterfield Canal Partnership would like to see the development of several projects under the Discovering the Natural Heritage of the Chesterfield Canal banner. This is the practical expression of the Canal Nature Theme which addresses how the plant and animal communities along the canal came into being, how they are being maintained and how they might be protected or enhanced for the future. 6.26.4 Given the range of environments which the canal traverses the range of potential projects is very great. Typical projects might include:

• Development of a community natural heritage monitoring project involving natural history groups and schools in identifying and recording wildlife and plant- life along the canal and in the immediate surrounding countryside. This would

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aim to engage local communities in the protection and, wherever possible, in the enhancement of the significant local habitats. It would also permit the early identification of threats to local habitats.

• Development of community habitats. The monitoring projects would also seek to identify opportunities for habitat enhancement or creation. In particular the opportunity should be taken to develop new wetland habitats to provide reserves and mitigation against increased canal and towpath traffic.

• Closer working arrangements with local and regional wildlife organisations to build accurate records of the diversity of flora and fauna on the canal and to establish base line criteria for monitoring change over time.

6.26.5 Community based projects of this type would build upon established programmes by the regional Wildlife Trusts and upon the existing activities of local groups. They would aim to provide specialist advice and help to develop the skills base in local communities. By bringing schools groups into contact with established local naturalists, they would also serve to facilitate intergenerational skills transfer.

6.26.6 Oversight of the development of the Natural Heritage Discovery Programme will be entrusted to the Biodiversity Sub-Group of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership. It is envisaged that the Discovery Programme will make a particular contribution to the monitoring and protection of the canal SSSI and the creation of new Local Nature Reserves.

KI.25 Reinvigorate the Biodiversity Sub Group with an additional remit to (a) recruit appropriate specialist contributors, (b) develop an action plan for the Chesterfield Canal Natural Heritage Discovery Programme and (c) to oversee and guide implementation.

KI.26 Develop an action plan, and seek appropriate resources, for the implementation of a Chesterfield Canal Natural Heritage Discovery Programme.

108 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Chesterfield Canal Access Strategy Section Six: Intellectual Access Inspiration: Arts and Culture On the Canal

6.27 Inspiration

6.27.1 Inspiration is about the creative potential of the canal as an arts and performance space. Developing community arts projects to enhance the waterspace and its surroundings with artworks will stimulate the imagination of visitors. Such projects may, naturally, be closely related to interpretative or educational activities. 6.27.2 Canal arts projects would also provide a vehicle for exploring the differences in landscape character and history found along the canal and would permit regional and local characteristics to be explored without losing the overall cohesiveness of the canal corridor. The presence of the “percentage for art” scheme is a significant boost for such developments and should be exploited to the full.

KI.27 Undertake a preliminary strategic study of potential opportunities and locations to develop arts and cultural facilities, venues and attractions on the canal.

6.28 Art on the Canal

6.28.1 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership has identified the use of art as an ideal opportunity to complement and enhance the proposed intellectual access provisions along the canal corridor and also potentially increase the involvement of the local community in the wider restoration project. 6.28.2 In Derbyshire the Three Valleys Project has developed an extensive programme of community art and craft activities associated with the canal. This has resulted in the Chesterfield to Brimington section having a well developed art trail which includes interpretative sculpture at Wheeldon Mill Lock, mosaics at Brimington Wharf, carvings near Tapton Lock and an extensive mural on the walls of the canal tunnel under Brimington Road.

KI.28 Work to instigate an ‘Art on the Canal’ project along the entire canal.

6.29 Arts, Culture and Development

6.29.1 The arts should form important elements of any new development on or adjacent to the canal. Both the current Chesterfield Borough Council and North East Derbyshire District Council Local Plans include art policies and any major restoration or regeneration proposals would be likely to be subject to such policies. These

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Authorities also employ a full time Arts Officer to encourage the integration of arts and the creative industries into the life of the districts. 6.29.2 The Chesterfield Canal Partnership feels that in any new canalside development consideration be given to the incorporation of artwork as focal points and that, where appropriate, opportunities should be taken to create waterside landscape design suitable to support theatrical or musical performances.

KI.29 Work with Local Authority Arts Officers to encourage the incorporation of art works and performance spaces within plans for canal-side developments

6.29.3 The Partnership further notes the potential of the arts and cultural industries to drive regeneration and that, by their nature, these industries tend to make “good neighbours” for canals and hence their incorporation in any scheme should be actively encouraged.

KI.30 Seek to encourage the growth of cultural industries as potentially beneficial “good neighbours” in new build developments.

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References

Anonymous 2003 Nicholson Guide to the Waterways of Nottingham, York and the North East. Harper Collins Publishers, London. Bassetlaw District Council 1997 The Chesterfield Canal Corridor “A Plan for the Future”. Bassetlaw District Council 2005 Worksop Renaissance Town Plan Burton, A. & Pratt, D. 2001 The Anatomy of Canals: The Early Years. Tempus Publishing, Stroud. Burton, A. & Pratt, D. 2003 The Anatomy of Canals: Decline & Renewal. Tempus Publishing, Stroud. British Telecom/Fieldfare Trust 1998 BT Countryside for All: Standards and Guidelines: A Good Practice Guide to Disabled People’s Access in the Countryside. Fieldfare Trust, Sheffield. British Waterways, DLA Landscape & Urban Design and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council 1999. Kiveton Colliery Rotherham – Waterspace Masterplan. British Waterways 2002 Archaeological Assessment -- A Corridor Study of the Rother Valley and Chesterfield Canal. British Waterways 2002 Waterways for People. (17pp). British Waterways 2003 Waterways & Development Plans. Waterway Conservation & Regeneration Group. Rugby. British Waterways 2004 Water Ways – Inland Waterways and Sustainable Rural Transport A good practice guide produced by British Waterways and the Countryside Agency in association with the Environment Agency and the Association of Inland Navigation Authorities. Clark, E. 2000 Upgate and Downgate – Working the Chesterfield Canal in the 1930’s. Hallamshire Press, Sheffield. Chesterfield Canal Partnership, 2006 2020 Vision: A Strategy for the Restoration and Development of the Chesterfield Canal , 3rd revised edition. Chesterfield Canal Partnership 2004 Chesterfield Wharf: Realising the development potential of the canal corridor in Chesterfield. Chesterfield Canal Partnership 2004 Staveley Town Basin: Some possibilities for the development of a canal basin and visitor facilities at Staveley, Derbyshire. Chesterfield Canal Partnership 2006 Next Navigation I: Chesterfield Canal Integrated Design Study: Staveley to Killamarsh. Chesterfield Canal Society 1992 A Waterway for All. Chesterfield Canal Society 1993 Follow the Cuckoo Way along the Chesterfield Canal. Chesterfield Canal Partnership 2000 Chesterfield Canal Design Guide.

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Coopers and Lybrand 1996. Economic Appraisal of Canal Restoration. Department of the Environment 2000 Waterways for Tomorrow. Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, London (pp66). Derbyshire County Council, 1993. The Chesterfield Canal “Recreational Strategy”. Derbyshire County Council, 1998. East Derbyshire Greenways Strategy A report prepared by Land Use Consultants, Transport for Leisure & Les Lumsdon. (Supported by the Countryside Commission). Ecotec Research & Consulting 2003. The Economic Impact of the Restoration of the Kennet & Avon Canal. A Final Report to British Waterways Economic and Social Development Unit. 98pp. Environment Agency 2002 An Action Plan for Navigation (pp24) Gibb Ltd (in association with Ian Derby Partnerships, GFA Consulting and Fuller Peiser). 2001 Chesterfield Canal Economic Assessment Study: Final Report. Gibb House, London. Gibson, K. 2002 Pennine Dreams – The story of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. Tempus Publishing, Stroud. Hadfield, C. 1969 Priestley’s Navigable Rivers and Canals (1831) [a reprint of the historical account of the navigable rivers, canals and railways, throughout Great Britain with an introduction and commentary by C. Hadfield]. David & Charles, Newton Abbot. Hadfield, C. 1970 The Canals of the East Midlands. David & Charles, Newton Abbot. (2nd Edition). Halcrow (Sir William) and Partners Ltd 1995 Canal Restoration between Mill Green Bridge Staveley and the West Portal of Norwood Tunnel, Engineering Feasibility Study Final Report. Hay, D. 1980 Packmen, carriers and packhorse roads: Trade and communication in North Derbyshire and South Yorkshire. Leicester University Press, Leicester. Holland, D. 1964 Bawtry and the Idle River Trade. Doncaster Public Library. Hughes, S., 1988 The Archaeology of the Montgomeryshire Canal. The Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales, Aberystwyth. Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council 2001 The Inland Waterways: Towards Greater Social Inclusion. IWAAC, London. Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council 2001 Planning a Future for the Inland Waterways -- A Good Practice Guide. IWAAC, London (pp79) Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council 2001 A Second Waterway Age: Review of and development priorities: Report June 2001. IWAAC, London. Jacobs Babtie (in association with Ecotec Research and Consulting) 2004 Chesterfield Canal – Killamarsh Route Cost Benefit Study: Final Report. Jacobs Babtie, City Walk, Leeds. Jacobs Babtie 2005 Killamarsh Green Access Route Design Study. Jacobs Babtie, City Walk, Leeds Lindley-Jones, P. 2002 Restoring the Kennet & Avon Canal. Tempus Publishing, Stroud.

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Maer, G. & Millar, G. 2004 Evaluation of UK Waterway Regeneration and Restoration. Proceedings of the Institute of Civil Engineers – Municipal Engineer 157 (June 2004), pages 103-109. Millar, G. & Maer, G. 2004 Economic Evaluation of the Restoration. Countryside Recreation Volume 12 (1) (Spring 2004), pages 20-24. Paylor, K., Marshal, M. & Wearne, C. 2004 Full Circle for UK canals: restoring the South Pennine Ring. Proceedings of the Institute of Civil Engineers – Civil Engineering 157 (August 2004), pages 116-125. Piercy, J.S. 1828 The History of Retford. Priestley, J. 1831 Navigable Rivers and Canals. (see Hadfield 1969). Richardson, C. 1992 The Waterways Revolution: From the Peaks to the Trent, 1768-1778. Stourport-on-Severn. Richardson, C. (ed) 1996 Minutes of the Chesterfield Canal Company 1771-1780. Derbyshire Record Society Volume XXIV. Chesterfield. Richardson, C. 2005 James Brindley. Waterways World Publications Richardson, C. & Lower, John 2006 A Walkers’ and Boaters’ Guide to the Chesterfield Canal and Cuckoo Way. 2nd edition. Richlow Publications. Roffey, J. 1985 The Chesterfield Canal. Barracuda Books. Rotherham MBC 1992. Chesterfield Canal – Strategy for Protection and Restoration Agreed by all Councils in 1993. Structural Perspectives 2004 Historic Structure Assessment of the Norwood Canal Tunnel, Chesterfield Canal. Taylor Young, AGD Ltd., WSP Ltd. & Chesterfield Borough Council, Final Version August 2005 A61 / River Rother Corridor, Chesterfield: Planning Brief. Three Valleys Tourism Project, 1997 Heritage Audit – Chesterfield Canal, Mill Green, Staveley to Norwood Tunnel, Killamarsh. Willan, T.S. 1965 The Early History of the Don Navigation. Manchester University Press, Manchester.

