The Inland Waterways Association is a membership charity that works to protect and restore the country's 7,000 miles of canals and navigable rivers. See inside for our fantastic range of activities over the next few months
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• A View From The Helm Page 3
• Forthcoming Events Page 5 Walks and Meetings until April 2025
• Christmas Meal Menu Page 7
• Recent Activities Page 8 Lockwind, Walks and Meetings
• River Canal Rescue News Page 10
• Winterising Your Narrowboat Page 13
• Planning Matters Page 15
• Editorial Notice Page 21
The IWA may not agree with opinions expressed in this magazine but encourages publication as a matter of interest. Nothing printed may be construed as policy, or as an official pronouncement, unless specifically identified as such. The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee. Registered in England no. 612245. Registered as a charity no. 212342 Registered Office: Unit 16B, Chiltern Court, Asheridge Road, Chesham HP5 2PX Tel: 01494 783453 Web: www.waterways.org.uk
Lichfield Branch
A VIEW FROM THE HELM
In the last edition I mentioned that IWA's Trustees would be forming a sub-committee to review the Regional & Branch structure of our Organisation. Shortly before a subsequent Zoom meeting of Regional & Branch chairmen on 14th October the chairman of that sub-committee had circulated a Discussion Paper that proposed "Moving to a Region based organisation with a hybrid structure of Branches remaining in operation being a short-term solution with a clear vision for adopting the new approach once it had become established".
In essence this heralded the abolition of the existing Branch structure. Your Committee opposes that proposal and insists that the Branch structure should be retained and be supported by a 'Branch development manager' based at Chesham HQ able to travel to understand local issues, encourage volunteers & coordinate Branch delivery of IWA's & local objectives.
We believe that local Branches are the key to the future of IWA, a temporary hybrid structure would be confusing for members and volunteers upon whom IWA depends, risks losing membership engagement and that abolition of Branches would be suicidal for our Association.
As a result of our, & presumably others, formal objections the proposals have been withdrawn for further consideration. Please let me or any Committee member have your views on this.
Just to make sure our message was understood by IWA Trustees I drew attention to our views with a public question at the Association's AGM on 28th September in Leicester attended by 78 members and 45 on-line. My statement was applauded.
Earlier in the AGM Agenda was this illuminating Report from Mike Wills, IWA's national chair, updating us on the future of IWA. Its reproduced in full.
"At the end of our AGM in Stourport twelve months ago we found ourselves without a Chair, without a Chief Executive, without final audited accounts, but with a substantial financial deficit and with a desperate need to try to find an effective way forward for IWA.
I offered to coordinate a review group and after much hard work, with contributions from many
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enthusiastic and supportive trustees and others we came up with an approach for the future. It covered many areas, but I am going to concentrate on just three major points:
First and the absolute priority: to secure the finances of IWA to enable it to meet its charitable objectives.
Second: to develop ways to make IWA much more relevant by concentrating on effective campaigning and increasing political influence.
Third: to improve our restoration offering, particularly in collaboration with restoration societies, and develop our campaigns based upon restoration success.
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The trustees supported this approach and as a result I felt comfortable with accepting the role of National Chair. That was just less than eight months ago, and I can assure you that it has been an interesting and illuminating period in my life. I have learnt a lot.
I am going to talk briefly about each of these three areas, then deal with the formal aspects of this AGM and then seek your views and advice.
Finances: Our final 2023 audited accounts and annual report have been available on our website for some time. They show a major turnaround with substantial growth in net income and in investment returns. Group funds increased by around £128k and IWA Charitable funds increased by £16k during the year. This compares with an overall deficit of £419k in 2022.
This is a remarkable improvement. We have taken many steps to try to secure this including, improved management accounting information, effective control of costs, a thorough review of our investments policies and a realistic approach to budgeting. As always there is more to do.
Campaigning and Political Influence: Having secured our finances, how should we proceed? You are all aware that we have not had a permanent Chief Executive for many years now. Rather than risk repeating past difficulties we had a serious review of our prime requirements. We realised that the key paid role we required was someone to lead our campaigns. Recruitment proved difficult, and we had some interesting applicants,
IWA National Chair Mike Wills
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indeed it was only this week that we finally employed the right person.
