Council approves £3M to restore Grand Western Canal
The Cabinet has confirmed its decision to repair, restore and modernise part of the Grand Western Canal following extensive damage in November last year.
The Devon County Council owned canal suffered a serious breach on 21 November 2012 at the Swing embankment which rises nearly 60 feet from surrounding fields at Halberton.
This followed unprecedented rainfall of 38mm during the early hours coupled with the inflow of water into the canal from adjoining land. Water levels in the canal rose by 25cm within a matter of hours.
The Canal is now dammed at Greenway Bridge and Rock Bridge. This mile section at Halberton is closed, as is the towpath between Swing Bridge and Rock Bridge. The rest of the canal remains open, with a towpath diversion in place between Swing Bridge and Battens Bridge.
The canal is an important tourist attraction in Mid Devon and receives around 250,000 visitors a year. In addition, between 60 and 120 full time jobs are directly related to the Canal and some 25 businesses are linked to it in some way.
It is proposed that the embankment is restored and that the infrastructure is improved in time for the Inland Waterways Association National Trailboat Festival to take place in May 2014.
The design would aim to make use of as much of the existing site material as possible including surplus material from the Fenacre reed bed project if this is suitable.
Cabinet Member for Environment and Communities Roger Croad says; "This is an important job and I'm pleased that we are able to provide this cash injection into the restoration work. The canal is a popular tourist attraction providing jobs and supporting businesses in the area. It is clearly a much used resource in the local community providing a range of leisure opportunities and recreation. The feeling amongst all members is one of overwhelming support for this project and I look forward to seeing it progress."
Local member for Tiverton, Des Hannon said; "This is fabulous news for Halberton, Tiverton and Mid Devon. Our canal is the heart of the community and is a 'green lung' for the local community. It's a cataylst for our local economy and is a great symbol of our long heritage. It's good to see the County Council matching the community's enthusiasm for this project with hard cash."
To restore the canal embankment together with works and studies to improve the canal's infrastructure, an overall cost of 3 million has been estimated.