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114 Chesterfield Canal Partnership Access Strategy: Table One: Access Nodes -- Current Condition

Access Node Name, Location & Type

Node Name: Agreed (most commonly used) name for node based upon local topographic feature. Where based on Bridge name the mostly commonly locally accepted version of the bridge name is used rather than the most historically accurate. Location: Eight figure grid reference based upon the central point of the node. Note that the canal lies entirely within a single 100 km grid square – hence the grid square prefix (SK) is omitted to save space in the tables but should be quoted when used in the text. Type: This is the type of access provided; from a footpath, bridleway or road. Also indicates if this link has statutory basis (ROW).

Current “Access for All” Condition of Node (key below) The “Access for All” Condition refers to the suitability of the node for use by all members of the community including physically handicapped individuals. Designations do not imply any lack of maintenance or upkeep of the structures involved only that the physical arrangements do not meet the needs of all potential users. It is recognised that the canal is a 200 year old structure which was not designed with full access in mind. To that end the introduction of access for all must be done with sensitivity to the canals heritage and will of necessity be an incremental process. The Access for All Condition Criteria used to evaluate nodes were based on the Urban and Formal Landscape Footpath Standard (Fieldfare Organisation).

 Very Poor Condition Meets less than 25% of the requirements for a given aspect of access for all Access difficult even for physically active individuals. Not and requires very significant remedial work. recommended for use.  Poor Condition Meets only 25% of requirements and would require significant work to bring May be used by moderately fit individuals but is not up to top standard. recommended for use by the elderly or disabled.  Moderate Condition Meets most, 50% plus, of the requirements and would require moderate May only be recommended for use by the elderly, mobility work to bring up to standard. impaired and wheel chair users with some caution  Good to Excellent Good meets the significant majority, 75% plus, of requirements and requires May be freely recommended for use by all. Condition little work to bring to full standard. Excellent meets all requirements.

 Not Applicable Feature or aspect not present at this location.

Blank – No Information Aspect not surveyed or information not available at time of reporting. Access Node Name, Location & Type Current Condition of Node Summary Overall Access

