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Canal charity submits planning application for Toddbrook Reservoir repairs


Ray T

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PRESS RELEASE

 

21st October 2021

 

RESTORING TODDBROOK RESERVOIR – CANAL CHARITY SUBMITS PLANNING APPLICATION FOR MAJOR REPAIR

 

The restoration of Toddbrook Reservoir in Whaley Bridge takes a major step forward this month with submission of a planning application for its permanent repair by the Canal & River Trust charity.

 

The Trust, which cares for the reservoir and 2,000 miles of waterways across England and Wales, has applied to High Peak Borough Council for permission to replace the 1970s-built spillway, damaged following torrential rain in summer 2019, with a new overflow structure to the north of the dam which will funnel away excess water when the reservoir is full.

 

The application for the new structure includes building a new overflow side channel weir, ‘tumble bay’, spillway channel and stilling basin which links to the existing bypass channel before flowing into the River Goyt in the town’s Memorial Park.

 

The planning application also includes a proposal to replace the current sailing club facilities, which will be impacted by the new spillway. Plans feature a new clubhouse, boat storage, slipway and car park, located on a site behind the proposed tumble bay.

 

The repair project is estimated to cost in the region of £12 million - £16 million. Subject to planning permission, work is due to start in spring 2022 and is expected to take about two years to complete, with the reservoir re-opening to the public in summer 2024.

 

Feedback from two public consultations influenced several design features to reduce the visual impact of the new concrete structures. These include the addition of natural stone cladding to most exterior side walls above ground level and ensuring wall heights are kept as low as possible. There was also a public wish to see water constantly flowing down the spillway channel instead of it being predominantly dry and this has been achieved by connecting the top of the tumble bay into the existing reservoir bypass channel.

 

The 1970s overflow spillway overlooking the park, which was damaged in summer 2019, will be de-commissioned, the concrete panels removed and the dam slope grassed over. The original 1840s spillway, near the existing sailing club, will also be removed and some of the stone reclaimed and re-used as cladding on the exterior walls of the new structures.

 

Daniel Greenhalgh, Canal & River Trust North West director, said: “We are very grateful to everyone who has given feedback or attended our public consultations in September 2020 and June this year. We have also had extensive discussions with local residents, particularly those nearest the site, and have tried to adapt our plans and designs to cause the least disruption and inconvenience.

 

“We recognise the repair work will cause disruption for some residents, particularly those living nearby, and we will do our very best to mitigate noise and inconvenience as far as we are able. We thank everyone for their patience and support over the last two years. Plans for the permanent repair design have been guided by modern engineering best practice and shaped by local feedback. Public safety is our top priority.

 

“Restoring Toddbrook is vital to ensure the long term viability of the Peak Forest and Macclesfield canals. We look forward to completing this challenging engineering project so we can again rely on its essential water supply and for the beautiful reservoir to be re-instated for the benefit of everyone in Whaley Bridge.”

 

The Trust has been working closely with engineering and consultancy firm Arup to prepare the detailed plans after carrying out extensive technical investigations and design work. The construction project will be delivered by the Trust’s main contractor Kier.

 

Temporary site compound in the Memorial Park

 

In order to carry out the essential repairs, the Trust will set up a temporary site compound at the northern end of the Memorial Park, next to the dam. Following feedback from local residents, a footpath will be retained across the park, connecting Wharf Road along the river to the Memorial Park Bridge, providing a viewing point for the construction site.

 

During the works the playground will unfortunately have to be removed but will be replaced with temporary alternative play equipment at the top of the dam next to Whaley Bridge Athletic Football Club. A new playground, similar to the existing one, will be rebuilt at the same location in the Memorial Park at the end of the project in 2024. The park will be re-landscaped, with extra footpaths and a new footbridge over the bypass channel.

 

Access for construction vehicles into the site compound will be along Reservoir Road. There will be no temporary traffic lights at weekends or evenings and the Trust will arrange for weekday construction traffic to be managed by having staff on duty with ‘stop’ and ‘go’ signs and radios to provide a more personal and interactive traffic management service.

