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Daventry Canal Arm...... Its a Big No?


matty40s

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.......or is it?!!!

 

Wandering around Daventry yesterday, Kathy and I saw lots of people carrying placards like this.

 

2b70557b-f084-41ab-aa8d-81641284c3b9_zps

 

Accosting one of the protesters I asked what the objections were (a local vote was over 70% against) to this link that would bring boaters directly to the town, not just pass underneath the northern reach in Braunston Tunnel.

 

It seems that the objections are not to having the link - and boat lift.

 

 

It is that they want the town centre redevelopment plan put into place first. ie, cinema, knock down argos on the high street giving space to create a new mall with PROPER shops that attract people to the town..quote "ladies shops" This will extend down to near where the basin will be.

Otherwise, boaters will be coming in dribs and drabs to a town with umpteen charity shops and estate agents, and Aldi and a Waitrose.

Apparently there will be 8 residential berths, but quite limited moorings for visitor boats?? If they are having a boat lift, it will be a destination site, not an afterthought.

 

So, yes, I agree with them.

 

So, all swiftly move ahead to a public meeting on the 18th May.

Edited by matty40s
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I think the problem is that it is all very well developing the town center. But the rents and rates will all be sky high and big shops will not come in to the center. Selby is very much the same. Only one big shop in the town center. We do have a Sainsburys and a Wilkos and a hugely expensive clothing and furniture shop. But the rest comprises of charity shops, pawn shops and cafes. I'm not sure how the cafes survive but charity shops get preferential treatment and pawn shops make money hand over fist.

 

I am not against town center developement in any way. But I can see why large retail stores do not want to come to town centers. I suppose the district council see the developement of the canal the cheaper option. We used to have a massive market in Selby up until about 10 years ago. You couldn't move in the town on market day and during the bank holiday markets you were, quite literally, shoulder to shoulder with people. Selby is now a dead town. It has been priced out of the "market" by stupidly high rents and even more stupidly high business rates. Very few people go into Selby town to shop these days and the once massive market now comprises of around a dozen or so stalls even on bank holidays. York and Leeds are 12 miles away and all the "ladies shops" are there.

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When we chatted to the petition people in Daventry, they were very concerned that if the plans were granted, developers would quickly build the many new homes to make themselves lots of money, but then 'forget' all about any ammenity work for the town people. They fear that this 'forgotten' work will even include the canal link.

 

Rightly or wrongly, they genuinely believe the entire scheme is just a ruse to get planning permission on land where it has been previously with held, and not for the benefit of Daventry and it's people.

 

Rog

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.......or is it?!!!

 

Wandering around Daventry yesterday, Kathy and I saw lots of people carrying placards like this.

 

2b70557b-f084-41ab-aa8d-81641284c3b9_zps

 

Accosting one of the protesters I asked what the objections were (a local vote was over 70% against) to this link that would bring boaters directly to the town, not just pass underneath the northern reach in Braunston Tunnel.

 

It seems that the objections are not to having the link - and boat lift.

 

 

It is that they want the town centre redevelopment plan put into place first. ie, cinema, knock down argos on the high street giving space to create a new mall with PROPER shops that attract people to the town..quote "ladies shops" This will extend down to near where the basin will be.

Otherwise, boaters will be coming in dribs and drabs to a town with umpteen charity shops and estate agents, and Aldi and a Waitrose.

Apparently there will be 8 residential berths, but quite limited moorings for visitor boats?? If they are having a boat lift, it will be a destination site, not an afterthought.

 

So, yes, I agree with them.

 

So, all swiftly move ahead to a public meeting on the 18th May.

I guess that the canal developers of 200 or so years ago encountered similar local opposition, which in the majority of cases they overcame.

Unless I have misunderstood your post, you are siding with this opposition. That is somewhat surprising.

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I guess that the canal developers of 200 or so years ago encountered similar local opposition, which in the majority of cases they overcame.

Unless I have misunderstood your post, you are siding with this opposition. That is somewhat surprising.

Yes at the moment, and Dogless expands on the reasons.

The town needs dragging up from its dormitory second hand rubbishness first, then the visit along the canal will be worth doing more than once rather than as a tick off the box turn round excercise.

I also spoke to Nick from Aldgate who was walking by, he also came up with the point that its alright building it, but whose going to maintain it as CRT can't maintain what they have already. He sees it as shopping trolley central swimming pool.

 

seems there were a few boaters in Dav yesterday!!

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I agree with getting the town sorted first, if it needs it. There has to be a good reason to draw boaters in the first place.