Charlie Norman will be known by many of you, and I have to say that I am absolutely delighted that we now have a talented and experienced Campaigns & Public Affairs Director on our staff. You will all quickly see the difference that this appointment will make to the profile of IWA. We need to get our message out and we need to influence politicians at all levels to try to achieve what is needed for the future of our Inland Waterways.
Restoration: For many of us, particularly a few years ago, the key reason for the existence of IWA was to support, encourage and actually do restoration. There have been so many successes, and we should be proud of what we have achieved. Looking forward, we can do much more and we should see our future developments in this area as part of our campaigns strategy.
Many of the funds held by IWA come from legacies or similar and they have a specific restriction or designation for some aspect of restoration. Our plans are to critically review these funds to try to use more of them to meet our charitable objectives. Many have been sat unused for too long. We are reinvigorating our work in this area and again I hope that you will start to see a difference".
Clearly these are critical times for IWA and, at last there is evidence of strong, committed leadership that provides optimism for the future. We now await with interest the next developments and proposals for the structure of our Association. Additionally there's the new Government's plans & Budget to come and I fear our Waterways may not be high on its Agenda for Change - we'll see!
This Winter & Spring we have a programme of fascinating talks at our social meetings at the Darwin Hall, some excellent walks and a sociable splendid Christmas Lunch. Please come & join us & bring your friends. Meanwhile, as we prepare our Noah's Ark whilst the phone rings with more flood warnings for the Burton area, Maz & I wish you a Happy Christmas & good health in the New Year.
Adrian Wedgwood
Forthcoming Events
Chairman
IWA Lichfield Branch
All our Social Meetings will be held at Darwin Hall, off Heathcot Place, Lichfield WS13 6RQ at 7:15pm for a 7:30pm start.
Thursday 7th November 2024 Guided Walk Curdworth and the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal
This is an easy 4 mile walk on level ground with 0 stiles, across fields, on quiet country roads and along the towpath . We first head towards Curdworth tunnel, but instead of passing through it we climb the steps beside it to pick up a path that crosses an
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agricultural field. From there we walk along Blindpit Lane to the church at Wishaw where we will visit an intriguing grave. We carry on to Over Green and from there it is downhill towards the canal at Wiggins Hill Road Bridge., from which point we walk on the towpath back to our starting point.
Meet 10:30 for a 10:45 start on Thursday 7th November 2024 at The White Horse, Kingsbury Road, Curdworth, Sutton Coldfield B76 9DS.
Contact Clive Walker on clive.walker@waterways.org.uk
Friday 15th November 2024 Social Meeting
Branch member John Parry will this month give an illustrated talk on The Suez Canal. This major canal has had a chequered history from it’s inception up to the present day, should be an interesting talk.
Sunday 8th December 2024—Christmas Meal
Save the date
Following the success of the last two years we will again be returning to Darnford Moors Golf Club. Meet at 12:30 for a 1pm start. See following page for details and menu.
Please contact Sue Gurney on sue.gurney@waterways.org.uk to book.
Please note bookings and payment required by 15th November.
Wednesday 1st January 2025 Guided Walk
Alrewas and the Trent & Mersey Canal
This is an easy 4½ mile circular walk with one stile, on the towpath, quiet country lanes, and footpaths. We follow the Trent & Mersey Canal to Fradley Junction before turning left to briefly join the Coventry Canal. We leave the towpath by New Bridge, and after a short road section, we cross a field bordered by a new housing estate. From the village of Fradley, we make our way back to Alrewas by a series of country lanes and footpaths.
Meet 10:30 for a 10:45 start on Wednesday 1st January 2025 in the car park of The George & Dragon, 120 Main Street, Alrewas DE13 7AE.
Contact Clive Walker on clive.walker@waterways.org.uk
Friday 17th January 2025 Social Meeting
John Pomfret Waterways of the Low Countries
Friday 21st February 2025 Social Meeting
Charles Hughes (CRT) Tackling Invasive Species on the canals
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Friday 21st March 2025—Social Meeting
Night Sky over Tixall Wide & Planets in 3D
Friday 18th April 2025—Social Meeting
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Branch AGM followed by a talk on Taylor’s Bell Foundry Watch this space (and the website) for more walks/events in 2024/2025.