SK Condition Additional Description and Notes Grid. Ref. NB: All References lie in 100km grid square Node Type Gradient & Rise Cross Slopes Steps, Surface Breaks Passing & Resting Places Node Number Name & Location Signage Surfaces Width & restrictions Barriers 1 Holbeck Close, 3871 7155 Public Road to Start of the Canal Towpath at end of cul-de-sac in industrial Chesterfield Towpath estate. Surface of earth and grass, v. poor. Area subject         Poor to A61 Regeneration Scheme. 2 Wharf Lane, 3873 7194 Public Footpath to Area subject to A61 Regeneration Scheme. Poor Chesterfield Towpath         3 Brimington Road 3885 7195 Public Road to Public Alleyway beside Lavers Depot. Gives link between College Poor (South), Chesterfield Footpath to Towpath campus sites. Area subject to A61 Regeneration Scheme.         4 Brimington Road 3885 7220 Public Road to Public Limestone surfaced broad path sloping gently from road to Moderate (North), Chesterfield Footpath to Towpath St Helena’s Floodgate. Slope requires more resting points.         5 Lockoford Lane, 3866 7292 Public Road to Node also gives access to Tapton Lock Visitor Centre and Good Chesterfield Towpath via underpass to “The Lock Keeper” PH         6 Wheeldon Mill (Bridge 3926 7368 Public Road to Excellent No.3) Towpath         7 Newbridge Lane (Bridge 3928 7396 Public Footpath to Good No.4) Towpath         8 Bilby Lane (Bridge No.7) 4022 7466 Public Footpath & Excellent Bridleway         9** Hounsfield (Bridge No.8) 4087 7460 Public Footpath to **Bridge Re-sited to west at new Dixon’s Lock (No.4) Good Towpath         10 Hollingwood Road 4158 7462 Public Road to Canal passes under road – restricted width access under Bridge (Bridge No.8c) Towpath road with awkward surfaces but alternative flat road         Moderate crossing with ramps down to TP provided. 11 Mill Green (Bridge 4300 7471 Public Footpath to Original 1777 bridge, barred to vehicles. Excellent No.10) Staveley Towpath         12 Constitution Hill (site of 4312 7488 Public Footpath to Footpath north to Barrow Hill has steps leading down to FB Bridge No.11) Staveley Towpath over R.Rother. Footpath south from Staveley Church is         Good fully Wheelchair accessible (passing places, etc.) Node will be altered by Northern Loop Road Scheme 13 Hall Lane (site of Bridge 4328 7509 Public Road to Flat road crossing. Potential hazard. Bridge to be raised in Moderate No.12), Staveley Towpath. Northern Loop Road Scheme.         14a Eckington Road Bridge 4360 7535 Public Road to Bridge is set to be replaced as part of Northern Loop Road Very Poor (Bridge No.13a) Towpath via steps. Scheme. This access point will be removed and replaced.         14b Eckington Road Bridge 4360 7535 Public Road to This node to be upgraded as part of the Northern Loop Moderate (Bridge No.13a) Towpath via ramp Road Scheme. Gives access to TPT from Eckington Road.         15 GCR Railway Bridges, 4378 7535 Public Footpaths to Links with TPT and Arkwright Line. Staveley [2 routes:- via Towpath (TPT         Moderate steps and via ramp diverges here) 16 Bell House Lane (site of 4389 7535 Public Road and Residential road, potential problems with development due Moderate Bridge No.14),Lowgates Footpath to Towpath to nuisance parking.         17 Norbriggs Cutting 4465 7600 Public Footpath Junction is very irregular with a very uneven ground Junction (site of (Towpath) to surface.         Poor Norbriggs or Pack- Towpath saddle Bridge No.15) 18 Norbriggs Cutting 4480 7592 Public Footpath Poor Crossing         19 Norbriggs Cutting 4478 7543 Informal Footpath Very poor route from Mastin Moor estate to Cutting Very Poor Mastin Moor Towpath. Has been blocked by residents at times.         20 Norbriggs Wharf 4480 7515 Public Road to Public Moderate (Worksop Road) Footpath         21 Huggester Farm (site of 4459 7622 Private Farm track to No public access or ROW. Not Rated Bridge No.16) Towpath.         22 Hague Lane (site of 4447 7715 Public Road and Steep muddy steps up to road on west side and relatively Poor Hagues Bridge No. 17) Footpath to Towpath gentle slope down to towpath on east side.         23 Miners’ Crossing, 4437 7760 Public Footpath to Poor Renishaw Towpath         24 Main Road, Renishaw 4445 7808 Public Road to To be improved under proposed Renishaw Mile Canal Very Poor Towpath and TPT Reinstatement Scheme.         25 Former Iron Works, 4475 7805 Access point from To be reinstated by developer of Heritage Park Estate. Very Poor Renishaw new estate         26 Spinkhill Railway 4491 7822 Footpath (NOT To be improved under proposed Renishaw Mile Canal Very Poor Wharf/Path ROW) to Towpath Reinstatement Scheme.         27 Spinkhill Bridge (site of 4470 7852 Public Road to Spinkhill Lane a busy minor road – not recommended for Poor Bridge No. 19) Towpath walking.         28 Birley Farm/Rabbit Lane 4454 7878 Public Footpaths NB The intersection of several ROW makes this an Moderate (Bridge No.19a) TPT and 1777 Canal important node but one restricted by poor transport links.         29 Birley Farm Old Bridge 4418 7904 Public Footpath Provides access to original 1777 line of the canal Moderate (site of Bridge No.21)         30 Eckington Old Bridge 4422 7948 Public Footpath Provides access to original 1777 line of the canal Moderate (site of Bridge No.22)         31 Boiley Farm Bridge 4460 7955 Public Road and Bridge over Canal and TPT forms route from Boiley Lane to (Bridge No. 19b) Public Footpath Eckington (DCC:NE4); long sloping path down to TPT         Moderate provides circuitous connection to Towpath. 32 Boiley Lane (site of 4465 7985 Footpath (not ROW) Steps down from canal level to TPT make interchange Poor Bridge No. 23) to Towpath and TPT difficult.         33 Gallas Footbridge (site 4464 8012 Public Footpath and Steps and steep slopes make path difficult for AFA Very Poor of Bridge No.24) TPT         34 Old Hall Farm/ Forge 4480 8085 Public Road Towpath crosses public road where it turns into a private Poor Bridge (No.25) drive leading to Killamarsh Fisheries.         34a Spooner Drive, 4497 8075 Public Footpath Provides access to green space. Poor Killamarsh         35 Walford Road, 4516 8087 Public Road AN 35 to AN 42 subject to finalisation of plans for proposed Poor Killamarsh new route through Killamarsh         36 Baker Drive / Quarry Rd. 4525 8085 Public Footpath Proposed canal line adjacent to public children’s play area Killamarsh (site of         Moderate Leah’s Bridge No.26), 37 Chandos Crescent / 4542 8081 Footpath (Not ROW) Maintains existing well used urban path. Poor Peacock Close Path         38 Bridge St., Killamarsh 4565 8089 Public Road Provides access to main street in village. (site of Mallinders         Poor Bridge No.27) 39 Kirkcroft Avenue, 4587 8105 Public Footpath and Provides access to eastern housing estates. Moderate Killamarsh Public Road         40 Nethermoor Lane / 4578 8124 Public Footpath Moderate Sheffield Rd., Killamarsh         41 Barbers Lane 4590 8161 Public Footpath Poor (Nethermoor Lake)         42 Belk Lane 4604 8140 Public Footpath On original 1777 line, route retained as path only.         Poor 43 Ellisons Cottages 4606 8188 Public Footpath         Very Poor 44 Bailey Drive, Killamarsh 4640 8170 Public Road in Not an encouraging spot for visiting the canal! Poor industrial estate-         45 Rotherham Road (site of 4668 8174 Public Road to Gannow Lane Bridge Towpath         Very Poor No.29), Killamarsh 46 Norwood Bridge, 4689 8194 Footpath link to Subject to access difficulties primarily due to man-made Poor Killamarsh Public Road obstructions         47 Norwood Flight (Middle) 4720 8205 Public Footpath         Moderate 48 Norwood Tunnel (West 4745 8195 Public Footpath AN 48 to AN53 subject to revision in selection of final Poor Portal) Killamarsh to Kiveton Route         49 M1 Subway, Norwood 4775 8201 Public Footpath         Poor 50 Coalpit Lane near Wales 4790 8205 Track to Public Road         Poor 51 Tunnel Top Crossing, 4843 8220 Public Footpath Connects with link from Stockwell Avenue Poor Wales         52a New Estate Public Footpath New access node at edge of housing development leads Not onto reserved canal track within Kiveton Colliery site. Assessed 52b Kiveton Park Colliery 4929 8245 Kiveton Colliery Site currently being redeveloped-potential Moderate Site for new access points         53 Hard Lane, Kiveton 4930 8245 See comments for 52         Poor 54 Norwood Tunnel, East 5001 8252 Towpath currently diverted across head of eastern portal of Poor Portal tunnel         55 Kiveton Park & Dog 5078 8244 Public Road with Bridge recently restored and towpath improved by BW. Kennels Bridge, Kiveton railway station Steps present on canal side route to east of bridge, but         Good (Bridge No.31) adjacent alternative long surfaced ramp route available with some surface breaks at foot near towpath (opposite cottages) 56 Thorpe Bridge 5175 8220 Public Footpath to Traditional canal overbridge with relatively limited clearance (Bridge No. 32) Towpath under arch and width pinch points below 2m. Surface on         Moderate Towpath very good but access to bridge muddy. 57 Devil’s Hole Bridge 5245 8187 Footpath (not ROW) Footpath crosses bridge and head south – the footpath Poor (Bridge No.33) to towpath does not continue north. Access is unwelcoming.         58 Pudding Dike Bridge, 5285 8150 Public Footpath & Canal occupation bridge. Part of Doorstep Walk Route. Moderate (Quarry Bridge No. 34) Private Access Track Public Footpath (south) and Private Access Track (north)         59 Low Spring Wood 5337 8160 Public Footpath to Canal occupation bridge. Good footpath links. Ladder Bridge (Thorpe Locks or Towpath style from bridge to towpath restricts use. Signage very         Moderate Plane Bridge No. 35) poor 60 Turnerwood Bridge 5425 8135 Public Footpath & Public Road access for cottages adjacent to canal but (Bridge No. 36) Public Road to parking ACTIVELY DISCOURAGED. Public Footpaths part         Good Towpath. of waymarked Rotherham Ring Route. 61 Cinder Hill Bridge 5495 8125 Access Track and Canal occupation bridge (5 tonne weight limit). Good (Duke’s Bridge No. 37) Public Footpath         62 Shireoaks Upper Bridge, 5552 8118 Public Road. Bridge rebuilt in 1998 but no towpath under bridge so canal Shireoaks (Bridge No. walkers have to cross road, some steps but alternative         Good 38 ramps are long, gentle and well surfaced. 63 Shireoaks Marina, 5570 8096 Private Road and Marina completed by BW but surroundings under Good Shireoaks Public Footpath development opportunities for footpath improvements         64 Shireoaks Low Bridge 5581 8066 Public Road Moderate (Bridge No. 39)         65 Doefield Dun Lock (Lock 5630 8030 Public Road Moderate No.45)         66 Haggonfield (Bridge 5665 8023 Public Road Good No.40)         67 Deep & Stret Locks 5725 7975 Public Road Hemmed in by works to the north and road to south – (Locks No. 47 & 48) surprisingly little in the way of local communities. Steps         Good (Lock Keeper PH) present but alternative ramps good. 68 Lady Lee Arm Junction 5735 7970 Public Road Good (Stubbing lane)         69 Town Centre Car Park, “Pay & Display” car Access all along rear of main town centre car park – very Moderate Worksop park poor “welcome to Worksop”.         70 Bridge Place, Worksop Public Road Access via Church Walk and then double back under Moderate (Bridge No.42) Bridge to go West. Rather awkward.         71 Canal Road / Priorswell Public Road Canal road forms the “towpath” between the Wharf and Moderate Road (Bridge No.43) Priorswell Rd Bridge.         