IWA has worked with Canal & River Trust (CRT) to help improve its revised Restoration Delivery Plan (RDP), published this morning (28th July 2026), which will provide the framework for future restoration of canals not currently open to boats and managed by the Trust. Through reinforcing the importance of a friendly approach to waterway restoration and encouraging CRT to consider restoration as a core charitable objective rather than a secondary priority, IWA is pleased that the Trust has listened and that the result is an improved plan.
The Restoration Delivery Plan is intended to set out how the Trust will work with restoration promoters and other partners to deliver the restoration of waterways across England and Wales. As a critical friend to CRT, IWA has engaged constructively with the Trust’s senior management to ensure that restoration receives the support and strategic priority it deserves.
Through detailed engagement with the Plan, IWA has helped move the document towards a more positive, practical and delivery-focused one that better reflects the ambitions expected of a major national charity. The discussions have also led to improvements in CRT’s internal restoration processes and a better mutual understanding of how restoration activity should be managed across the Trust’s network. This, however, needs to be matched by restoration groups becoming increasingly professional when undertaking construction work, both onsite and with design and Health & Safety paperwork.
IWA believes this revised approach should act as a catalyst for raising standards across the restoration movement. Through its technical expertise its recently formed Restoration Delivery Group, new Restoration Panel and Waterway Recovery Group, IWA is well placed to provide the guidance and practical assistance that restoration organisations need to deliver successful projects.
Waterway restoration is one of IWA’s strategic priorities for 2026, and the Association will continue working with CRT, restoration promoters and other parties to help build a stronger, more professional and more successful restoration sector.
George Rogers, Chair of IWA’s Restoration Delivery Group, said:
“The publication of the revised Restoration Delivery Plan is a significant step in the right direction. IWA has worked constructively with Canal & River Trust to strengthen both the Plan itself and the processes that support it, and we are pleased that this engagement has resulted in meaningful improvements.
“We will continue to engage positively with the Trust and the wider restoration community to support the successful delivery of these shared objectives.”