Recent Activities
Sunday 4th August 2024—Lockwind
On a cool but pleasant Sunday we held our lockwind at Barton Turn lock and talked to passing boaters about the IWA. We also tempted them with some superb cakes which brought in significant funds for the Branch. Many thanks to all our cake makers. The group finished the day with a welcome drink and great food from the Barton Turns pub.
Thursday 5th September 2024—
This walk had originally been planned for 7th September 2023, but ironically it turned out to be over 30°C on that day and people wisely chose to stay at home.
This time round it was cooler and 12 people assembled in the car park of The Gate Hangs Well in Carlton near Market Bosworth. After notifying the pub of precisely how many people would be staying for lunch afterwards, we left the small village by the church of St. Andrew with its distinct saddleback tower and headed towards Market Bosworth. Our route took us past a small Christmas tree plantation, where the trees had been neatly planted together with their pots, through a gate in a hedge and into open fields. As we reached a house with an alpaca in the garden, the restaurant phoned the organiser to ask if we
Guided Walk—Carlton and the Ashby Canal
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could order our food before we left. Since we were already a mile into the walk the pub texted the menu through and we placed our orders, watched over by the inquisitive alpaca.
We then continued on our way, arriving slightly later than intended in Market Bosworth. Unfortunately there was no time to explore this historic town and we ambled down Station Road towards the canal, pausing briefly at a cairn stone honouring members of the Churchill family - a Battle of Britain hero and two secret agents – as well as the commitment of staff who worked on plane engine components. The factory of JJ Churchill is adjacent to the memorial and now manufactures gas-turbine blades for the aerospace and power generation industries.
We accessed the towpath by bridge 42 of the Ashby Canal. As elsewhere in the country houses are popping up on vacant land and there is an extensive estate being built by the canal, which the developer has decided to call King Richard’s Wharf. I doubt there was a wharf here at the time of King Richard but fortunately, there is still an indentation on the offside of the canal where the trading wharf used to be. The towpath northwards has been slightly diverted across a modern iron bridge in order to allow access to Bosworth Marina. Opposite is more new housing, which the Pearson’s Guide describes as of the “warehouse vernacular architectural style”. Here, milepost 15/15 tells you that you are equidistant from Marston Junction and the original terminus at Spring Cottage.
A short while later we left the towpath by bridge 40 and walked alongside the road back into Carlton, where our food and refreshment was waiting for us.
Clive Walker, 22nd September 2024
Friday 20th September 2024—Social Meeting
The talk at our first meeting of the season should have happened last season, but our speaker, Tim Coghlan, MD of Braunston Marina, couldn’t attend. He made it this time and gave us a fascinating insight into the organisation and running of the Braunston Historic Festival since it’s inception in 2003. He showed us some wonderful pictures of
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the boats and people who had attended and tales of some of the celebrities who had opened the event.
River Canal Rescue News
RCR summer rescue spike
River Canal Rescue reports its teams, from 1 June to 31 August this year, responded to an unprecedented number of call-outs; 50 major incidents involving submerged, partially sunken or grounded craft, and 1200 general call-outs, typically for electrical, fuel and engine issues, flat batteries, over-heating and gear box failures. This equates to nearly half the 121 major incidents RCR attended last year, and around a third of the whole year’s 3335 general call-outs.
A high proportion of the major incidents were due to boats being trapped and submerged in locks, after getting stuck on lock cills, people missing signage, and underwater damage. There were more incidents on rivers than canals, and the river Trent at Sawley appears to be an incident hot-spot.
General call-outs were evenly spread across the UK with the top three reasons being fuel issues, fouled props and engine overheating.
RCR managing director, Stephanie Horton, comments on the major incidents: “There are numerous reasons why boats get trapped on lock cills; you may not be used to the lock and accidentally push your boat further over the cill or perhaps lose concentration for a second which can be disastrous. Not seeing signage or poor signage is an issue; on the river Trent at Sawley there’s a huge sign with chevrons telling you to keep left, but people miss it, and frequently become grounded in the wrong channel.
