Whitchurch canal trust bids for £60,000 to start project

Whitchurch Waterway Trust is pitching for about £60,000 to help fund stage one of the project to extend the canal arm into the town and create a mooring basin.

The application has been submitted to the Rural Development Programme for England. The money would be spent on ground work and pathways.

David Torrens, a member of the trust, said: "It has been a bit frustrating. It is not an expensive project compared with others.

"We have applied for about £60,000 for stage one. We will keep applying to people to help with smaller parts of the funding.

"With planning permission due to expire next year we need to try and get a move on and we are still hopeful of getting on site and starting work properly next year."

An update on the project posted on the trust's website added: "

The trust, along with the project engineer, is also working on all the canal basin planning conditions which includes planning all the stages for the construction of the canal basin."

Plans for the small arm extension to the Shropshire Union Canal near the Wrexham Road entrance to the town were approved by Shropshire Council at the end of 2013.

The trust believes the scheme will provide an attractive addition to the town's country park. It said the project was supported by 80 per cent of local people in a survey carried out in preparation for the town and parish plan.

Among those in support of the project are town councillors and members of Whitchurch Chamber of Trade.

Plans to improve the canal by the Whitchurch Waterway Trust started in the 1980s in response to the town council's wish to bring it back into the town centre.

The latest scheme initially won the backing of trust members at a meeting held in 2010.

For more details about the project visit www.whitchurchwaterway.org.uk