72 Garside Street, Worksop Public Road Steps up to canal from Public Road – no alternative ramp Poor hence low Access for All rating in spite of good condition         73 Bracebridge and High 5955 7915 Public Road Note linking path on off bank to High Hoe Drive. Hoe Road, Worksop         Moderate (Bridges No. 44 & 44a) 74 Manton Bridge, (No. 45) 6106 7878 Public Road Access via track from Pubic Road over canal.         Moderate 75 Rayton Farm Bridge, 6155 7892 Track (Not ROW) Track (Not ROW) linking Rayton Farm with Public Road, At Poor (Bridge No.45a) road junction the track is signposted as a private drive.         76 Green Bridge & 6269 7973 Two Tracks (Not Access to Canal is actively discouraged by surrounding Not Osberton Hall Bridge ROW) linking with landowner. Node is in poor condition and is not assessed. Assessed (Bridges Nos. 47 & 48) Public Road. 77 Lock Plantation- 6319 8003 Public Bridleway At junction with public road there are private road signs and Osberton Lock & Bridge in spite of public bridleway status the impression is given         Good (Bridge No.49) that every attempt is being made to discourage access. 78 Osberton Mill Bridge 6405 8025 Track linking with signposted on Retford Road but not canal – again Very Poor (Bridge No.50) Public Road very much a “hidden” point where access is discouraged.         79 Chequer House Bridge, 6492 8118 Public Road No link at Bridge itself but long road ramp leads down to Good Ranby (Bridge No.51) canal towpath south of the bridge.         80 Old Blyth Road, Ranby 6492 8140 Gated access to Informal access point (gate climb) obviously used but could Very Poor Public Road be developed as new AN.         81 The Barracks, Ranby 6486 8207 Access Track leading Poorly signposted access to canal via trackway which to Public Road provides access to cottage known as the Barracks. Has a         Moderate very “private drive” appearance to uninitiated. Gate on Trackway with kissing gate to side. 82 Ranby Hall Drive, near 6516 8239 Estate Road Informal access (bank scramble desire line) leading to lane Very Poor Ranby to Ranby Hall Cottages and Green Mile Lane.         83 Green Mile Bridge , near 6588 8248 Permissive Footpath Steeply sloping muddy tracks lead down from estate road Poor Ranby (Bridge No. 52) and Estate Road. to towpath. Informal but clearly used.         84 Barnby Wharf & Bridge 6636 8289 Public Road Former Wharf now parking, tarmac road to Forest Middle Barnby Moor (Bridge Top Lock (No.55). Signage a problem.         Good No.53) 85 Lady Bridge, Sutton 6825 8220 Public Road Level FP access to TP. No barriers at all (gate posts no Good Lane (Bridge No.54) gate!) but some surface breaks.         86 West Retford Cemetery 6945 8156 Cemetery and Poor quality informal access Very Poor (Bridge No.54b) Public Road         87 Hospital Road (A620), 6995 8120 Public Road Steps down to Towpath Retford. (Woodcock’s         Poor Bridge No.55) 88 King’s Park, Retford 7006 8084 Public Footpath Public footpath from end of Pelham Road across footbridge (Inkerman Bridge Public Road with ramps down to canal.         Moderate No.55a) 88a King’s Park, Retford Towpath to Public At several points it is possible to cross from the towpath to Park the adjacent public park. One well defined desire line         leads from the east end of the Idle Aqueduct along the east Poor bank of the River Idle to the west end of West Street (where it enter the park and becomes a public footpath). 89a Wharf Road – Albert 7050 8075 Public Footpath Narrow public footpath (with steps) from Wharf Road south Road (Lock No.59) to Albert Road crossing the head of Retford Town Lock on         Very Poor a narrow pedestrian bridge attached to head gate. In good condition but not suitable for Access for All 89b Carolgate Wharf (Bay Public Road Path from Carolgate/Wharf Road to towpath, alternative Tree Cafe), Retford. route (concessionary) through Bay Tree Café Car Park –         Good barriers designed for Wheelchairs but difficult to navigate. 89c Carolgate Bridge, Public Road Steep stone steps down from Carolgate Road to towpath. Very Poor Retford (Bridge No.56) In good condition but not suitable for Access for All.         90 Spa Common / Arlington 7085 8090 Public Footpath to Steps down from Bridge, but alternative level or gently Good Way (Bridge No.56a) Public Road sloping routes available. No signposting.         91 Grove Mill Bridge, 7096 8105 Public Road and Steps down from Bridge, but alternative ramped route Retford (Bridge No.57) Public Footpath available via Raglan Road (AN 92). Provides access to         Good Public Footpath to Pennington Walk. 92 Raglan Road (Balk 7120 8125 Public Road and Entry to Raglan Road via ramp. Entry to Bulk Field from Field), Retford Recreation Ground Raglan Road although some desire line gaps in hedge         Good between TP and Field indicates informal access. 93 Clayter’s Bridge, Retford 7149 8140 Public Road Ramp down from road to towpath has been recently Good (Bridge No.58) improved.         94 Welham Grove/ 7150 8165 Public Road Level access from Welham Grove across playing fields to Brixworth Way, Retford towpath. One main surfaced route. Overhanging hedges         Good cut back and canal opened out to community. 95 Hop Pole Bridge, 7176 8182 Public Road Ramp from North Side Welham Road down to towpath but Retford (Bridge No.59) car park and Hop Pole Inn PH is on south side of road and         Good access requires crossing of busy road. Retford town surfacing project ends here, TP reverts to grass. 95a Longholme Road Path Public Footpath Path from TP to Langholme Road         Poor 96 Whitsunday Pie Lock 7215 8205 Occupation Track to Occupation Bridge (No.60) leads to Welham Road and also Bridge (No.60), Public Road & Public provides access to Public Footpath on south (off) bank of         Moderate Welham. Footpath canal which leads to Bonemill Farm. 97 Bonemill Bridge (No.61), 7235 8269 Public Road and Ramps down from Road to canal in poor condition. Poor Clarborough Public Footpath         98 Clarborough Top Bridge, 7264 8388 Public Road and Clarborough (Bridge Public Footpath         Poor No.62) 99 Church Bridge (Church 7253 8417 Public Bridleway Lane), Hayton (Bridge         Poor No.63) 100 Lecture Room Bridge, 7271 8462 Public Footpath Poor Hayton. (Bridge No.64)         101 Hayton Narrow Bridge, 7268 8480 Public Bridleway and Scotter Lane, Hayton Farm Track         Poor (Bridge No.65) 102 Hayton Low Bridge, 7275 8521 Public Road to Public Gentle ramp down to TP from road opposite BW 24 hour Moderate Hayton. (Bridge No.66) Bridleways mooring.         103 Clayworth Bridge, 7316 8775 Public Road Site of Retford and Worksop Boat Clubs HQ and main on Clayworth (Bridge line moorings on the canal.         Moderate No.67) 104 Otter’s Bridge (No.68), 7249 8801 Public Footpath and On St. Peters Lane at “back” of town Poor Clayworth. Lane         105 Gray’s Bridge (No.69), 7235 8865 Public Road and Farm track permits gradual slope down to towpath, private Poor Wiseton Rd, Clayworth Track drive signs are off-putting.         106 Wiseton Park Turn Public Road Towpath becomes a public road which runs parallel to the Moderate canal until Wiseton Top Bridge (AN 107).         107 Wiseton Top Bridge, 7180 8969 Public Road Towpath leaves public road and returns to isolated course. Moderate Wiseton (Bridge No.70) Note no separate walkway from AN 106 to AN 107.         108 Taylor’s Bridge, Wiseton 7194 9008 Public Road Mad and gravel path with gentle slope down to towpath on Poor (Bridge No.71) south side of bridge, steep scramble on north.         109 Old Man Bridge, 7157 9022 No access here - Desire line scrambles on both sides of bridge however this Not Wiseton (Bridge No.72) private drive is a private drive and access is discouraged. Assessed 110 Drakeholes, 7065 9042 Public Road The towpath does not run through Drakeholes Tunnel but The Tunnel, passes over the hill. It first passes onto a busy road and         Gainsborough Road, A danger spot on a climbs the hill before crossing a busy minor road. It then Drakeholes busy road junction runs along a farm track before gradually descending back Poor to canal level. The gradients are not severe but are prolonged, variably surfaced and while generally wide have no resting places. Signage is very poor. 111 Everton Stile, 7053 9085 Public Footpath Footpath leaves TP by gently descending bank. Somewhat Poor nr. Drakeholes overgrown and now no stile (!)         112 Hewitt’s Bridge, 7284 9163 Public Road Towpath descends by 5 narrow stone steps adjacent to Gringley on the Hill, lock (No.61) and passes under bridge in squeeze, area         Poor (Bridge No.74) under bridge v.rough. Alternative path passes almost level from lock side to road through gap in wall, however on the other side of road is reaches the towpath by means of 6 concrete steps down, no ramp. other side of road is reaches the towpath by means of 6 concrete steps down, no ramp. 113 Middle Bridge, Gringley 7318 9175 Public Road Irregular gravel slope down to Towpath. on the Hill, (Bridge No.         Poor 75) 114 Shaw Bridge, Gringley 7387 9203 Public Road, Public Towpath descends by narrow stone steps adjacent to lock on the Hill (Bridge No. Bridleway and Public (No.62) and passes under bridge, v. rough surfaces.         76) Footpath Alternative route passes up ramp to reach road (on west Moderate side) and then follows farm track back down to towpath on east side of bridge. 115 Smith’s Bridge, 7536 9288 Public Road and On the south side of the bridge an uneven desire line, on Walkeringham (Bridge Public Bridleway the north side a sloping ramped path with an earth and         Poor No.77) gravel surface leading down to the towpath. Bridge signed “Private Bridge”. Also BW restrictions on mooring at site. 116 Manor Bridge Farm, 7543 9321 Farm Track, not Desire lines run from both sides of the farm track down Not Walkeringham (Bridge marked as ROW, to onto the towpath. Access is discouraged. Private road Assessed No.78) Public Road signs near track entrance on Fountain Hill Road. 117 Hodson’s Bridge, 7543 9385 Farm Track, not Desire lines scrambles run from both sides of farm track Not Gringley Road, marked as ROW, to down to towpath – access is further discouraged by Private Assessed Misterton (Bridge No.79) Public Road Road signs at entrance to farm track on Gringley Road. 118 Cooper’s Bridge, 7611 9435 Public Road To the west of Cooper’s Bridge a gated farm track ramps Misterton (Bridge No.80) down to run along the towpath. To the east of the bridge         ten earth fast wooden steps (worn and weathered) leads to Moderate the towpath from bridge level. A ramp also leads down from street level but is very overgrown. 119 Wharf Bridge, Misterton 7682 9445 Public Footpath and Immediately adjacent to the bridge abutments wood (Bridge No.81) Public Road reveted earth steps lead down to towpath. Alternative         Good access is provided by a ramp down from the road to towpath through anti-cycle barrier. 120 Swallow Bridge, 7710 9459 Track to houses. No Desire lines from bridge to towpath, steep and difficult. Poor Misterton (Bridge No.82) ROW         121 Weir’s Lock (Station 7745 9462 Trackway to Public Trackway from Station Street to cottages (30m) with stile Poor Street), Misterton. Road access to TP         122 Station Street, Misterton 7745 9462 Public Footpath and Gentle road ramp down to public car park with level Good (Bridge No.83) Public Road frontage on to towpath.         123 Basin Bridge, West 7845 9465 Public Road and Ramp up to Bridge Level. Complex anti-cycling barrier. Stockwith. (Bridge No. Public Footpath         Moderate 85) 124 Stockwith Basin, West 7850 9464 Public Road, Public Access to River Trent bank path via site. Steps and locked Moderate Stockwith Footpaths gates but alternative routes available – poor signage.         Access Strategy: Table Two: Access Nodes -- Community Links, Transport Access

