Swansea Canal is now a few yards longer...

[magpie patrick]

I first saw the Swansea Canal about fifty years ago, sometime after  a short section had been filled in for a council Depot in Clydach. The first picture about ten years ago of my then car parked in the by-now-closed depot.

 

 

On Friday last (6th) the scene looked like this....

 

 

And then shortley afterwards the local MP cut the tape which lifted the stop plank which let the water in...

 

 

Until a little while later the new bit looked like this...

 

This is phase one, it's only half width as the pipe carrying water for the Mond is under the other half, the plan is that water will be diverted via this new bit allowing the pipe to be removed and the canal widened - and when that happens the lock, buried under the site, can be dug out and restored...

 

To wrap it all up there was cake... 

 

[magpie patrick]

Report on the event from the Swansea canal Society's webpage

 

https://www.swanseacanalsociety.com/clydach-lock-phase-one-opening-ceremony-6th-october-2023/?fbclid=IwAR0nKrJZw5gH2959DBm6ko-Gmti6CGt8uhGoBYM-8IMojGhTsVSLuAHvyqE

 

 

[Chris Lowe]

Can this canal be restored Patrick, an awful lot has disappeared under development?

[magpie patrick]

2 hours ago, buccaneer66 said:

Can this canal be restored Patrick, an awful lot has disappeared under development?

 Not the whole canal no - south from Clydach it has gone almost without trace

 

From Clydach (Hebron Road) to Pac Coed-Gwylim is around a mile and a hale with two locks, the only serious obstacle is the depot site on which (as you can see) progress is being made. The plan is to restore the two locks and run a trip boat. There is already canoe hire at Parc Coed Gwylim. All this is within the city of Swansea. 

 

Just north of the Parc the canal enters Neath Port Talbot - two more locks at Trebanos and about half a mile brings you to the edge of playing fields at Pontardawe, this is the next objective and once achieved it would be easy to extend along the sides of the playing fields towards Pontardawe centre. 

 

The canal is badly obstructed in Pontardawe - highway embankment of top of a lock, two low bridges, but then another two miles and two locks relatively unobstructed. 

 

The driver at the moment is that Swansea City Council are very keen so works within Swansea are progressing well. 

 

My role, BTW - I did the feasibility work that got the funding and then did the planning applications. 

 

 

[Chris Lowe]

Is it possiblr to divert at Clydach and lock into the river Tawe?

[magpie patrick]

4 hours ago, buccaneer66 said:

Is it possiblr to divert at Clydach and lock into the river Tawe?

 There are plans to build a canal on a new route - they're included in the local plan. It would join the Tawe just upstream of the Liberty Stadium at Morfa

[Chris Lowe]

Lets hope it all happens