Canal plans moving forward in Whitchurch

Whitchurch Waterways Trust has been working for a number of years to extend the arm of the Shropshire Union Canal at Chemistry into the town and create a mooring basin.

Having been awarded funding of £61,000 from European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) towards the £650,000 scheme, volunteers have begun carrying out groundworks at the site.

As part of the works, pathways have been cleared up and resurfaced and a picnic area created.

David Torrens, secretary of the group, said: "That part of the plan will hopefully be completed soon and then we are hoping that it has showed we are able to get started and get things done.

"We will then hope to get more funding for the future parts."

The group hopes that its work will extend the arm into the basin, giving more areas for people to moor up.

Following the funding being awarded, volunteers had to decide which area to begin work on within their budget, but also making a significant difference.

Mr Torrens also said it was good to see such support for canals from Shropshire Council after its new leader, Councillor Peter Nutting, discussed the importance of improving the county's canal network.

He said that the canals offer "all sorts of opportunities" and that he hoped to use the role to improve the system in a bid to promote tourism.

Specifically, he said improving the Montgomeryshire branch of the Shropshire Union Canal would be a great asset.

Mr Torrens said: "Plans like that cost millions, and ours would only cost half a million or so but in some ways it does make it more difficult to raise money.

"It would be really good if there were more places to moor up, which extending it into the basin would do. I arrived into Whitchurch myself last week and it was completely full.

"It's really important that we get across to people that canals are not just for boat users, they are for everyone – walkers, cyclers, all kinds of people."

He added that the canal in Ellesmere was a good example of a successful model, with the area where it ends being developed around, with plan for a hotel and hundreds of homes to be built close by.

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

In a survey carried out, 80 per cent of local people supported the plan, volunteers said.

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