Access Node Name Links Transport SK Public Transport Name & Location Grid. Ref. NB: All References lie in 100km grid Communities, Footpaths, Bridleways Car Parking Node Number square Links With: 1 Holbeck Close, 3871 7155 Railway Station (3 minutes walk) and Town Major Transport Hub: Arriva, Midland Some informal on road parking on the road (circa Chesterfield Centre & Bus Station (4 minutes walk) Mainline and Virgin Train Services: South 5 to 8 spaces). Road is a private street and may to Nottingham, Derby, Leicester and be subject to limitations. Not secure. Extensive London. Birmingham, South Wales and pay-parking in town centre but time limited and the West Country; North to Sheffield, unsuitable for walking. Leeds, Doncaster (& connections North); Areas will be subject to redevelopment under the West to Manchester A61 Corridor Scheme. Buses to all surrounding areas. 2 Wharf Lane, 3873 7194 Wharf Lane (site of 1777 canal wharf) Buses on Sheffield Road (300m). Some informal on road parking on Wharf Lane. Chesterfield Chesterfield College (Town Campus), St Helens Not secure. Not recommended. and Stonegravels Districts. 3 Brimington Road 3885 7195 Chesterfield College (Tapton Hall Campus), Buses on Brimington Road (100m). Informal parking on road multiple spaces but a (South), Chesterfield Brimington Road. very busy road and not recommended. 4 Brimington Road (North) 3885 7220 St.Helena’s Floodgate, Brimington Road, Tapton Buses on Brimington Road (150m) None. /St.Helena’s Chesterfield Park. 5 Lockoford Lane, 3866 7292 Tapton Lock Visitor Centre and via underpass Buses at nearby Tesco and Sainsbury Informal Parking on Road, 8 to 10 spaces. Not Chesterfield “The Lock Keeper” PH. Superstores and on Lockoford Road. secure. This is the only parking for the Tapton Difficult to access bus stops due to Lock Visitor Centre and is usually vastly over underpasses & poor footpath connectivity. subscribed on summer weekends. 6 Wheeldon Mill (Bridge 3926 7368 Station Road, Brimington, and “The Mill” PH Buses on Brimington Road North / Station Formal off road gravelled car park (DCC) 8 to 10 No.3) Road. spaces, height barrier. Very popular. 7 Newbridge Lane (Bridge 3928 7396 Newbridge Lane footpath and cycleways west to None at node but local buses in Old Formal off road parking near node (10 plus cars) – No.4) Old Whittington and east to Brimington. Whittington (1000m) and Brimington poor access via residential street. (500m). 8 Bilby Lane (Bridge No.7) 4022 7466 Bilby Lane Public Bridleway north to New None at node but local buses in New None. Whittington and south to Brimington recently Whittington (1300m) and Brimington upgraded to easy access standard. (1000m). 9 Hounsfield (Bridge No.8) 4087 7460 Footpath south (partially along farm tracks) to None at Node but local buses in Brimington None. Brimington and Ringwood Hall. (1000m) 10 Hollingwood Road 4158 7462 Works Road north to Barrow Hill and Troughbrook Buses on Works Road/Troughbrook Road. Small gravel layby on road side (2 cars) . Not Bridge (Bridge No.8c) Road south to Brimington Recommended! 11 Mill Green (Bridge 4300 7471 Footpath north over R.Rother by FB to Join FP None at Node but buses in Staveley Formal off road gravelled car park (DCC) 8 to 10 No.10) Staveley from Constitution Hill and thence to Barrow Hill (100m) and Barrow Hill (1400m). spaces, height barrier. Very popular. (1400m). Minor Road south to Staveley (100m). 12 Constitution Hill (site of 4312 7488 Footpath north over R.Rother by FB to Join FP None at Node but buses in Staveley None at node, but limited on road parking in Bridge No.11) Staveley from Mill Green and thence to Barrow Hill (1.4km). (800m) and Barrow Hill (1400m). Staveley town centre. Footpath south to Staveley Church (80m) 13 Hall Lane (site of Bridge 4328 7509 Hall Lane north-west to Barrow Hill and south-east Buses on Hall Lane. None. Site of Staveley Town Basin – if developed No.12), Staveley to Staveley Hall. will have high potential. 14a Eckington Road Bridge 4360 7535 Hartington; Eckington Road – north to Eckington Buses on Eckington Road None. (Bridge No.13a) and south to Staveley 14b Eckington Road Bridge 4360 7535 Hartington; Eckington Road – north to Eckington Buses on Eckington Road None. (Bridge No.13a) and south to Staveley 15 GCR Railway Bridges, 4378 7535 Trans Pennine Trail north to Hartington, Renishaw None. None. Staveley [2 routes:- via and Killamarsh; south to Lowgates, Staveley, steps and via ramp Arkwright and Chesterfield 16 Bell House Lane (site of 4389 7535 Lowgates, Staveley. Public Road – Bell House None. Very limited on road parking on Bell House Lane Bridge No.14), Lane. Public Footpath east to Bent Lane. (4 to 6 cars. High potential nuisance value if Lowgates, Staveley numbers of users increase (residential street). 17 Norbriggs Cutting 4465 7600 Junction with Norbriggs Cutting Towpath None. None. Junction 18 Norbriggs Cutting 4480 7592 Cutting Towpath crossed by footpath from Bent None. None. Crossing Lane to Hague Lane (via Happy Valley) 19 Norbriggs Cutting Mastin 4478 7543 Permissive footpath to Mastin Moor estate – has None. None. Moor been blocked by residents at times. High potential nuisance value. 20 Norbriggs Wharf 4480 7515 Mastin Moor and Worksop Road. Buses on Worksop Road. None at node; some informal off road parking at (Worksop Road) adjacent sports field but signage restricts and deters canal walkers. 21 Huggester Farm (site of 4459 7622 No Public Access. None. None. Bridge No.16) 22 Hague Lane (site of 4447 7715 Public Lane leads to Hague Lane, Public Footpath None. None. Hagues Bridge No. 17) (DCC No. NE153) leads to Staveley Lane & Slittingmill Farm (under TPT but does not connect) 23 Miners’ Crossing, 4437 7760 Footpath (Not ROW) from Renishaw to site of None. None Renishaw Renishaw Park Colliery (Thirbycliff Farm) also provides cross link with adjacent TPT. 24 Main Road, Renishaw 4445 7808 Renishaw Village, Trans Pennine Trail, Sitwell Buses on Main Road, Renishaw. Formal Car Park for Trans Pennine Trail and Arms PH & Hotel. Canal, 6 to 8 spaces. Off road (difficult entrance from Main Road), very wet gravel and mud surface, screened by woodland – not secure. Car parking in Sitwell Arms for customers only. 25 Former Iron Works, 4475 7805 Heritage Park Estate, Renishaw. None. None. Renishaw 26 Spinkhill Railway 4491 7822 Footpath (not ROW) to Spinkhill Village on line of None. None. Wharf/Path Spinkhill Railway 27 Spinkhill Bridge (site of 4470 7852 Public Road (Spinkhill Lane) to Spinkhill and Buses on Spinkhill Lane. None. Bridge No. 19) Mount St.Mary’s College 28 Birley Farm/Rabbit Lane 4454 7878 On railway diversion route. Links to Trans None. None. (Bridge No.19a) Pennine Trail, concessionary footpath on original 1777 Canal Line and public footpaths; DCC:NE51 Nearest transport hub is Renishaw. Nearest potential parking location is Renishaw. to Eckington; DCC:NE53 to Mount St.Mary’s College & Spinkhill; DCC:NE105 to Westhorpe and DCC:NE105 along Rabbit Lane to Spinkhill Lane. 29 Birley Farm Old Bridge 4418 7904 Concessionary footpath on original 1777 Canal None None (site of Bridge No.21) Line intersects public footpath to Eckington (DCC:NE51) 30 Eckington Old Bridge 4422 7948 Concessionary path on original 1777 Canal Line None None (site of Bridge No.22) from Birley Farm joins public footpath from Boiley Farm to Eckington (DCC:NE4). 31 Boiley Farm Bridge 4460 7955 On railway diversion route. Long sloping access None None (it is possible for 2 or 3 cars to park on the (Bridge No. 19b) down to TPT from NE4 and thence to Towpath. verge of the farm track but this is not Useful connection to Eckington. recommended) 32 Boiley Lane (site of 4465 7985 Trans Pennine Trail, footpath to Boiley Lane and None None Bridge No. 23) Westthorpe 33 Gallas Footbridge (site 4464 8012 Trans Pennine Trail, public footpath (DCC: NE7) None None of Bridge No.24) from Killamarsh to Eckington. 34 Old Hall Farm, 4480 8085 Station Road, Killamarsh and Trans Pennine Trail None None Killamarsh (site of (via NE75) Bridge No.25) 35 Walford Road, 4516 8087 Public Road Bus services reach all parts of the village All the Killamarsh nodes can be reached from the Killamarsh and link the village to Sheffield, Rotherham, public car park in the village centre. Parking here Chesterfield and Worksop is time limited and unsuitable for longer walks. 36 Baker Drive / Quarry Rd. 4525 8085 Public Footpath (NE20) to Netherthorpe and None None Killamarsh (site of Rother Valley Country Park Leah’s Bridge No.26), 37 Chandos Crescent / 4542 8081 Footpath (Not ROW) None None Peacock Close Path 38 Bridge St., Killamarsh 4565 8089 Public Road, main shopping street in viallage None None at node but see general note above (site of Mallinders Bridge No.27) 39 Kirkcroft Avenue, 4587 8105 Public Footpath (NE76) and Public Road None Informal on road parking is possible but is not Killamarsh encouraged due to high potential nuisance value in residential area 40 Nethermoor Lane / 4578 8124 Public Footpath (NE76) and NEx2493) leading to Buses on Sheffield Road Informal on road parking is possible but is not Sheffield Road, Leisure Centre, library and Rother Valley Country encouraged due to high potential nuisance value Killamarsh Park. in residential area 41 Barbers Lane 4590 8161 Public Footpath (NE27) to Rother Valley Country None None (Nethermoor Lake) Park 42 Belk Lane 4604 8140 Public Footpath (NE83) – here on original 1777 Buses on Sheffield Road. Canal Towpath. 43 Ellisons Cottages 4606 8188 Public Footpaths (NE29& NE28) to Rother Valley None Country Park. 44 Bailey Drive, Killamarsh 4640 8170 Public Road in Industrial Estate. None Informal parking on road parallel to canal within industrial estate. Not secure. 45 Rotherham Road, 4668 8174 Public Road. Adjacent to “The Angel” PH. Node Buses on Rotherham Road No public parking at node, limited parking in PH Killamarsh (site of is near (300m) main entrance of Rother Valley carpark for customers only. NB: Extensive pay Gannow Lane Bridge Country Park. per visit parking in RVCP (1 km) May be useful No.29) for longer walks using Cuckoo Way and TPT 46 Norwood Bridge, 4689 8194 Public Footpath to Norwood Ponds. None None Killamarsh 47 Norwood Flight (Middle) 4720 8205 Public Footpath to Stockwell Lane, Wales. None None 48 Norwood Tunnel (West 4745 8195 Public Footpath to Nor Wood, Woodhall & None None Portal) Killamarsh Ponds, Highmoor Farm and Gannow Hill, Links to NE45 and NE44 49 M1 Subway, Norwood 4775 8201 Public Footpath to Baughy Hill and Woodhall None None 50 Coalpit Lane, Wales 4790 8205 Public Footpath to Wales None None 51 Tunnel Top Crossing, 4843 8220 Towpath intersects Public Footpath from Wales to None None Wales Harthill 52a Stockwell Avenue As below As below None 52b Kiveton Park Colliery 4929 8245 Kiveton Park. Kiveton Colliery Site currently being Kiveton Bridge Station (500m); Sheffield – None at present but potential for new public Site redeveloped-potential for new access points Lincoln Line: Arriva & Northern Services parking in the British Waterways owned fishing Bus Services from Village centre. pond area. 53 Hard Lane, Kiveton 4930 8245 See comments for 52 Buses on Hard Lane. None 54 Norwood Tunnel, East 5001 8252 No public footpath access to Kiveton. Desire lines None None Portal across Harthill Feeder. 55 Kiveton Park & Dog 5078 8244 Public Footpath north to Todwick and south west Kiveton Park Station (50m); Sheffield – Parking in station car park, 15 spaces. Parking is Kennels Bridge, Kiveton via PF and quiet lanes to Harthill. “Station Hotel” Lincoln Line: Arriva & Northern Services usually over subscribed by park and ride users. (Bridge No.31) PH (100m). Buses on Red Hill to Kiveton & Wales and Potential to develop additional parking on Wire Anston. and Steel Site or on former Quarry Site. 56 Thorpe Bridge 5175 8220 Public Footpath north to South Anston and south None None (Bridge No. 32) to Lady Field Road (Stonefield Farm) & Thorpe Salvin (via road) 57 Devil’s Hole Bridge 5245 8187 Footpath (not ROW) south through Hawks Wood None None (Bridge No.33) to Thorpe Salvin 58 Pudding Dike Bridge, 5285 8150 Public Footpath south to Thorpe Salvin, Private None None (Quarry Bridge No. 34) track (no access) north to Brick Field (site of). Part of Doorstep Walk Route. (Quarry Bridge No. 34) track (no access) north to Brick Field (site of). Part of Doorstep Walk Route. 59 Low Spring Wood 5337 8160 Public Footpath north to Lindrick Common / None None Bridge (Bridge No. 35) Anston Stones and south to Thorpe Salvin 60 Turnerwood Bridge 5425 8135 Turnerwood Hamlet, Public Footpath north to None Informal Parking in village and bridge ramps, 3 (Bridge No. 36) Brancliffe Grange (along Brancliffe Feeder) and cars, for use of canal cottages only. Evidence of thence to Lindrick Common and Woodsetts; south problems caused by nuisance parking – parking (via short road section – 100m) then to therefore actively discouraged by signage on Netherthorpe. PF Waymarked as part of access road to hamlet. Rotherham Ring Route. 61 Cinder Hill Bridge 5495 8125 Cinderhill Cottages; Public Footpath north to None None. Some informal parking adjacent to (Duke’s Bridge No. 37) Brancliffe Grange and south to Shireoaks. Cinderhill Cottages – same issues as for AN 60. 62 Shireoaks Upper Bridge, 5552 8118 Shireoaks Village (Shops, PO and PH); Shireoaks Shireoaks Station (80m); Sheffield – Informal Parking on street and formerly in public Shireoaks (Bridge No. Railway Station. Public Footpath links to Lincoln Line: Arriva & Northern Services house car park. Since conversion of PH to private 38 surroundings all involve road sections from node. Buses on Thorpe Lane and Shireoaks house access to the car park has been restricted Road. and land may now be sold for development. 63 Shireoaks Marina, 5570 8096 Shireoaks Marina; Public Footpath north (over None at node. Informal restricted parking on access road leading Shireoaks railway by bridge) to Shireoaks Business Park. to marina. This site is being developed for housing and urgent efforts should be made to secure marina side parking as part of the development. 64 Shireoaks Low Bridge 5581 8066 Shireoaks Marina; Public Footpath north (over Buses on Shireoaks Road to Worksop Informal on road parking is possible but not (Bridge No. 39) railway by bridge) to Shireoaks Business Park. recommended due to poor visibility on bends. 65 Doefield Dun Lock (Lock 5630 8030 Rhodesia Village and Shireoaks Road Buses on Shireoaks Road to Worksop Informal on road parking on Shireoaks Road is No.45) possible but not recommended. 66 Haggonfield (Bridge 5665 8023 Haggonfield Cottages, Tanker Lane, Rhodesia Buses on Shireoaks Road and Tylden None. No.40) Village Road to Worksop 67 Deep & Stret Locks 5725 7975 Shireoaks Road, Lock Keeper PH Buses on Shireoaks Road to Worksop No Public Parking, large car park attached to Lock (Locks No. 47 & 48) Keeper PH for customers use only. (Lockeeper PH) 68 Lady Lee Arm Junction 5735 7970 Public Footpath west to Lady Lea Farm and south None None (Stubbing lane) east to Stubbing Lane and Housing Estate 69 Town Centre Car Park, Worksop Town and Shopping Centre. Main Bus Station (250m), Worksop Pay and Display long stay car park. Worksop Railway Station (500m); Sheffield – Lincoln Line; Arriva and Northern Train Services. 