The restoration of the Wilts and Berks canal is an ambitious 70 mile project to recreate a cross-country navigation network. Opened in 1810 (North Wilts canal 1819) the Wilts & Berks Canal was formally abandoned by Act of Parliament in 1914. It has always used the shortened form of the county names to reflect the wording in the original Act of Parliament. Ownership of the canal was returned to adjacent landowners Local Authorities or sale of some sections of the canal. The main line route of the canal runs from Abingdon on the River Thames to Semington on the Kennet & Avon Canal; the North Wilts branch of the canal runs from Swindon to Cricklade, and there were branches at Calne, Chippenham, Longcot and Wantage.
The Wilts and Berks Canal Trust has been making great progress on a number of fronts with backing from partner organisations and help from the IWA’s Waterways Recovery Group. Too much to mention here, but for example in Swindon new sections of canal are being built by developers at the insistence of the local Council. We see much good work being done in Swindon so this planning proposal is particularly disappointing and so serious that the IWA felt it must object to the plans for the redevelopment of the Oasis site. This site is just north of Swindon Station where the North Wilts canal is planned to be restored to link up to the Thames and Severn Canal route at Cricklade. As the national campaign promoting restoration of the waterways network, we support the vital work which the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust (corporate members of the IWA) are doing.
The plans for the Oasis site ignore the needs for reserved routing for the re-establishment of the canal through this part of Swindon. Permitting this development as proposed would preclude this happening for several generations, thereby denying the residents of Swindon of the manifold advantages a restored Wilts & Berks Canal would confer on them. It would also be a serious setback to plans to properly reconnect Swindon eventually as part of the national waterways network.
Objecting to the proposal, IWA has written: “We urge the Planning Committee to reject these applications until modified (in a comparatively minor degree) to permit the eventual rebuilding of the canal through this area. We understand that the developers have been aware of this opportunity for over a decade but seem to have ignored the needs of a restored Wilts and Berks Canal in the detail of their plans. It is therefore for the planning authority to protect this route. The current plans should be rejected until they incorporate an effective future route for a restored canal”
The proposals include 700 homes and it is well established that canals can be an excellent feature in new developments giving the community walking and wheeling routes; potential for water sports, being adjacent to a leisure centre, and helping nature recovery by creating a blue-green corridor for wildlife. We hope that the council will seize this opportunity not just because it will enable Swindon to be well connected by water again but also because of the benefits to local people and their physical and mental health.
This case shows the importance of vigilance by local people and organisations. Readers are encouraged to report any such threats to restoration to their local IWA Branch (see https://waterways.org.uk/waterways), our office or the relevant local restoration society. Details of the work of the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust can be found here.
