The fight is on...
As many of you will know the Birmingham Northern Relief Road (BNRR) poses a threat to the restoration of the Lichfield and Hatherton canals and something needs to be done about it! It is not a case of saying 'NO to the BNRR' as it has already been approved by the new government (and to those of us who travel up and down the country regularly past Birmingham we can see why they want this road built!!) but we need to make John Prescott, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, change his mind about his decision to not include the provision (therein the cost!) of the necessary aquaduct and tunnels that the BNRR's route incurs on both branches of the canal.
The NA are firm supporters of Lichfield & Hatherton Canal Restoration Trust's (L & HCRT) cause; our first weekend for them being the excavation of the hidden Fosseway Lock (no.18) last May - a very enjoyable and satisfying job (a memorable comment from John Horton late on saturday evening was "But I want to go home." !!). We've been back several times since and are always given five star treatment. I think it is only fair that we repay their courtesy by helping them win this latest of 'canal route vs. road' battles. This does mean it is time to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard for those of you who have the technology!) and write a letter of protest to Mr. Prescott himself (or the new Roads Minister, Baroness Hayman, as well) to let him know there are many canal supporters out there ... it worked for Latton, so why not Lichfield & Hatherton? O.K., it might not be as much fun as driving large yellow bits of plant but without the canal trust funds we woudn't get the chance to do so anyway. Think on it ... More importantly, ACT on it!!
The Lichfield & Hatherton Canals (also known as the Wyrley & Essington) are the northern- most and more rural part of the BCN. When restored they will provide an East-West route north of Birmingham and connect the main network to the heart of the BCN which will open up a whole new set of potential cruising rings. This will enable boaters to bypass the majority of the hard industrial heritage so prevalent on the BCN, if they so wish (some apparently do!!), and cruise in a more rural setting whilst enabling others to cruise through a unique combination of nature and heritage. The canal network was built to service the Industrial Revolution; nowhere more so than the BCN, so to revert partially back to using it for commercial carrying as has recently been suggested (Use the canals for their original purpose? - novel idea!) would surely be easy.
The BNRR, whose plans have long lurked in the shadows, is a road scheme that was given the go-ahead in July by the new Government. It's aim is to bypass Birmingham, taking traffic from the M42 just north of its M6 junction travelling in an arc anti-clockwise to where it meets the M6 north of the M54 junction. The road, or motorway as some describe it, is to be privately financed by Midland Expressway Ltd. (MEL) and the intention is to profit from tolls charged for the privilege of its use.
The reasons for protest are many but here are some points which may be of help when composing your letter:
- The Public Inquiry Inspector (PII) gave incredibly favourable support to the Canal Trust's restoration but the Secretary of State (S of S) appears to have all but ignored his recommendations.
- At Latton, the Department of Transport's reason for not paying to install a new navigable culvert was apparently because they didn't believe the restoration project was viable. In a letter to Edward Heath, John Prescott mentioned that the "construction of the bypass was well-advanced, and the restoration of the canal was not expected to reach that part for some time" but the BNRR is not "well-advanced" and, due to their comparatively recent abandonment in the mid-1950's, the canals' routes are not yet littered with insuperable obstacles and should therefore take relatively little time to restore.
-The result of the Trust having to contribute fully or even partially to the cost of building the tunnels and the aquaduct would be disastrous as there would be a huge time setback. Spending these funds that are crucial to the Trust's restoration work would mean a long delay in their progress and subsequently would be more likely to lose the other parts of the BCN it connects to. The PII believes the present construction proposal of the BNRR would obstruct the restoration to "an unnecessary and undesirable extent".
- The PII recommends that to build the tunnels in future would be too disruptive and sees "no reason why the execution of the works (i.e. the aquaduct and the tunnels) ... shall be conditional upon their funding by the objector (L & HCRT)". If the MEL do not pay for the 'works' it can only mean future disruption that the Inspector warns against; the S of S makes the meagre gesture that the MEL will provide the foundations for the aquaduct. To build tunnels and an aquaduct at a later date when the road is fully operational is ludicrous!!
- John Prescott doesn't believe that the "substantial expenditure required ... is justified" due to the Trust's work being a "long term project". Has he not been informed that the Trust have only been going since 1988 and the amount that they have achieved? The Trust are not asking to be funded by the Taxpayer (even though the PII suggests there would be 'nothing improper' about this) but by the MEL who plan to make profit from the use of this road. The Royal Canal in Ireland crosses by aquaduct over the M50, the toll-collecting motorway that runs adjacent to Dublin; it is highly unlikely this was funded by anyone other than those who collect the tolls.
- The benefits to the local community around the whole BCN, to the heritage policy and to leisure and tourism that the restoration of this route would provide are great.
- Surely there should be some compensation for the visual intrusion the BNRR will incur on parts of the Lichfield & Hatherton Canals.
The July '97 edition of Canal Boat made comment in their Parliamentary News (Pg.12) about the formation of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions being a move perhaps in the right direction. However the "greater emphasis on the co-operation between these two major areas of government activity" seems to have already declined in this instance. They helped at Latton but will they hinder this one?
So why should we fight for this cause? Because we want to see this restoration project finished to benefit everybody not least of all those who live nearby it. The BCN has attracted increasing numbers of boaters through organised events (thanks to the IWA and wrg) ... Next year on 23rd -25th May there is a Campaign Rally at Pelsall, partly to highlight problems that the BNRR would cause, but something needs to be done NOW! Only by keeping this sort of pressure up may the Government actually see the Canal Systems’ worth and their own short-sightedness. How the S of S for the Environment (Transport and the Regions) can completely endorse the construction of a major road in precedence over a canal whose transportation properties have recently been highlighted by the Media is beyond me. It appears the old D o T has come back to haunt us - they must be made to take the opportunity to integrate planning and transport policies to reduce not compound the decline of transport by water, be it leisure or business. And what is the Parliamentary Waterways Group doing about it? ... I don't believe we should rely on others so especially if you don't have time to come out on weekends with us please find time to pick up a pen (or keyboard) and remind John Prescott he has a duty to invest in the environment as well as transport; canals combine the two so how can he go wrong?! Maybe we should get the Birmingham and Black Countries Cycleway extended up to the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals ... they seem to have more clout when it comes to lobbying for the cut!!
If, after all this, you would like to help the Trust please send your letters of protest to:
For further information please contact the Lichfield & Hatherton Canal Restoration Trust Ltd.
Jen Leigh