IWA’s Restoration Panel

The aim of the Panel is to facilitate knowledge exchange in different forms:

• From restoration groups to IWA – identification of current problems and opportunities for restoration and giving input to specific questions posed by IWA.
• From the IWA to restoration groups – e.g. legislative and national stakeholder updates.
• To help restoration groups communicate with each other – sharing knowledge and exchanging technical support.

The input from restoration groups will be a key input to IWA’s restoration work programme.

The Panel will hold regular face-to-face and online gatherings to do this, and all restoration groups are invited to nominate a delegate to the Panel (please email the Panel Chair [email protected]).  The Panel’s first meeting was held on 22^nd August 2026 in Droitwich.  Documents from the meeting:

• List of Attendees
• Briefing on CDM Regulations
• Presentations delivered at the meeting
• November 2022 report on waterway restoration challenges and opportunities
• 2024 High Level Panel Services Report
• Canal & River Trust’s Restoration Delivery Plan
• Restoration Delivery Group Actions

We welcome suggestions for topics that we might address at Panel meetings.

A map of the UK waterways can be found here.  The waterways that are under restoration, or for which there are, or have been, restoration proposals are shown in black, and proposed new waterways are in green.  Waterways that no one is currently planning to restore are in red.  The waterways on the map can be clicked on to show their name and a link to the web page for that waterway.  The waterways are also listed here and there are links to each waterway restoration group on the individual waterway page.

There are other useful waterway restoration maps at https://www.waterwayroutes.co.uk/maps-free-for-restoration-projects/

We look forward to meeting Restoration Group delegates at our meetings.

Andy Keane
Chair IWA Restoration Panel

These topics have been suggested by restoration groups:

• Fundraising ideas
• Canal & River Trust speaker on restoration
• Construction (Design & Management) Regulations training (basic and detailed)
• Site Supervision Safety Training Scheme training
• Heritage Fund Applications
• How critical is it that there is continuing care for sites that we have worked on?
• Building moorings and facilities for boaters
• Use of Stepoc Retaining Wall Blocks used to form a canal channel (precast, hollow concrete shuttering blocks)
• How to negotiate for a restored independent canal to be adopted or managed in some way by Canal & River Trust

Presentations offered for future Restoration Panel meetings:

• Biodiversity Net Gain experiences – by Chris Madge
• Lapal Canal Restoration – by Mike Payne
• Ashby Canal ‘background, issues and how we overcame them (or not)’ – by Geoff Pursglove
• Canals for flood protection – by Chris Madge