Funding worth £250,000 has been secured for the next phase of work to restore a stretch of the Lichfield Canal.
The Biffa Award money will cover the second phase of restoration of the canal channel from Darnford Lane to the lift-bridge.
Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust (LHCRT) had previously secured other grants to carry out phase one of the scheme, but the new funding will allow further work to take place to return the canal route to water as well as improve habitats such as hedgerow corridors.
Carole Mills, chair of LHCRT, said:
“This is excellent news for the trust and our volunteers.
“The grant from Biffa Award will have a huge impact towards getting another 250 metres of canal into water, creating a vital space for wildlife and community enjoyment of the natural environment.
“As a volunteer-led charity with minimal regular income, funding like this is vital for us to achieve our aim of restoring the canal and create a green and blue corridor for the benefit of the community and then, ultimately, make the Lichfield Canal available for navigation.”
Carole Mills, Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust
It is hoped the latest funding will help put the stretch of the canal in water by the end of the year.
Rachel Maidment, Biffa Award grants manager, said:
“We are extremely privileged to be able to support the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust’s project to restore the canal channel from Darnford Lane to the lift-bridge.
“We can’t wait to see the impact bringing the canal back to the city has, improving its environmental, economic and social impact, benefitting wildlife and the local community.”
Rachel Maidment
Is there somewhere which can be used to reference the plan for the canal?
Fosseway section hasn’t seen any real change for 3 years? Surely to work in sections and expand like this is more logical? Rather than dig up large sections on land and leave for years on end (I.e Falkland Rd).
Jon, in the time it took you to type that comment you could have put “Lichfield canal” in Google and found the website for the restoration project https://www.lhcrt.org.uk/
Jon when the canal was abandoned in the 195s people laid claim to sections of it whether legally or not. For example where it crosses fosseway lane it appears to go through a garden yard
I’m just glad this eyesore mud and mess making money pit is taking donations from the private sector. If I see tax payers money used on this retirees of Lichfield vanity project it really gets on my nerves. They never finish any sections and make silly statements / excuses as to who owns parts of the land the old canal used. You might have thought they’d check out access and ownership of the route before they started this nonsense all those years ago. We all know it will never be finished. Lichfield hasn’t had a canal since the 1950’s. In that time it’s survived perfectly well without one. At this rate it’ll be the 2050’s before we see a canal here again. Shame these baby boomers didn’t put their time and effort towards giving Lichfield an amenity it actually needs…..like something for the youth of the city to benefit from.
Alica the youth could help dig instead of vandalism they seem to prefer
Interesting to see how many thumbs-down comments anything critical of the LHCT acquire, it’s almost as if when not digging holes like demented rabbits they’re glued to LL. The simple fact as, as Alice so eloquently puts it’s a vanity project. The only people that want this is LHCT. To everyone else at best it’s a nuisance.
Anyone that feels strongly about LHCT and the way they operate should register to voice their concerns at their AGM. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/annual-general-meeting-of-lhcrt-tickets-618385486637. As you will see from the link the group are of a certain demographic, I’m sure they would welcome some equality and diversity to the mix to freshen things up.
@Trevor. Or the majority of people in Lichfield support the scheme to provide an attractive wildlife corridor, attract tourism and to regenerate. If you follow some people on here you would close the whole of the Northern BCN. For something with so little support it is surprising how many people use the existing Coventry Canal. I fear Fabbos support tarnishes a worthwhile effort by association. Phase 1 should be done by 2025 to Darnford Lane. Phase 2 then need bridges at Darnford lane, A38 tunnel, Tamworth Road and Cricket Lane to join the dots as far as the Cross City. Then you have a canal in walking distance of the city centre and a critical mass. I doubt the trust members are responsible for the down thumbs as they are working on restoring the canal on Sundays.
It’s difficult to convince the general public that this entire project is anything more than old men having fun with diggers. Living canals are a tremendous social asset. The Regent canal in London is an example of this, but the restoration wasn’t started from scratch.This is a very brave enterprise.
Thanks for sharing the link Trevor.
When looking at the picture I can’t help but think the question they are all raising their hands in favour of was…’Who votes to make a big muddy mess and never complete one section fully?’ Looks like it got resounding support!
Also, why is Lichfield Canal Trust holding its AGM in Brownhills? Not exactly making it easy for everyone from Lichfield to attend.
This group of self approving do gooders are just using this whole project for their own vanity and as a bit of a ‘social’.
What a waste of time. What a mess!
@Trevor.. no chance, it’s far easier behind a screen for these people.
Alica, the members are available most days for a chat. If you follow their progress as closely as your posts suggest, you’ll no doubt have seen them whilst they work voluntarily. Maybe pop down and share your thoughts?
Err the AGM is in Brownhills because err that is where Lichfield goes to join the BCN. I imagine the Trust wants to generate support at that end as well. Do people think this is a project to have a terminus canal to Lichfield terminating at Fosseway?
@London money it is not starting from scratch, the canal closed in 1954. Locks, bridges and earthworks exist for example Walsall Road toward Muckley passed the pumping station. Some locks are buried but intact otherwise.
@Alicia Whilst I can understand your frustration you seem to give the impression that public money is going into this project, it isn’t, it’s a charity run on donations and grants, which if not going to a project like this would go to a similar pro somewhere else in the country, they wouldn’t go to other local projects, which is I think what you’re getting at. You’re comments are the worst kind of whataboutery that is very prevalent in Lichfield
I’m also a bit at a loss as to where all this mess is. Sure sections have been seemingly been left unfinished, but you know why that is? It’s a lack of money and having to wait for grants from organisations and donations to get more work done. I don’t exactly see how this impacts you at all as most of the land used that the canal will go over is unused lend owned by the council, otherwise the project would have been dead from the start.
I’m not involved in the canal restoration, but is it really hurting anyone?
RFW what data have you got to substantiate your claim to mass support of the hole in the ground project? Anyone I speak to find the whole concept laughable, and if they were in support being privately funded you would soon generate the capital you need. As for a vision of the future, you might as well draw cartoons of us all wearing tinfoil suits using flying cars, rather like the bull they used to spout on Tomorrows World back in the ’70’s
How will it pass the Fosseway ? The residents of Canal Cottage have no intention of gifting the land and the locks to the trust ? and the trust won’t part with the current value of the said land/locks ?
@Matthew public money has been given to the Canal Trust. Last year LDC gave £260,000 to them.
https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/2022/02/18/lichfield-canal-restoration-project-praised-for-bringing-far-reaching-benefits-to-the-area/
They have also been given EU funding which is again public funding.
@Revs33 You are misrepresenting what I’ve said. I didn’t say that no public money hasn’t been put towards the project, just that if not showing on this environmental project it would have gone on another. The grants are money the council got for projects just like this!!! If LDC hadn’t awarded it for this project it would probably have gone on another you don’t like!!! People can say money put forward for these types of projects should be didn’t elsewhere, that’s fine, but don’t think that if not spent on this it would be spent fixing roads or on the NHS, or schools, it wouldn’t. That’s my point which seems to have gone completely over your head.