“There are many cases of people going the wrong way – usually when rivers are in flood and weirs and locks may be difficult to see. Then boaters sometimes don’t have enough power to change their route and end up trapped on weirs.”
Underwater damage to props, hulls, skegs and tiller cups is equally common, mainly due to the amount of debris found in rivers and canals due to fly tipping. Dumped mattresses, clothing and wiring are the main culprits, with low water levels making things worse.
With canals silting up,
Sawley Weir on the River Trent
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grounding is also becoming a problem, as are clogged-up fuel filters caused by sticky fuel and diesel bug.
Stephanie continues: “This spike in numbers certainly stretched our entire staff. Everyone at RCR is rescue-trained, but for major incidents we have six rescue engineers. As there were high demands on their time, our 19 general breakdown engineers pitched in to help, which in turn put pressure on their call-outs and return visits with parts. We were however, able to support everyone who called us, meeting our ethos to get boaters moving again as soon as possible with minimum disruption and cost, and to keep the navigation clear.”
She concludes: “With the Met Office reporting this summer was the coolest since 2015, I thought the poor weather may have put people off taking to the water, but this wasn’t the case. There seems to be more boaters enjoying our inland waterway system, and I suspect our high call-out figures are either due to the cost-of-living crisis, prompting more people to enjoy a staycation on the water, or owners spending less on boat maintenance.”
Case study
Lock 13, Tilston lock, the Shropshire Union canal, a hiring from AngloWelsh. Boat was caught on the lock cill, causing the stern to stay in place while the bow lowered in line with the dropping water level, sinking the vessel.
Sunday 21 July - RCR three-man team attended to find the vessel was held on the lock cill by one inch of rudder, making it unstable. As the team could not enter the boat, due to health & safety issues, the only option was to flood the lock and float it off the cill. After approval from Anglo-Welsh, the lock was flooded and the boat sunk to the bottom of the lock safely with guide ropes and winches. Now stabilised, after emptying the lock, the team sealed entrances and pumped-out the vessel while the lock was refilled. Once refloated it was moved and recovered by Anglo Welsh.
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Winterising your narrowboat
As we head towards the winter season, River Canal Rescue has put together some winterisation tips.
Cooling systems
Any ‘closed loop’ cooling system needs anti-freeze added and replaced (per manufacturer’s guidelines). This minimises the risk of splits or fractures due to freezing water and engine corrosion, plus improves the engine’s cooling efficiency. If it’s a raw water (drawn from the river) cooling system, drain down by briefly running the engine when out of the water to empty the system. If afloat, ‘shut off’ the inlet valve (seacock) and drain as much water from the system as possible. Where no drain plug is available, disconnect a hose, drain the water from the system and leave disconnected. Although this will not empty the system completely, it will allow for expansion should the water freeze, reducing the risk of ruptured pipes. Insulate any accessible tight bends, as this is where fluid collects, even after draining. Once you start cruising again, reconnect any pipes, refill the system and open the seacock.
If the engine’s winterised or seacock’s closed, clearly mark the engine and its controls; it should prevent accidental operation.
General checks
Check lockers, cockpit and other areas to ensure all drain holes and plugs are clear of debris, leaves, dirt etc. These areas block easily and in heavy or prolonged rain, can
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cause a vessel to take on water causing corrosion where the water’s left sitting or even worse, sinking.
Test the bilge pump and if possible, invest in an automatic one – it’s more reliable than a manual. An automatic bilge pump immediately responds to water ingress with the float switch dictating when it should pump. Should a leak develop from cooling system, hull or other source (or there’s a build-up of rain water), this will keep your vessel safe.
Water in a boat will cause it to be lower in the water, placing outlets such as those for a shower, sink or air vent, nearer to the water level (leading to catastrophic results!). Check battery charge levels before leaving the boat and when you return, or before a long journey. Heavy rainfall, leaking stern glands and weed hatch issues can result in water ingress that quickly fills the boat, causing it to sink. If batteries go flat at a critical point it can be devastating.
