News from Leicestershire

Social Gatherings:

Regrettably, Covid is still an issue, and we have not arranged any social events for what remains of 2021.

Memory Lane Wharf:

Still a work in progress. As reported in the last issue, Planning Permission was granted with a list of pre-commencement conditions which CRT are working through and hope to have discharged soon. The legal agreements have also been fairly protracted, but CRT say that they are making good progress and anticipate that they will be signed off around the time that the precommencement conditions are worked through. No definite timescale on this unfortunately, but the hope was that they would be on site by October. This does not appear to have been achieved, so we must hope that the project gets on site before too much longer, as the boaters’ facilities and services are badly needed in Leicester.

Birstall Lock

The Canal & River Trust have now completed the reconstruction of the lock landing below Birstall Lock, on the River Soar / Grand Union Leicester Line. The new hard edge has been designed to match the adjacent hard-edged visitor moorings, and comprises a stonework vertical face and in-situ concrete walkway. Heritage aficionados may have issues with the stonework perched on top of steel piling, but at least CRT have gone some way to fitting in with the existing wharf design. It could have been just ‘ARMCO’ piling, and a new stone wall down to the river bed would have been considerably more complicated and expensive. Boaters, and in particular single-handers, however, need to be aware that there are as yet no mooring bollards or rings, and no ‘ARMCO’ piling-top horizontal band for mooring hooks. It is not, therefore, possible to secure a boat whilst setting the lock, so until the planned installation of bollards is carried out, lock users will need to tie up at the visitor moorings instead.

Hoping everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

AS