Funding to be used for Fradley canal improvements

A DECISION has been made to award more than £40,000 of a housing developer’s money for canal improvements and repairs.

Lichfield District Council has agreed that the Section 106 funding, which was secured in 2013 for 750 houses at Fradley Park, will be used to support work along a stretch of the Coventry Canal in Fradley.

It is now planned that the canal towpath improvement and works to repair the embankment between Fradley Junction and the New Bridge on Gorse Lane be paid for with the money.

Currently the council has £40,248 – which forms two instalments – which will all be used on the project.

Time limits mean the money can expire and be subject to clawback from the developer if it is not spent, hence the council’s decision to award all the money now to the project while waiting for the third instalment.

The total cost of the work is estimated to be £64,896, which means 80% of the project will be covered. The final instalment of £24,648 will be subject to a separate decision.

The decision notice said:

“In February 2025, the Canal and River Trust were approached about potential projects that would require or benefit from Section 106 grant funding. 

“They informed of works that were required to repair the canal embankment along the stretch of the Coventry Canal near Fradley Junction. It was considered that this project would satisfy the requirements of the Section 106 agreement.

“The total cost of the canal improvement work is estimated to be around £60,000 which would mean that around 80% of the value of the project would be funded by the Section 106 contributions.”