70 Bridge Place, Worksop Worksop Town and Shopping Centre. Town As for AN 69 No public parking at node, some informal on road (Bridge No.42) Centre PH’s and Canal Tavern PH, Town path to parking on Canal Road but limited with high the Canch & Priory potential nuisance value. 71 Canal Road / Priorswell Priorswell Road and town path links via The None at node (but within walking distance Limited informal on road parking on Canal Road Road, Worksop (Bridge Canch or by road to the Priory of bus and railway stations) but potential nuisance if over used. No.43) 72 Garside Street, Worksop Steps up to Canal Towpath from Garside road. None. None. Informal on road parking possible on Garside Road but not recommended. 73 Bracebridge and High 5955 7915 Bracebridge. Note path on off bank to High Hoe Buses on High Hoe Road. None. Informal on road parking possible on Hoe Road, Worksop Drive. Bracebridge Road but not recommended. (Bridges No. 44 & 44a) 74 Manton Bridge, Worksop 6106 7878 Manton; footpath and road route to Clumber Park Buses on Manton Road to Worksop and Limited off-road parking, 3 to 4 cars, but difficult to (Bridge No. 45) (2km) Retford. access off roundabout – prior knowledge required. Rural area. Moderately secure 75 Rayton Farm Bridge, off 6155 7892 At road junction the track is signposted as a Buses on Retford Road to Worksop and Lay-by on Retford Road (surfaced) -- 4 to 5 cars Retford Road, Worksop. private drive. Retford. opposite track entrance. Rural area. (Bridge No.45a) 76 Green Bridge & 6269 7973 Access to Canal is actively discouraged. No None. None. Osberton Hall Bridge attempt to be made to use this node at present. (Bridges Nos. 47 & 48) 77 Lock Plantation- 6319 8003 Public Bridleway north to Scofton and South to None at node, buses on Retford Road No Public Parking. Car Park is only provided for Osberton Lock & Bridge Retford Road. At junction with Retford Road (500m south) angling club and has chained and locked (Bridge No.49) several private road signs entrance. 78 Osberton Mill Bridge 6405 8025 Via road only, north to Scofton and south to Buses on Retford Road (100m) None (Bridge No.50) Retford Road. No other links. (Worksop-Retford No.42, 42A) 79 Chequer House Bridge, 6492 8118 Ranby Village, Chequers Inn PH Buses in Ranby village centre (100m) Informal on road parking along Old Blyth Road in Ranby (Bridge No.51) (Worksop-Retford No.42, 42A) a residential area (potential nuisance parking?). 80 Old Blyth Road, Ranby 6492 8140 Ranby Village None at node, but see above at village Between AN80 and AN81 there is informal on (500m). road parking, 10 to 20 spaces, on old road (former 81 The Barracks, Ranby 6486 8207 Ranby Village None at node, but see above at village A1) now underused. Potential to develop (800m). formalised parking along road with canal information. 82 Ranby Hall Drive, near 6516 8239 Ranby Hall (private), Ranby Hall Cottages and None None Ranby Green Mile Lane. 83 Green Mile Bridge , near 6588 8248 Green Mile Lane. None None Ranby (Bridge No. 52) 84 Barnby Wharf and 6636 8289 Public Road (Old London Road) leads north to None Informal car park on site of old wharf, 6 to 7 cars, Bridge near Barnby Barnby Moor and south to Babworth (Babworth gravelled surface. Considerable potential for Moor (Bridge No.53) Church). Also access for visits to Forest Locks & improvement. Moorings. 85 Lady Bridge, Sutton 6825 8220 Public road (Sutton Lane) leads north to Sutton None at node but buses on A620 at Informal road side parking on gravelled verge, c.8 Lane near Retford. cum Lound (3km) and Barnby Moor (3.5km) and Babworth (Worksop-Retford No.42, 42A). cars. Over subscribed (popular with fishermen). (Bridge No.54) south to Babworth (1.6km) High potential for development -- adjacent fields possible for car park acquisition. 86 West Retford Cemetery 6945 8156 West Retford Cemetery and thence to North Road None at node but buses on North Road. None for canal. Some limited parking for visitors (Bridge No.54b) (A638), Retford. to the cemetery. Not recommended. 87 Hospital Road / 6995 8120 West Retford & Retford Hospital Buses on Hospital Road None Worksop Road (A620), Retford. (Woodcock’s Bridge No.55) 88 King’s Park, Retford 7006 8084 West Field, Kings Park, Retford Town Centre (500m): Sheffield - None at nodes (Inkerman Bridge Lincoln Line: Arriva & Northern Services. No.55a) London – Edinburgh (ECML): GNER 88a King’s Park, Retford Services. Buses in Town Centre (300M), 89a Wharf Road – Albert 7050 8075 North to Retford Town Centre, south to South Retford Railway Station (500m): Sheffield - None at nodes but long stay car park (pay and Road (Lock No.59) Retford and Railway Station. Lincoln Line: Arriva & Northern Services. display) at New Street (150m) together with wait 89b Carolgate Wharf (Bay Retford Town Centre, main shopping area and London – Edinburgh (ECM) Line: GNER time limited on street parking along main roads. Tree Cafe), Retford. facilities. Retford Museum. Services. Buses in Town Centre (300M): Service to area and main towns. Buses on 89c Carolgate Bridge, Albert Road (100 m) Retford (Bridge No.56) 90 Spa Common / Arlington 7085 8090 As for AN 89 above. As for AN 89 above. As for AN 89 above. Way, Retford (Bridge No.56a) 91 Grove Mill Bridge, 7096 8105 Grove Lane, Town Centre and East Retford. None at Node (but see AN 89) Informal on road parking on Grove Lane and Retford (Bridge No.57) Raglan Road but busy residential area with 92 Raglan Road (Balk 7120 8125 Baulk Field (recreation grounds) and housing None potential for nuisance parking. Not Field), Retford estates around Alma Road and Lidget Lane recommended. 93 Clayter’s Bridge, Retford 7149 8140 East Retford housing estates and public road. None Informal on road parking but residential area with (Bridge No.58) potential for nuisance parking. 94 Welham Grove/ 7150 8165 East Retford housing estates around Welham None Informal on road parking but residential area with Brixworth Way, Retford Grove and Brixworth Way very high potential for nuisance parking. 95 Hop Pole Bridge, 7176 8182 Welham Road and Hop Pole Inn PH Buses on Welham Road (Retford - Informal road-side parking in lay-by (former route Retford (Bridge No.59) Gainsborough) of Welham road), circa 30 cars. Also car parking for PH (20 cars, customers only). Potential for development. 95a Longholme Road Path Langholme Road and via short (50m) road walk to None None Public Footpath to Bonemill Lane & thence to Clarborough. 96 Whitsunday Pie Lock 7215 8205 Welham Village via road walk (footway provided) Buses on Welham Road (Retford - Informal parking (3 to 4 cars) adjacent to Bridge Bridge, Welham. Gainsborough) approach. Gravelled surface. Approach to (Bridge No.60) parking has poor visibility and development unlikely to gain highways approval. 97 Bonemill Bridge, 7235 8269 Bonemill Lane which gives access to public None None. Informal on road parking is possible, but Clarborough (Bridge footpaths to Retford (via Langholme Road) and to lane is very narrow – not recommended. No.61) Calrborough (via Well House, Big Lane and / or Little Lane) 98 Clarborough Top Bridge, 7264 8388 Smeath Lane which gives access to The Gate Inn None at node but buses on B1403 in Informal road-side parking on Smeath Lane. Clarborough (Bridge PH and Clarborough Village. Public Footpath Clarborough Village (150m) Limited spaces with potential nuisance value. Pub No.62) from east side of Bridge leads to Broad Gores and Car Park (Customers only) south of village and thence to Bonemill Farm. 99 Church Bridge (Church 7253 8417 Bridleway; west to Tiln / North Retford and Lound / None at node but buses on B1403 in Informal Road Side Parking -- Limited spaces with Lane), Hayton (Bridge Sutton cum Lound (RSPB / NWT wetland Hayton Village (150m) potential nuisance value. No.63) reserves); east to Hayton Village (Main Street). 100 Lecture Room Bridge, 7271 8462 Public footpath: to west links to Bridleway on None at node but buses on B1403 in None Hayton. (Bridge No.64) Meadow Lane and then to Tiln / North Retford and Hayton Village (100m) Lound / Sutton cum Lound (RSPB / NWT wetland reserves), to east to Hayton Village (Main St.). 101 Hayton Narrow Bridge, 7268 8480 Bridleway: to west links to Meadow Lane and then None at node but buses on B1403 in None Scotter Lane, Hayton as for AN 100, to east to Hayton Village (Main Hayton Village (50m) (Bridge No.65) St.). 102 Hayton Low Bridge, 7275 8521 Hayton Village (North End); Boat Inn PH. Short Buses on B1403. Informal road-side parking on Main Street. Hayton. (Bridge No.66) road links connect west with Bridleway to Lound / Limited spaces with potential nuisance value. Pub Suton cum Lound and east with Bridleways to Car park (customers only). Clarborough and North Wheatley 103 Clayworth Bridge, 7316 8775 Clayworth Village (South End). Via road walk Buses on Town Street / Clayworth No Public Parking. Limited Boat Club Parking but Clayworth (Bridge (150 m) links with Bridleway along Tofts Dyke Common (B1403). strictly policed (gates usually locked etc) . No.67) Lane (Track) north to Gringley on the Hill and the Trent Valley Way. 104 Otter’s Bridge, St.Peter’s 7249 8801 Clayworth Village. Royston Manor Hotel, Moat Buses on Town Street (B1403). Informal road-side parking on Town Street in main Lane, Clayworth. (Bridge (site, Private), Hall (Private) and Mediaeval body of village. Limited spaces with potential No.68) Church. Links north via Public footpaths to Town nuisance value. Street and Tofts Dyke (links as above). Links south via Public Footpath to Lound. 105 Gray’s Bridge, Wiseton 7235 8865 Clayworth Village (North End) via road walk (as Buses on Town Street (B1403). Very limited road side pull off spaces near to field Road, Clayworth (Bridge above). entrances and with potential nuisance value. No.69) 106 Wiseton Park Turn 7180 8959 Public Road south to Clayworth Road. Buses on Clayworth Road (100m). Informal road-side / verge pull in for 2 cars, gravelled. 107 Wiseton Top Bridge, 7180 8969 Public Road north to Wiseton Village. Buses on Clayworth Road (200m). Informal road-side / verge pull in for 2 to 3 cars, Wiseton (Bridge No.70) Wiseton Hall (Private) and Estate Village (Private) gravelled. 108 Taylor’s Bridge, Wiseton 7194 9008 Wiseton Village and Lane from Wiseton to None Some informal parking on grass verges to west (2- (Bridge No.71) Gainsborough Road (A631). No footpath links. 3 cars) and east (3-4 cars) of bridge. 109 Old Man Bridge, 7157 9022 None: The bridge carries a Private Drive to None None Wiseton (Bridge No.72) Wiseton Gardens and there is no formal access. 110 Drakeholes, The Tunnel, 7065 9042 Drakeholes Village, White Swan PH. Buses at Village. Informal road-side / verge parking in gravelled lay- Gainsborough Road, by, 4 to 5 cars. Car parking in White Swan Public Drakeholes House Car Park (customers only) 111 Everton Stile, 7053 9085 Everton Village, PH & Everton Medieval Church None None nr. Drakeholes (c.1km) 112 Hewitt’s Bridge, Gringley 7284 9163 Public Road south and up to Gringley on the Hill, None Informal road-side parking in gravelled lay-bys to on the Hill, (Bridge No. to north (and level) to Gringley Pumping Station the north (5 to 6 cars) and south (4 to 5 cars) of 74) (dead end) and Wood Lane. the bridge. Potential for nuisance parking. 113 Middle Bridge, Gringley 7318 9175 Public Road south and up to Gringley on the Hill, None Informal road-side parking on mown grass verge on the Hill, (site of to north joins Wood Lane, Ings Lane and Shaw to south of the bridge (5 to 6 cars). Potential for Bridge No. 75) Road. nuisance parking. 114 Shaw Bridge, Gringley 7387 9203 Gringley on the Hill. Trent Valley Way. Bridleway None Informal parking on verge of gravelled farm track, on the Hill (Bridge No. to Leys Farm and Smith’s Bridge which runs some circa 10 spaces with potential for more. 76) distance from but parallel to the canal 115 Smiths Bridge, 7536 9288 Bridleway to west to Shaw Bridge, to the east Buses on Fountain Hill Road (70m): Informal road side parking on Brickyard Lane. Walkeringham (Bridge Brickyard Lane (public road) leads to main road. Retford – Gainsborough Nos. 883, 86, 97, Circa 5 spaces but very high potential nuisance No.77) A road walk leads north to Fountain Hill Road 97A, 98, x98. . value. which has a surfaced and lit footway to Walkeringham Village & Mediaeval Church (1km). Limited off road car parking at Walkeringham Road walk south leads to Walkeringham Nature Nature Reserve (c. 8 cars). Poor condition no Reserve (Notts Wildlife Trust) (500m) signposting, information or restrictions. 116 Manor Bridge Farm, 7543 9321 Does not give access to ROW network. Not Buses on Fountain Hill Road (80m): None Walkeringham (Bridge recommended for access. Retford – Gainsborough Nos. 883, 86, 97, No.78) 97A, 98, x98. 117 Hodson’s Bridge, 7543 9385 Does Not give access to ROW network. Not Buses on Gringley Road (100m): as above. None Misterton (Bridge No.79) recommended for access. 118 Cooper’s Bridge, 7611 9435 Misterton Village (south west end) Buses at node: Retford – Gainsborough Informal road side parking possible in village but Misterton (Bridge No.80) Nos. 883, 86, 97, 97A, 98, x98. residential area with a very high potential for parking nuisance. Not recommended. 119 Wharf Bridge, Misterton 7682 9445 Misterton Village (west end), Misterton Library, None but buses on High Street (50m): Informal road side parking possible in village but (Bridge No.81) Mediaeval church Retford – Gainsborough Nos. 883, 86, 97, residential area with a very high potential for 97A, 98, x98. parking nuisance. Not recommended. 120 Swallow Bridge, 7710 9459 Misterton Village (Hillside Avenue) as above plus None None Misterton (Bridge No.82) Sheltered Residential Care Home. 121 Weir’s Lock (Station 7725 9462 Misterton Village (Station Street) (30m). As Buses on Station Street: Retford – Informal road side parking possible on Station Street), Misterton. above. Value in improving porosity of path in Gainsborough Nos. 883, 86, 97, 97A, 98, Road but residential area with high potential for urban area. x98. parking nuisance. Not recommended. 122 Station Street, Misterton 7745 9462 Misterton VIllage (east end, Station Road). None at node but buses on Station Street Formal (free) surfaced public Car Park 6 to 8 cars. (Bridge No.83) Development underway of former Misterton (60m) as above. No other facilities. Packet PH site. May impact on accessibility. 123 Basin Bridge, West 7845 9465 West Stockwith Village via Canal Lane. Buses on Canal Lane: Misterton – None Stockwith. (Bridge No. Waterside Restaurant & PH. Caravan Park. Gainsborough – Retford: 85) BW West Stockwith moorings and facilities (over bridge). WS Yacht Club. 124 Stockwith Basin, West 7850 9464 Public footpath along Trent Bank south to Buses on Canal Lane: Misterton – Limited boaters only car parking (10 cars) around Stockwith Gainsborough (6km) and north to Stockwith Gainsborough – Retford: basin. No public car park on basin site. Village (800m). At WS Village public footpaths Gainsborough Railway Station (6km) Public car park (free) at West Stockwith Village along River Idle to Misterton with connections to (500m), circa 12 cars. Bawtry. Access Strategy: Table Three: Towpath Condition Survey-- Current Condition

