A trust working to restore a canal in Lichfield have called on HS2 bosses to keep their promises.
The announcement that the controversial high speed rail line would be tunnelled under the A38 rather than over it was welcomed in many quarters.
However, members of the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust say the changes are likely to add considerable costs to their own project – and have challenged HS2 bosses to ensure the additional money is provided.
The group say the changes mean that the channel from Huddlesford to above Lock 30 will be eliminated and the bridge at Capper’s Lane, reconstructed recently with European funding, will be demolished.
Brian Kingshott, the Trust’s chairman, said that the original route would have represented a comparatively minor inconvenience to the canal restoration with the channel unchanged and adequate headroom guaranteed.
“The variation now proposed by HS2, while greatly improving the impact of the new railway on the local canal network as a whole, represents a most unwelcome challenge to us,” he said.
“Our engineers have identified a quite tortuous route to rebuild the canal on a new alignment but this will be costly and difficult. It is essential that HS2 Ltd makes good its promises to ensure that the Lichfield Canal can be restored and meet the additional costs.
“The Trust has been working for over a quarter of a century to restore the Lichfield Canal and has invested upwards of a million pounds in cash and voluntary labour to make great progress towards completion.
“It has been recognised as one of the major restoration projects anywhere in the country and we owe it to our thousands of supporters, local people and the whole waterways community to ensure that this new high speed railway does not wipe out all that has been done so far.
“We will maintain pressure wherever it is required to protect our project.”