Grease the stern tube before leaving the boat, this will prevent water ingress. Although most stern glands leak once the propeller turns, the grease acts like a seal whilst not in use.
Ensure boat mooring pins and ropes are secure, yet slack enough to deal with the normal rise or fall of water levels. Where possible attach a long rope to a tree or higher ground, so that if flooding occurs, or the boat becomes loose in high winds, the additional rope provides a much-needed safety line. In extreme weather or prolonged rainfall, visit the boat regularly to adjust mooring ropes and check bilge pumps and batteries are coping with the situation.
Run the engine for an hour every time you visit as this pushes oil around the engine and prevents rusting, plus it tops up the battery if left running long enough (beware of doing this if you’ve drained the cooling system!).
Spray terminals with a silicone-free lubricant, grease all available grease points on the engine and drive, plus electrical connectors, and lubricate linkages and gear/throttle slides; this prevents rusting/corrosion and gives these components a longer life.
Generators
If not in use, store in a gas-tight locker – the same regulations as Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) apply.
Water and heating
Freezing temperatures can cause split or fractured pipes which, if left over a gradual period, can lead to complete or partial flooding.
Drain down the water system (including drinking water and cistern) and leave taps in the open position. Most water heaters have a screw plug at their base and can accommodate an old-fashioned cycle pump which makes the emptying of water that much quicker.
Taps should be left open so if any water is left in the system and it freezes, the pressure on the pipes will be less due to air coming out of the taps.
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An unnoticed pipe split and flooding will almost certainly lead to sinking which may not be covered by insurers (not all cover frost damage and a gradual incursion of water may not be classed as accidental). If covered, insurance policies normally insist ‘machinery is winterised according to manufacturers’ recommendations’. If not available, the advice of a qualified engineer should be sought.
Lag hot and cold pipes and top up anti-freeze in keel cooling and other sealed heating systems (such as radiators connected to the boiler). This is the single most important thing to do, whether your narrowboat is being used over the winter period or not.
Protecting possessions
Remove or put out of site any alcohol, valuable and electrical items. If you have a secure mooring this might not be such an issue, but if in doubt, take it out.
Invest in decent locks, your insurance policy requires this and it’s more likely to deter thieves. Ensure all windows and access points are firmly closed and locked before leaving the vessel and visit regularly. Prevent the theft of external items, such as mushroom vents, solar panels and chimneys, by fixing with extra-strength sealant and invest in security shear nuts. Ask neighbouring boats to call if they have any concerns.
Diesel treatment
Excessive water in the tank can lead to water feeding through the fuel system. To prevent this;
Regularly check your filler cap seal and replace if worn, cracked or damaged. The cap sits lower than the deck so if it’s been raining wipe away excess water before opening the cap.
Either leave the tank empty during winterisation and remove any water on your return or leave the tank full and treated. Fuel treatments remove water and deal with contamination such as diesel bug - where enzymes, bacteria etc live off the water in diesel and affect the diesel properties. Inactive boats are more at risk of growth developing in the fuel tanks.
Freezing weather & ice
If the boat’s encased in ice and you’re worried about the effects on the hull, take care…breaking the ice can result in more damage than leaving it. The only time the ice should be broken is if you need to move, and this should be undertaken with caution. The stress on the hull from a large surface area of ice is huge and at a minimum will cause damage to the blacking.
Planning Matters
This report summarises the more significant of about 35 planning matters dealt with between mid-July and mid-October 2024.
Alongside the Trent & Mersey Canal at Pasturefields a gypsy site for 3 families is proposed, each with a mobile home, a touring caravan, a day room and a stable block.
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A previous application in 2021 that we objected to was refused, partly due to its visual impact on the canal’s Conservation Area. However, the new application has pitches set well back from the canal behind an open pasture for grazing horses, with hedgerow planting to the boundaries. It is therefore acceptable in principle, conditional on there being no outside storage of vehicles, equipment or materials in the paddock area.