Note

The survey employed the Fieldfare Organisation / BT Countryside Access “Access for All” Standards these were used to assess the condition of the towpath in terms of its suitability for access by all members of the community irrespective of potential handicap.

The survey examined each length of towpath using the access nodes as convenient anchor points. It was found that over considerable lengths of the Chesterfield Canal the surface condition of the towpath remains relatively constant. For the purposes of this summary, and to assess the overall pattern, the individual lengths have been combined where they are similar to produce longer lengths of similar towpath condition.

It should be stressed that the condition survey addressed the suitability of the towpath for use by all members of the community irrespective of handicap. Designations only refer to the Fieldfare “Access for All” Criteria and do not imply a lack of maintenance or upkeep of the structures involved only that the physical arrangements do not meet the needs of all potential users.

The entire towpath is fully accessibly by the able bodied at present – this survey attempts to identify where access for all might be implemented and with what advantage. It is recognised that the canal is a 200 year old structure which was not designed with full access in mind. To that end the introduction of access for all must be done with sensitivity to the canals heritage and will of necessity be an incremental process.

 Very Poor Condition Meets less than 25% of the requirements for a given aspect of access for all Access difficult even for physically active individuals. Not and requires very significant remedial work. recommended for use.  Poor Condition Meets only 25% of requirements and would require significant work to bring May be used by moderately fit individuals but is not up to top standard. recommended for use by the elderly or disabled.  Moderate Condition Meets most, 50% plus, of the requirements and would require moderate May only be recommended for use by the elderly, mobility work to bring up to standard. impaired and wheel chair users with some caution  Good to Excellent Good meets the significant majority, 75% plus, of requirements and requires May be freely recommended for use by all. Condition little work to bring to full standard. Excellent meets all requirements.

 Not Applicable Feature or aspect not present at this location.

Blank – No Information Aspect not surveyed or information not available at time of reporting. Towpath Length Location Description Current Condition of Towpath Summary

