New Freight Traffic on the Aire and Calder ( Stanley Ferry Sand Quarry )

[swat]

The company behind this scheme is Wakefield Sand and Gravel Ltd, owned by Newlay Concrete of Ravensthorpe near Dewsbury, who claim they are to build several new 

barges, (possibly electric powered ones) to ship the cargo to their depot at Ravensthorpe using the Calder and Hebble Navigation. I doubt that, as the last commercial

traffic to use it ceased in 1981. The amount of dredging needing to be done is mind boggling. Back in 2020 a  well known barge operator secured a contract to deliver North Sea sand from Hull to Leeds but failed to reach his destination because the CRT hadn't bothered to dredge. The CRT should be reminded that these waterways are

still commercial waterways, and should be managed as such. If this new sand quarry gets underway it will most certainly go by barge to Leeds and then by road to 

Ravensthorpe and elsewhere. If those men who built our waterways, the engineers and surveyors, could see the progress that never happened they'd throw up.

 

 

 

[fanshaft]

On 06/04/2022 at 20:28, swat said:

The company behind this scheme is Wakefield Sand and Gravel Ltd, owned by Newlay Concrete of Ravensthorpe near Dewsbury, who claim they are to build several new 

barges, (possibly electric powered ones) to ship the cargo to their depot at Ravensthorpe using the Calder and Hebble Navigation. I doubt that, as the last commercial

traffic to use it ceased in 1981. The amount of dredging needing to be done is mind boggling. Back in 2020 a  well known barge operator secured a contract to deliver North Sea sand from Hull to Leeds but failed to reach his destination because the CRT hadn't bothered to dredge. The CRT should be reminded that these waterways are

still commercial waterways, and should be managed as such. If this new sand quarry gets underway it will most certainly go by barge to Leeds and then by road to 

Ravensthorpe and elsewhere. If those men who built our waterways, the engineers and surveyors, could see the progress that never happened they'd throw up.

 

 

 

CBOA has been involved with project from inception - I don't think I'd be breaking any confidences if I share some further information.  The initial project was to open a quarry on the Calder & Hebble and move all or most of the material to Ravensthorpe by barge.  New 80 tonne craft have been costed, based on the design used until 1981, with a potential for electric propulsion.  However the Trans-Pennine rail upgrade threatens the site at Ravensthorpe so that project is on hold for now. The second site is at Birkwood (Stanley Ferry). The plan is to barge material from there to a distribution hub. Various sites are being examined but no decision has been made yet.  There has been no suggestion that any of the material will go Ravensthorpe by road to my knowledge although it was one of the options initially examined for the water option. 

In terms of dredging BW (and now the Trust) was/is legally obliged under 1968 Transport Act to maintain the Commercial waterways for commercial traffic (although, apparently, not for leisure traffic) to a certain standard but BW came to an agreement with DfT that if there was no freight traffic a lower standard would be adopted suitable for leisure use, with the proviso that if freight movements were required the waterway would have to be brought back to the 68 Act standard.  Should the project to run to Ravensthorpe become a reality then the dredging group (of which I am a member) will request a survey and get the dredging organised.  I am not sure that the amount of dredging needed for the relatively short distance is any greater than that done on other larger waterways (the Trust spends around £8 million a year on dredging) and some of the high spots on the C&H were done recently albeit to a slightly lesser depth.  As far as the A&CN is concerned it is simply not true to say CRT 'had not bothered to dredge'.  Plough dredging was carried out (mainly below Lemonroyd) to supplement the very large scale dredging that had been done a couple, of years previously when the traffic had been expected to start. The contractor, a very experienced barge operator, said 2.3 metres draft would be possible but as stated the first barge did get stuck, possibly because of further silting between ploughing and the traffic starting.  This section will need checking and dredging (if needs be) after the planned dredging at Knottingley/Ferrybridge is completed and that is the plan. 

[Chris Lowe]

Better make sure they don't disturb the fish, it'll upset the worm drowners.