History of Restoration - Planning Policy

[magpie patrick]

I'm currently pulling together some notes on the history of canal restoration for leisure purposes (to remove things like the Thames and Severn in the 1930s and the even earlier Bradford Canal!) and a professional query threw me a curved ball. The query came from the Somersetshire Coal Canal Society and was "how long as our canal had protection under policy H3 of the local plan" - Policy H3 protects the line of the canal as an archaeological relic and has been in place "as long as I can remember" so probably at least since 2006, but I realised I had no idea how I'd check - once upon a time paper copies of old local plans could be found in the library, but paper copies are a thing of the past.  

 

The reason for the request was practical - it would be helpful in public debate to say how long the protection had been in force, but it set me thinking - when the history of canal restoration is written planning policy will be a significant part of that history, just as the original acts and other consents are now to the original canal building. When did restoration become a planning policy "thing"? I first worked on such a policy in 1996, to protect a route for the Derby Canal across Pride Park - but in my wide eyed innocence back then it never occurred to me that such a thing might be innovative, or that it might not be. 

 

Does anyone else have any knowledge of the history of planning policy on canal restoration?

 

Ta very much for any contributions!

[Heartland]

" but paper copies are a thing of the past"

 

Yes looking at these often requires an archives card or a visit to the antique map dealer.

 

Yet looking at the maps, that was often what was planned, but as the canal or river navigation was made, routes might change according to a number of factors.

 

Yet coming to the task of restoration there is also the element of change as the restoration proceeds.

 

With the Somerset Coal Canal there is the tramway, should elements be relaid, after all that was an early public railway.

 

Another aspect was the challenge to restoration. Take for example the Derby Canal and the attempts to stop it being abandoned.

 

Now the Derby Canal involves extensive engineering as reconstruction proceeds.

  

 

Edited July 11, 2024 by Heartland

[Ogwr]

I would guess perusal of the Manchester City Council records from the filling in of the locks above Dales Street to the reopening would be a good case study,, the closing of the lower Peak Forest  with problems on the Marple Aqueduct.  the records of the IWA and PFCS on the restoration of the Ashton and Peak Forest,  The route of the Welshpool bypass inquiry and the subsequent  preserving of  the line of the Momty, ,  

[magpie patrick]

On 21/07/2024 at 08:49, Ogwr said:

I would guess perusal of the Manchester City Council records from the filling in of the locks above Dales Street to the reopening would be a good case study,, the closing of the lower Peak Forest  with problems on the Marple Aqueduct.  the records of the IWA and PFCS on the restoration of the Ashton and Peak Forest,  The route of the Welshpool bypass inquiry and the subsequent  preserving of  the line of the Momty, ,  

 

Thank you, That's an angle I hadn't yet got to - the role of the planning system in the waterways that have been restored (or in some cases destroyed!)  The Welshpool bypass is a particularly interesting one as the intervention meant the canal is reconnected across Welshpool which was not possible before the bypass. There are several instances of canals being protected or getting "gain" from infrastructure schemes. 

[Pluto]

It is easy to forget canals which did not require restoring, and how they were protected, or not. For instance, on the L&LC Johnsons Hillock locks were listed fairly early on, and when BW removed some of the old paddle gear, they were forced to replace it, the replacements coming from the Blackburn flight which was not listed.

 

There were also the development programmes based around the canal, such as that through East Lancashire, originally started in the 1980s, with further schemes promoted later. The 'Put Leeds on Aire' project was another, dating from the 1970s, with further schemes following on from that.

 

And then there is the whole Liverpool extension to Albert Dock…

[CourtAboveTheCut]

Tonight we celebrate #VolunteersWeek by seeing the amazing power the volunteers had in 1969 on the MWRT where the original WRG/Inland Waterways Association volunteers and Shropshire Union Canal Society helped restore the canal through Welshpool

 

 

[David Mack]

Back in the day some local authorities were much more sympathetic to canal restoration than others. This occasionally brought forth bonuses.

Under the 1974 local government reorganisation, the Borough of Warley (very interested in its canals) was due to be merged with the Borough of West Bromwich (less so) to form the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell. Under the merger most of the new chief officer posts went to West Bromwich folk, and there was a fear the canals might lose out. But somehow, late in the day, the Warley Chief Engineer (who was due to retire anyway) found a stash of money and committed the Borough to spending it on dredging the hen very silted Dudley No. 2 from Windmill End to Gosty Hill Tunnel (the remainder to Coombswood being outside the borough), and also to supporting the BCNS-led improvement of Oldbury Locks on the Titford Canal.

Similarly, in 1986, when the Greater Manchester Council was being wound up, they committed £6million (iirc) to the restoration of the western half of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, to be administered by Tameside.

[Chris Lowe]

The Borough of Waverley seem to be pretty sympathetic to the Wey & Arun canal restoration.