At Mill Lane in Great Haywood an application for a ‘seasonal’ campsite is on the field opposite the canal junction, where a housing site application was recently rejected. It has already been used temporarily as a campsite in the last few years, taking advantage of a recently extended planning provision permitting temporary recreational campsite uses for up to 60 days. It is now proposed to operate for 8 months of the year with 30 pitches. This would significantly damage the setting of Junction Bridge 109 which is unusually both a Listed Building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and both canals are Conservation Areas. This is contrary to the Local Plan Historic Environment Policies. The land has been a meadow for 250 years and should be retained as an open space. Small personal tents may have a limited
visual impact but large semi-permanent ‘glamping’ tents, motorhomes, caravans and other vehicles would collectively have a significant urbanising appearance. At present the single water tap and portable toilets are clearly not adequate so there would likely be future proposals to build a permanent toilet block and showers. The land here is mostly soft ground so there would likely be more hardcore imported to create hard standing for vehicles, which might be done incrementally and any consent sought retrospectively. For all these reasons we have objected.
At The Mossley in Rugeley, following continuing concerns about the road and pedestrian access over The Mossley Bridge 65, the application for 43 houses has now been withdrawn.
At Bromley Hayes, redevelopment of the disused garden centre as a national
Great Haywood Junction
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headquarters for Land & Water was refused in 2022 and on Appeal in 2023. The application has now been resubmitted with additional information, the building heights reduced, and a reedbed ‘Wetland Science Centre’ added. The buildings are well away from the canal and well screened by existing trees. A Noise Assessment shows no impact on the canal or on Kings Bromley Marina residents. Land & Water are a wellestablished and respected company providing essential contracting services for the maintenance and beneficial development of the inland waterways, with a number of successfully completed projects in the Lichfield area, and this will be a most suitable site for their headquarters. Therefore, IWA was pleased to support this application.
Near Horninglow Basin in Burton-on-Trent, yet another retrospective application has been submitted for a gypsy and traveller site with 6 mobile homes, the fourth of six similar plots of land which had previously been given consent for detached houses, but only one of which has been built. Typically, the development has started despite the fact that none of the previous three applications have yet been determined. However, the sites are all quite well screened from the canal by the existing offside trees and bushes.
On the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal between Gailey and Four Ashes the massive warehouse development of the West Midlands Interchange is proceeding, with plans submitted to build the western part of the A5/A449 Link Road through the site. This includes a bridge over the canal close to the historic Gravelly Way Bridge 78 and the adjacent modern Four Ashes Bridge 78a. The new bridge will have a large span with 3m headroom, but an offside ‘shelf’ is a dead space liable to littering, graffiti and other anti-social uses. The wing walls will have brick cladding but the concrete internal abutments should also be brick clad. The Link Road runs close to the canal and there is an earth bund in between with tree planting to protect the canal’s Conservation Area and canal users from traffic noise and to help screen the very large warehouses. The bund is generally 6 metres high but only 4.5m adjacent to the roundabout which should be offset to the east to give a consistent bund height. However, there is insufficient width for the bund at the proposed angle of side slopes, and a retaining wall is now shown on the canal facing side of the bund, where it will be most intrusive. The wall should be moved to the road facing side. A grassland/pond area alongside the canal intrudes on the space for the bund with a 6m high retaining wall severely compromising the effectiveness of the bund and its screen planting. This is a major departure from the Authorised scheme and it should revert to a slope-sided bund with tree planting, as on the 2019 Examination sections. Also, the retaining wall cross section provides no details of its appearance or planting, and the cross sections through the bund should show the position of the canal.
By the Coventry Canal at Fradley, on part of the old airfield site east of Gorse Lane, additional information on an undetermined 2017 application for housing development still lacks sufficient detail on the large canalside balancing pond, which has already been
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excavated. Its drainage will be through an original culvert under the canal but there is still no information on its capacity or condition, and increased flows could trigger its collapse. The housing is to be set back from the canal but the canalside area landscaping scheme has not yet been provided. A new canalside path on the offside is proposed which will connect with the towpath at New Bridge 91 on Gorse Lane, and there should be funding for towpath improvements to cope with increased use. The proposed signalisation of this narrow hump-back bridge should include a pedestrian priority period. We have therefore objected pending more information on drainage, landscaping and access.
