Lapal Canal Camp (Dudley No 2) CC2024-14

The reason: To provide public access from the popular Selly Oak Park to the towpath of a length of canal which Lapal Canal Trust us currently working to reopen as a short branch off the Worcester & Birmingham Canal leading into the park.

The restoration: The Lapal Canal is the name given by canal restorers to the abandoned length of the Dudley No 2 Canal, which was built as a bypass route around Birmingham, but suffered from mining subsidence affecting the very long Lapal Tunnel, which eventually collapsed and closed the route. The Trust’s long-term aim is to reopen it via a new route with locks climbing over the hill rather than repair the tunnel. However in the shorter term the goal is to open the east end as a local amenity and an attractive detour off the Worcester & Birmingham Canal - starting with the current project at Selly Oak Park.