 

Daventry's a nice little town (or it was when we lived just outside Weedon Bec back in the 90's/2000's) and looking at the fotie, it's good to see that the newsagents at the bottom of Sheaf Street is still going smile.png

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How refreshing to read of such boundless optimism. How about "the canal will bring visitors to the town, resulting in greatly increased trade for local businesses"?

I'm not saying it won't, but how about making the town worth visiting more than once.

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How refreshing to read of such boundless optimism. How about "the canal will bring visitors to the town, resulting in greatly increased trade for local businesses"?

I think you need local businesses worth visiting first though, when I've been to Daventry it is normally to go to Tesco or Waitrose. The only other business we found worth supporting in the town was the Air Ambulance coffee shop.

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I'm not saying it won't, but how about making the town worth visiting more than once.

How many canal dead-ends are visited more than once by most boaters, at least more than once in a blue moon? We're very fond of the Ashby but we have gone as far as Snarestone only twice or three times in nigh on 20 years.

Edited by Athy
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Does every town really need "redevelopment"? It might be good for business but the trouble is we end up with lots of soulless clone towns across the country. I'm in favour of towns retaining something of their local character if possible, even if this means that for some people the town looks a bit drab. To me a drab town is more interesting than a soulless clone town.

Edited by Claude
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.......or is it?!!!

 

Wandering around Daventry yesterday, Kathy and I saw lots of people carrying placards like this.

 

2b70557b-f084-41ab-aa8d-81641284c3b9_zps

 

Accosting one of the protesters I asked what the objections were...

 

Perhaps they just hate boaters! tongue.png

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I have every sympathy with the townspeople. They feel the canal 'dream' is just a cover and will never happen. The vast numbers of homes will be built making the developers huge profits, which will then be taken away from the town leaving them swamped.

 

I also believe that very, very few businesses survive on canal trade only. The minimal number of boaters who would visit Daventry will make no significant difference to profitability. It's the people who's home it is that should be listened to.

 

By the way, the Air Ambulance cafe shut down, although the charity shop remains.

 

Rog

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It's your "boundless optimism" I find hard to believe Mr Athy. As if a few boaters and canal enthusiasts are going to change the fortunes of "dead" towns like Daventry, Selby and others.

 

How refreshing to read of such boundless optimism. How about "the canal will bring visitors to the town, resulting in greatly increased trade for local businesses"?

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Does every town really need "redevelopment"? It might be good for business but the trouble is we end up with lots of soulless clone towns across the country. I'm in favour of towns retaining something of their local character if possible, even if this means that for some people the town looks a bit drab. To me a drab town is more interesting than a soulless clone town.

Have you been to Daventry?

 

I agree that is is no good redeveloping to make it just like everywhere else but Daventry needs some help what is there already is run down and dull.

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An ex working colleague, who lived in Daventry, used to refer to it as the "Mud Hut" on the left of the M1 going north.

 

I used to do BT planning work in and around Daventry in the 1980's, I felt it was all rather sad and the town centre had missed out on investment even then. What it is like now I know not, so I feel unable to make any further comment.

Edited by Ray T
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How many canal dead-ends are visited more than once by most boaters, at least more than once in a blue moon? We're very fond of the Ashby but we have gone as far as Snarestone only twice or three times in nigh on 20 years.

I once went to the canal basin at Slough, that was one too many times......smile.png

Edited by Theo
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I once went to the canal basin at Slough, that was one to many times......smile.png

Surely you aren't suggesting that Daventry is as dismal as Slug?

It's your "boundless optimism" I find hard to believe Mr Athy.

Yes, it's a good thing that you don't work for Daventry's forward planning department.

 

 

 

Do you?

 

We have been to Dav. a few times. Those redbrick middle Midlands towns, such as Hinckley, do tend to lack excitement, but writing them off as a commercial and touristic dead duck is pessimistic in the extreme.

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Daventry used to be my local town back in the 80's we used to go to Banbury instead......

Now, if you'd said "We used to go to Slough instead" your point would have carried real weight.

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I once went to the canal basin at Slough, that was one to many times......smile.png

I'm interested in where you found this Slough canal basin. Last time I went there, there was just a dead end - no basin, no nothing.

 

But, of course, there is a plan to connect up with the Thames . . .

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I remember that, a few years ago, one of the usually impartial boatimags ran an article about the Slug arm which they headed "Sid Bloggs [or whatever the writer was called) navigates the Slough Arm and wonders why he bothered".

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I'm interested in where you found this Slough canal basin. Last time I went there, there was just a dead end - no basin, no nothing.

 

But, of course, there is a plan to connect up with the Thames . . .

Memory tells me it was bigger than this but it was 25years ago

 

https://goo.gl/maps/fucK1RHHiyQ2

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