 

A number of trees will need to be felled to make way for the construction of the new spillway but the Trust has worked closely with the council to discuss replacement planting and habitat creation, which is predicted to achieve a net biodiversity gain of more than 10%.

 

Toddbrook Reservoir, which supplies water to the Peak Forest and Macclesfield canals, has been out of action and almost empty of water since the spillway was damaged after excessive rainfall in July 2019. Last summer, ahead of the permanent repair, the Trust and its contractors Kier carried out works to make safe the damaged spillway and add a protective waterproof nib to the dam crest.

 

The major construction project on the dam will be followed by works to the inlet cascade, at the far end of the reservoir, to increase its resilience to high flows from the Todd Brook stream. High volume pumps will remain in the reservoir to manage water levels until the end of the restoration project.

 

The planning application will be available for view on the High Peak Borough Council website, once uploaded: http://planning.highpeak.gov.uk/portal/servlets/ApplicationSearchServlet

 

For more information about restoring Toddbrook Reservoir, please go to the Canal & River Trust website: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/restoring-toddbrook-reservoir  

 

ENDS

 

 

 

For further media requests please contact:

Lynn Pegler

m 07783 686246 e lynn.pegler@canalrivertrust.org.uk

  • Greenie 1
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22 minutes ago, buccaneer66 said:

As it's an existing structure why on earth do they need planning permission to repair it.

 

19 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

I'm guessing you haven't looked at the planned works.  It's a major building project not a bodge repair.

 

Perhaps High Peak Council will object to the use of tonnes of environmentally-distinctly-unfriendly concrete?

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59 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

 

Perhaps High Peak Council will object to the use of tonnes of environmentally-distinctly-unfriendly concrete?

High Peak Council will have been involved in the design developmen and in pre-application consultation, so therewill be no surprises for them. It is in their interest as much as CRT's to get an acceptable solution delivered as soon as reasonablyu possible to minimise both the short term disruption and long term risks to local residents.

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  • 1 year later...

It seems Keir has completed part of the work at Toddbrook

Kier has now installed 422 piles to create the new side channel weir and “tumble bay” at the top of the dam, which completes the tumble bay section of the sheet piling work.

The £15M project to repair the dam involves the construction of a new 220m long spillway off the north side of the dam.

Work is expected to be completed in 2024 when the reservoir will reopen, it is stated

 

New Side Weir Toddbrook Reservoir.jpg

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32 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

I do wonder if keeping the employee on site in his cottage would have been a more effective solution instead of sacking him and selling off the  property for very little.

They would have had someone to blame, because he couldn't stop what happened. They would have been no more aware of the state of it had he have been there than they already were 

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Just now, ditchcrawler said:

They would have had someone to blame, because he couldn't stop what happened. They would have been no more aware of the state of it had he have been there than they already were 

Not true. He had maintained a safe level in the reservoir for years and never allowed it to overtop, by operating the bypass sluice, which is what preceded the failure.

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1 hour ago, Tracy D'arth said:

I do wonder if keeping the employee on site in his cottage would have been a more effective solution instead of sacking him and selling off the  property for very little.

 

Cottage? 

 

It looks more like a 1930s six bedroom, four reception mansion to me. 

 

What did it sell for? Down here around Reading it would be about £1.5m. 

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

In Whaley Bridge? Less than half that grossly inflated figure...

 

 

 

Calm done it was only a guess. 

 

It might only make £1.4m on a bad day in the auction. 

 

 

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14 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

I do wonder if keeping the employee on site in his cottage would have been a more effective solution instead of sacking him and selling off the  property for very little.

But he wasn't the only employee who was let go, and that wasn't the only property sold.

The combined saving in wages and money raised by selling off houses might more than cover the cost of occasional failures of infrastructure.

 

With the use of remote monitoring equipment and mobile staff there should be no need for staff to live on site. And yes I accept CRT probably tried to save to much money by not spending enough on remote monitoring equipment and mobile staff to react to problems.

 

  • Greenie 1
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Thats the way the world has changed, when I was a kid the local bus company use to come round with a converted double decker bus cutting back all the overhanging trees so they catch the busses as they passed. The GPO use to cut the trees where they may have rubbed the telephone wires, now BT cables are inplaces supported by trees because the wire lashing has fallen off the post. It cheaper to wait until it breaks and then fix it in lots of cases.