Overall Towpath “Access for All” Condition Length Number Length Commencing at… Length Ending at… Additional Description and Notes Surfaces Width & restrictions Barriers Gradient & Rise Breaks Places Cross Slopes Steps, Surface Passing & Resting Signage L1 Holbeck Close, St Helena’s Floodgate Surface of earth and cinders with some grass, surface irregular Chesterfield (AN 1) (Brimington Rd (North)), with surface breaks common, puddles and boggy areas. Start of         Very Poor Chesterfield (AN 4) both Cuckoo Way and Trans Pennine Trail. Area subject to A61 SK 3871 7155 SK 3885 7220 Regeneration Scheme. L2 St Helena’s Floodgate Lockoford Lane, Towpath joins limestone surfaced path from Brimington Road (Brimington Road (North)), Chesterfield North access node. Towpath condition improves markedly –         Good Chesterfield (AN 5) limestone gravel surface, some wear but maintained, Good (AN 4) SK 3885 7220 SK 3866 7292 vegetation clearance. L3 Lockoford Lane, Mill Green Towpath reinstated in Chesterfield to Staveley restoration scheme Chesterfield (for Tapton (Bridge No.10) Staveley completed in 2003. 2m plus surfaced width with separation of         Lock Visitor Centre) walking and cycling at pinch points, at all points where steps Good to (AN 5) (AN 11) present alternative route via ramps provided. Surface varies from Excellent Limestone gravel to bonded gravel to flags in places (e.g. SK 3866 7292 SK 4300 7471 Brimington Wharf). Several “art on the canal” works enliven the Chesterfield to Bluebank section. L4 Mill Green Hall Lane (site of Bridge Beyond the end of Mill Green wharf the towpath surface becomes (Bridge No.10) Staveley No.12), Staveley eroded and the limestone gravel slightly patchy. The rise up to         (AN11) (AN 12) the road at Hall Lane is uneven and barriers at the road crossing Moderate SK 4300 7471 SK 4328 7509 awkward. Entire length subject to improvement in Northern Loop Road Scheme due to commence Summer 2006 L5 Hall Lane Bell House Lane Beyond the Hall Lane Crossing the towpath returns to excellent (site of Bridge No.12), (site of Bridge No.14), condition. Just before Bell House Lane is reached the Trans         Staveley Lowgates Pennine Trail parts company with the towpath and heads north on Good (AN 12) (AN 16) the line of the former GCR. The towpath is mostly surfaced in SK 4328 7509 SK 4389 7535 bonded and limestone gravel with the last 50 m being crushed cinders. Well maintained. L6 Bell House Lane Norbriggs Cutting Junction At Bell House Lane the condition of the towpath changes. The (site of Bridge No.14), (site of Norbriggs or Pack- surface is now grass with earth and mud showing where the         Lowgates saddle Bridge No.15) surface is worn. Going becomes soft in wet weather. Ramps  Poor (AN 16) (AN 17) down to crossing of Doe Lea River is steep muddy and worn – SK 4389 7535 SK 4465 7600 impassable to wheelchairs and awkward to the less active. Bridge is adequate but the approaches fail AFA standards. L7 Norbriggs Cutting Junction Norbriggs Cutting End Norbriggs Cutting. Side arm offering access to Mastin Moor. (site of Norbriggs or Pack- (Worksop Road) Important route. Surface Limestone Gravel with some small         Poor saddle Bridge No.15) (AN 20) patches of earth and mud where worn notably near the junction (AN 17) SK 4465 7600 SK 4480 7515 with the main line of the canal. L8 Norbriggs Cutting Junction Hague Lane (site of From the junction the towpath climbs through scrub woodland to (site of Norbriggs or Pack- Hagues Bridge No. 17) run along the edges of ploughed fields – the route is poorly defined         saddle Bridge No.15) (AN 22) in places. The path surface is earth and mud and in the winter is Very Poor (AN 17) SK 4447 7715 practically impassable. At the site of Hagues Lane Bridge the rise SK 4465 7600 up to the road crossing is steep and stepped. L9 Hague Lane (site of Miners’ Crossing, From the road crossing the path descends back to the original Hagues Bridge No. 17) Renishaw (AN 23) towpath level, The surface is grass with some patches of mud         Poor (AN 22) SK 4437 7760 where worn. SK 4447 7715 L10 Miners’ Crossing, Main Road, Renishaw (AN From Miners’ Crossing the towpath is surfaced with Limestone Renishaw (AN 23) 24) Gravel and is more level.         Moderate SK 4437 7760 SK 4445 7808 L11 Main Road, Renishaw (AN Spinkhill Bridge (site of From Barlborough Road Bridge the towpath becomes less well 24) Bridge No. 19) (AN27) defined and follows an uneven, variably surfaced (through         Very Poor SK 4445 7808 predominantly earth and mud) course. This area is subject to the SK 4470 7852 Renishaw Reinstatement Scheme L12 Spinkhill Bridge (site of Boiley Lane (site of Bridge Beyond the Spinkhill Road Crossing the towpath is largely grass Bridge No. 19) (AN27) No. 23) (AN34) surfaced with patches of gravel infill and earth and mud where         worn. At the junction with the TPT the canal towpath becomes Poor SK 4470 7852 SK 4465 7985 very overgrown and most users opt for the adjacent well surfaced trail. L13 Boiley Lane (site of Bridge Old Hall Farm, Killamarsh The Canal and Towpath leave the TPT line and passes through No. 23) (AN34) (site of Bridge No.25) (AN the edge of commercial fishing ponds. The towpath here has been         Poor SK 4465 7985 34) gravelled and upgraded for use by anglers over some of length but SK 4480 8085 short stretch through woodland is uneven and muddy in winter. L14 Old Hall Farm, Killamarsh Walford Road, Killamarsh From Old Hall Farm to Walford Road the towpath is very uneven (site of Bridge No.25) (AN 35) SK 4516 8087 and surfaced with grass, earth and mud.         Very Poor (AN 34) SK 4480 8085 L15 Walford Road, Killamarsh Nethermoor Lane / Following the Walford Road Crossing the towpath is marked by an (AN 35) Sheffield Road, Killamarsh urban path running through parkland and then along the rear         SK 4516 8087 (AN 40) prospect of houses. It has a mown turf or gravel surface and is Moderate SK 4578 8124 well maintained with only small patches of uneven ground near Nethermoor Lane. L16 Nethermoor Lane / Ellison’s Cottages Beyond Sheffield Road the paths on the proposed route of the Sheffield Road, Killamarsh (AN 43) reinstated canal become intractable. The climb to the original         Very Poor (AN 40) SK 4578 8124 SK 4606 8188 canal line is steep and difficult. L17 Ellison’s Cottages Norwood Bridge, Once the original canal line is regained the route becomes level (AN 43) Killamarsh (AN 46) and relatively even. The surfaces are mixed with some lengths of         Poor SK 4606 8188 SK 4689 8194 gravel and flags but the majority remains grass, earth and mud – in winter going is soft and difficult. Difficult road crossing L18 Norwood Bridge, Norwood Tunnel (West The majority of the Norwood flight lies within a private estate. The Killamarsh (AN 46) Portal) (AN 48) route of the Cuckoo Way is a ROW following the estate roads.         Moderate SK 4689 8194 SK 4745 8195 These are tarmaced and easy going however beyond the roads the surface becomes steep, muddy and hard going. L19 Norwood Tunnel (West Norwood Tunnel (East At the top of the Norwood Flight the Cuckoo Way becomes an Portal) (AN 48) Portal) (AN 54) earth path with occasion areas of grass and cinders. For much of         SK 4745 8195 SK 5001 8252 this section it is running along the edges of ploughed fields and is almost impassable in winter. Some alternative routes can be found along lanes but these are not waymarked. There is some Very Poor improvement when the former Kiveton colliery site is reached but the final section from Hard lane to the east Portal is also hard going with the descent to the towpath being steep and blocked by difficult barriers. L20 Norwood Tunnel (East Kiveton Park & Dog From the East Portal the towpath is a wide even gravelled surface Portal) (AN 54) Kennels Bridge, Kiveton with gentle gradients well suited to Wheelchair use.         Good SK 5001 8252 (Bridge No.31) (AN 55) SK 5078 8244 L21 Kiveton Park & Dog Shireoaks Upper Bridge, From Kiveton Park to Shireoaks the canal was restored to full Kennels Bridge, Kiveton Shireoaks (Bridge No. 38) operation by BW in 2003 – the towpath is in excellent condition         Moderate (Bridge No.31) (AN 55) (AN 62) with long stretches being surfaced in limestone gravel with some to SK 5078 8244 SK 5552 8118 earth and mud in places. Some unavoidable pinch points (such as Good Bridge Holes) still exist, however, in general the towpath exceeds the Fieldfare Rural Standard. L22 Shireoaks Upper Bridge, Manton Bridge, Worksop From Shireoaks upper bridge the towpath is surfaced in bonded Shireoaks (Bridge No. 38) (Bridge No. 45) gravel and has many formal resting places and meets the Fieldfare         (AN 62) (AN 74) Urban Standard. This continues with minor interruptions (mostly SK 5552 8118 SK 6106 7878 awkward Bridge Holes and alternative street crossings) to Manton Good Bridge (AN 74). From Shireoaks to Bracebridge (AN 73) the towpath is a formal permissive cycleway (National Cycle Route 6) and in consequence is generally wider and better surfaced than the preceding rural section which is not a formal cycleway. L23 Manton Bridge, Worksop Chequer House Bridge, East of Manton Bridge the towpath reverts to a grass surface. In (Bridge No. 45) Ranby (Bridge No.51) places this is worn to earth and mud, in other places the ground is         (AN 74) (AN 79) very uneven and there is some suspicion that in places attempts Poor SK 6106 7878 SK 6492 8118 have been made to block the towpath in the past. These short sections are very poor. L24 Chequer House Bridge, Barnby Wharf and Bridge, Towpath remains grass and earth surfaced but with some lengths Ranby (Bridge No.51) Barnby Moor (Bridge of gravel in Ranby Village. Some muddy sections east of the         Poor (AN 79) No.53) (AN 84) Barrack but the surface is generally even and passable. Would be SK 6492 8118 SK 6636 8289 moderate under Rural Standard. L25 Barnby Wharf and Bridge Forest Middle Bottom Lock The towpath from Barnby Moor to Forest Middle Top Lock (Lock near Barnby Moor (Bridge (Lock No.56) No.55) has been tarmaced as the access road to Forest Locks         No.53) (AN 84) SK ? Moorings. The towpath along the moorings to Forest Middle Good SK 6636 8289 Bottom Lock has also been largely surfaced and is in good condition. L26 Forest Middle Bottom Lock West Retford Cemetery From the lock eastwards the towpath is mown grass with patches (Lock No.56) (Cemetery Bridge No.54b) of earth and mud where there is wear. Wear is most common in         Poor (AN 86) SK 6945 8156 areas well frequented by anglers and near Bridge access points. L27 West Retford Cemetery King’s Park, Retford From Cemetery Bridge the canal is within urban Retford. The (Cemetery Bridge No.54b) (Ryton Aqueduct) towpath has greater areas of bare earth suggesting greater use         Poor (AN 86) SK 6945 8156 (AN 88a) SK 7006 8084 and stretches of gravel and cinder “patching”. L28 King’s Park, Retford (Idle Hop Pole Bridge, Retford East of the Idle Aqueduct the footpath becomes continually Aqueduct) (Bridge No.59) (AN 95) surfaced with bonded gravel and widens to 2m wherever possible.         (AN 88a) SK 7176 8182 The good condition surface continues right through the town to Good SK 7006 8084 Welham Road (Hop Pole Bridge) (AN 95). The footpath surfacing improvements were completed by BW in 2005. L29 Hop Pole Bridge, Retford Drakeholes, East of Hop Pole Bridge the towpath leaves the urban area and (Bridge No.59) (AN 95) The Tunnel, Gainsborough upon entering relatively open country reverts to a mown grass         SK 7176 8182 Road, Drakeholes surface of relatively restricted width. Poor (AN 110) From Hop Pole Bridge to Misterton is very long length of SK 7065 9042 essentially similar condition: Most surface are moderate to poor L30 Drakeholes, Wharf Bridge, Misterton (largely depending upon season). It does contain some very short The Tunnel, Gainsborough (Bridge No.81) (AN 119) sections of very poor surfaces but these are generally a few tens         Road, Drakeholes SK 7745 9462 of metres at well used Bridge Access Nodes. It also contains (AN 110) some short improved and surfaced lengths (e.g. at RWBC, SK 7065 9042 Clayworth) . Moderate Not withstanding the distance the overall condition is very similar to Poor and while it is perfectly satisfactory for most walkers the presence of physical pinch points at bridge holes, the lack of alternative routes and the very poor quality of the access nodes mean that use by all ability groups is limited hence the lower overall rating. L31 Wharf Bridge, Misterton Station Street, Misterton East of Wharf Bridge the towpath is largely surfaced in bonded (Bridge No.81) (AN 119) (Bridge No.83) (AN 122) gravel and gravel, the surface is more level than in the rural         SK 7682 9445 SK 7745 9462 sections and better maintained although it remains relatively Poor narrow due to adjacent garden fences, buildings, locks and bridges -- these hard pinch points and lack of alternative routes make this a problematic section for AFA . L32 Station Street, Misterton Basin Bridge, West From the site of the Packet Inn just to the East of Station Street (Bridge No.83) (AN 122) Stockwith. (Bridge No. 85) Bridge the towpath reverts to a mown grass and earth surface.         Moderate SK 7745 9462 (AN 123) Some churned ground in places and very muddy in winter, to Poor SK 7845 9465 however, very wide and accessible. L33 Basin Bridge, West Stockwith Basin, West Wes Stockwith Basin – the banks are well maintained and Stockwith. (Bridge No. 85) Stockwith (AN 124) surfaced with flags and concrete. Access is relatively good         Good (AN 123) SK 7850 9464 throughout the basin although the access nodes are variable. SK 7845 9465