Meanwhile, a 2022 application for a further 500 houses north of Hay End Lane, which would have increased traffic on New Bridge on Gorse Lane, has been refused as contrary to the current Local Plan.
At Atherstone a very large housing site, as allocated in the Local Plan adopted in 2021, would envelop the Coventry Canal along ¾ miles of the Atherstone Lock flight from the railway bridge down to near Lock 10. We have now been consulted on an Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report and have said that the SocioEconomic section should include impacts on boaters and towpath users from this urbanisation of the attractive countryside, including impacts on Tourism. The Built Heritage and Landscape sections should consider impacts on the setting of the whole canal and not just Whittington Road Bridge and Locks 8 and 9 which are Listed Buildings. The draft Masterplan should be changed to mitigate these impacts by setting housing areas back behind a broad buffer zone along both sides of the canal forming a continuous corridor of public open space, parkland, woodland, wildflower meadows, sports fields, children’s play areas and informal recreation space. The towpath should be funded for surface improvements to withstand increased pedestrian and cycling use, with new access links and a new path along the offside of the canal to create circular walks.
Lock No 9
Atherstone
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Drayton Manor Business park Redevelopment with pond
On the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal at Fazeley the existing Drayton Manor Business Park is proposed for redevelopment with new buildings nearer the canal, although still some way back. The existing canalside vegetation is to be retained but we have asked that significant gaps between the offside trees should be filled with new planting. A noise report recognises boats in the adjacent Fazeley Mill Marina as ‘receptors’ and concludes there would be negligible noise impacts.
By the Lichfield Canal the long-running application for a Care Home alongside the restored section of canal at Tamworth Road has finally been approved. IWA, the Conservation Officer, and other objections to the ‘industrial’ appearance of the design were recorded and considered, and some reservations were expressed, but the committee report accepted the ‘distinctive’ design, subject to brickwork details, landscaping, and drainage details, etc.
All canals are potentially affected by the Government’s proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and other changes to the planning system, and I have submitted a response from IWA’s Planning Advisory Panel.
A major aim of the reforms is to increase the rate of house building by changes to the planning system including a mandatory housing need assessment method, and designation of parts of the Green Belt as ‘grey belt’ where development will be permitted.
Whilst canalside redevelopment of ‘brownfield’ sites in built-up areas is usually beneficial to the waterways, major built developments in the countryside that destroy the rural environment of waterways can damage their heritage setting, wildlife, tourism value and economic benefits. This is particularly so in Green Belt areas which are designated primarily to prevent urban sprawl, promote urban regeneration, and safeguard the countryside.
IWA’s response is critical of the Green Belt and the ‘grey belt’ proposals, and the general approach of blaming the local planning system for failures of the house building market. There are many other detailed changes that we comment on including ‘sustainable’ development, the control of major housebuilders over housing market
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supply, and ‘affordable’ housing. We also express concerns about the landscape impacts of increasingly large wind turbines being built onshore, and a preference for rooftop solar rather than large scale solar farms on agricultural land.
Some of the consultation questions have provided opportunities to promote better recognition by the planning system of the needs for residential boat moorings provision, the potential for water transfer by canals, reduced planning application fees for canal restoration charities, recognition of the tourism value of waterways, and new and updated canal Conservation Areas. We have also included a detailed response about waterways freight, as an appendix.
On HS2, I had a further letter from the Petition Manager in July confirming that the Crewe-Manchester Bill had been reintroduced in Parliament, that new members will be appointed to the Select Committee, and the Government is to review the situation. However, the future of HS2 and other rail projects are still said to be under review, with no decisions expected before the budget at the end of October.
Meanwhile, the Fix The Spine Report by a coalition of transport experts, urged government to prioritise delivery of a Stafford Bypass line using part of the planned and authorised Phase 2a route in order to avoid “Britain’s biggest bottleneck through Colwich Junction and Shugborough Tunnel”, and also to remove the Handsacre connection. At last, somebody talking sense ! Let’s hope the Government is listening.
This was followed by the Opportunity Through Connectivity report on a Midlands-North West Rail link replacement for the cancelled HS2 route, commissioned by the Greater Manchester and West Midlands Mayors. It considers three options.