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On 05/05/2023 at 13:41, Heartland said:

It seems Keir has completed part of the work at Toddbrook

Kier has now installed 422 piles to create the new side channel weir and “tumble bay” at the top of the dam, which completes the tumble bay section of the sheet piling work.

The £15M project to repair the dam involves the construction of a new 220m long spillway off the north side of the dam.

Work is expected to be completed in 2024 when the reservoir will reopen, it is stated

 

New Side Weir Toddbrook Reservoir.jpg

According to this https://narrowboatworld.com/14346-toddbrook-costs-soar-to-37-6-millions?highlight=WyJ0b2RkYnJvb2siXQ== the cost has risen to £37 million.

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10 minutes ago, Orwellian said:

That's because they've got to cater for yacht owners as well as tin can sailors. The former have a bit more clout than the latter.

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On 06/05/2023 at 15:33, ditchcrawler said:

Thats the way the world has changed, when I was a kid the local bus company use to come round with a converted double decker bus cutting back all the overhanging trees so they catch the busses as they passed. The GPO use to cut the trees where they may have rubbed the telephone wires, now BT cables are inplaces supported by trees because the wire lashing has fallen off the post. It cheaper to wait until it breaks and then fix it in lots of cases.

 

In BT's case they will soon move over to VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) so it doesn't make sense to maintain equipment which will soon be obsolete. Cheaper to fix the odd failure.

 

When I worked for them I once shared an office with the team responsible for telegraph poles in that area. They had a register of landowners and would call them if the tress were threatening the integrity of the overhead lines. They gave them 30 days to cut back the overgrowth and if it was not done arranged for a contractor to cut them back and charge the exorbitant cost back top the landowner. Very few landowners allowed that to happen twice.

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2 minutes ago, cuthound said:

 

In BT's case they will soon move over to VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) so it doesn't make sense to maintain equipment which will soon be obsolete. Cheaper to fix the odd failure.

 

When I worked for them I once shared an office with the team responsible for telegraph poles in that area. They had a register of landowners and would call them if the tress were threatening the integrity of the overhead lines. They gave them 30 days to cut back the overgrowth and if it was not done arranged for a contractor to cut them back and charge the exorbitant cost back top the landowner. Very few landowners allowed that to happen twice.

And how are they doing to get the internet to all homes, our mobile coverage is rubbish, I cant have a smart meter or decent mobile phone reception.

 

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1 minute ago, ditchcrawler said:

And how are they doing to get the internet to all homes, our mobile coverage is rubbish, I cant have a smart meter or decent mobile phone reception.

 

 

Presumably by running fibre over the old telegraph poles or running it in underground ducts, either to local distribution boxes or directly to the premises.

 

It was supposed to have been done by 2015 when I left and is apparently on track for 2025 completion now.

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1 minute ago, cuthound said:

 

Presumably by running fibre over the old telegraph poles or running it in underground ducts, either to local distribution boxes or directly to the premises.

 

It was supposed to have been done by 2015 when I left and is apparently on track for 2025 completion now.

And the fibre is holding up more branches than the cables, they run them about a foot above the wire and attach it to the pole with curly tail wire. So they still have the same problem, I don't know how easy it is to repair a fibre optic when it breaks

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21 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

And the fibre is holding up more branches than the cables, they run them about a foot above the wire and attach it to the pole with curly tail wire. So they still have the same problem, I don't know how easy it is to repair a fibre optic when it breaks

Out of touch now, left BT in 2009.

For trunk and Junction cables which were installed in 2km lengths the whole 2km had to be replaced if one section was damaged.

I assume that if a fibre drop wire is damaged only the drop wire will need replacing. If it is a pole smash or a DSLAM, pronounced DEE-slam, (Digital subscriber line access multiplexer) is wrecked a lot more expensive.

 

Digital subscriber line access multiplexer - Wikipedia

 

Edited by Ray T
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22 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

And how are they doing to get the internet to all homes, our mobile coverage is rubbish, I cant have a smart meter or decent mobile phone reception.

 

They won't. Simple as that. The Law of Worsening Improvement.

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