A, upgrading existing infrastructure, would include a flyover at Colwich junction and Shugborough Tunnel widening.
B, a mix of upgrades and bypasses, would reinstate the HS2 route around Stafford from Fradley to Norton Bridge, but saving cost with a lower line speed, smaller loading gauge, and ballasted track.
C, an entirely new railway, would extend Option B to Crewe, with a later connection to Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and Manchester.
The report recommends C, funded partly with private capital, and urges the Government to reinstate safeguarding and retain the land bought for the Phase 2a route. The government has indicated that it is considering the report.
A lower maximum speed will ease the noise problem of the Trent & Mersey Canal crossing at Great Haywood Marina, and Concept B seems the least destructive, most effective, and most affordable way forward.
Phil Sharpe, Planning Officer & HS2 Lead
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Editorial Notice
Lichfield Lines is the newsletter of IWA Lichfield Branch, it is produced 4 times a year to keep members informed about our forthcoming public meetings, walks, work parties and other activities, to provide reports on recent meetings and events, and to include articles of general interest to our members.
The editor, Peter Gurney, welcomes articles, letters or photographs of waterway activities in our Branch area which can be emailed to pete.gurney@waterways.org.uk (Please note there is a 35MB limit for emails with attachments sent via this address). The copy date for the next newsletter will be 15th January 2025, for publication in February.
Advertising
Lichfield Lines is posted or emailed to about 320 Branch members. It can also be read and downloaded by anyone from the Branch website pages. If you would like to publicise your waterway related business to our members, and others that read the newsletter online, we can offer advertising space at the following rates:
Full Page - £20 inc VAT per issue
Half Page - £10 inc VAT per issue
Please contact the editor to discuss artwork and layout. By advertising you will help to sponsor IWA's charitable activities and reach potential customers who are all committed to the waterways.
The IWA has a range of corporate members some of whom offer discounts to members. The discount details can be found on the IWA website at https://waterways.org.uk/benefits
Corporate members in our area are
Lichfield Cruising Club 2000 Ltd
Stafford Boat Club Ltd
Longwood Boat Club
Ashby Canal Association
Truman Enterprise Narrowboat Trust Tamworth Cruising Club
Ashby Canal Trust
Lichfield & Hatherton Canals
Restoration Trust
Canal Transport Services Ltd
River Canal Rescue Ltd
Ash Tree Boat Club
Countywide Cruisers (Brewood) Ltd
Elite Furnishings
Waterways World Ltd
Birmingham & Midland Marine Services
Midland Chandlers Hargreaves Narrowboat Trust
Norton Canes Boat Services Ltd
Lakeland Leisure Estates Ltd
Stafford Riverway Link
Please mention the IWA when contacting any of these Corporate Members.
Your Committee
Chairman
Tel: 01283 713125
Lichfield Branch
Email: adrian.wedgwood@waterways.org.uk
Vice-Chairman
Tel: 07808 846434
Email: neil.barnett@waterways.org.uk
Treasurer
Tel: 01785 255101
Email: sue.gurney@waterways.org.uk
Secretary & Planning Officer
Tel: 01889 583330
Email: phil.sharpe@waterways.org.uk
Volunteer Coordinator & Membership
Tel: 07808 846434 or 07481259955
Email: neil.barnett@waterways.org.uk
Navigation Officer
Tel: 07847 470112
Email: derek.beardsmore@waterways.org.uk
Adrian Wedgwood
Neil Barnett
Sue Gurney
Phil Sharpe
Neil Barnett
Derek Beardsmore
Social Secretary Position vacant
Ex Officio: Region Chairman
also Branch Sales (non-committee post)
Tel : 01543 491161
Email: helen.whitehouse@waterways.org.uk
Non-committee posts
Newsletter and Website Editor
Tel: 01785 255101
Email: pete.gurney@waterways.org.uk
Walks Coordinator
Email: clive.walker@waterways.org.uk
Social Media Editor
Email: Richard.curtis@waterways.org.uk
Branch Contact Address
Email: lichfield@waterways.org.uk
Helen Whitehouse
Pete Gurney
Clive Walker
Richard Curtis
Lichfield Branch
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