Melksham Link Waterway

Our website now shows the proposed route for the Melksham Link Waterway and Ken Oliver has provided a recent up-date, pointing out that modifications to the lock location at Berryfield are still being discussed with the Environment Agency.  The Trust is preparing to submit an outline planning application for the canal route and a scoping document for the Environmental Impact Assessment is being prepared.

Naish Hill

During October and early November we spent five weeks on bank raising and path improvement and all of the lowest banks at Naish Hill have now been raised to full navigable water level.  Two short lengths near Double Bridge have been left till weather conditions improve; frequent heavy rain during week 5 forced us to stop before these could be completed.  Water levels in the three southern sections have now equalised at about 1.0 metres depth and the northern section is held close to 1.4 metres depth

Double Bridge     

Peter Henden has been in regular contact with Wiltshire Council and the footpaths officer with a view to re-establishing the historic route of the public footpath across Double Bridge. Agreement has been achieved with the     landowners involved namely John Tucker, the agent for the Weinstock estate and the Lackham farm manager.  The footpath officer, Steve Leonard, has delivered materials that we have used to re-establish the public footpath route across Double Bridge.  A large diameter pipe has been placed in the ditch and a soil ramp will enable people to walk safely from the bridge level to the field level below. 

The long dry summer caused the clay to dry out beneath the bridge and this has led to some significant cracking in the parapet walls.  Tie rods have been inserted across the width of the bridge and a waterproof seal laid across the arch.  The affected parts of the parapet walls will be rebuilt when there is no risk of frost damage, and we now hope to be able to maintain water under the bridge reducing the risk of shrinkage in dry weather.

Boat Landing Wharves.

Early in the year a project to restore and revitalise the wharf at Calne was completed, quickly and efficiently by our volunteers, and the work has been greatly admired.  The wharf wall has also been completed below Pewsham bottom lock and work is currently in progress to provide a boat landing with a paved area and mooring bollards.

 Pewsham Locks.

During the early part of the year Iain Donald of Wessex Ecology was provided with details of our proposals for the restoration of Pewsham Locks and a protected species update was then produced.  The project for the re-build of three locks and four other historic structures within the flight of locks was also registered with the Canal Trust Project Board in August by completion of a Project Initiation Document.

A project board has been put in place and meets regularly chaired by Ken Oliver.  Martin Stubbs has taken on the role of project manager during the design phase, but recommends that a full time project manager will be required for the construction phase.  Immediate priorities are completion of a topographic study, tree felling at bottom lock and development of the planning application. 

 Medium Term Strategy

It is now generally accepted that our medium term priorities for canal restoration within the branch area, should focus on the length of canal between Pewsham Locks and Melksham as a first priority and between Pewsham Locks and Chippenham as a second priority.   

This supports the project to provide a navigable link between the K&A and Melksham and to prepare for an extension of navigation as far as Pewsham Locks as the next stage. However, despite all our best intentions we do have to be opportunistic in practice, and can only work where agreement can be achieved with landowners.

The branch has been greatly strengthened in the last few years by an influx of active members working at all levels from fund raising and administration to active canal restoration.  This group of young people in their fifties and sixties will play a major part in connecting the Pewsham Naish Hill section to the navigable waterway at Melksham over the next ten years.  The ability of the project to attract energetic and capable people who are willing to give so much of their time, is the best guarantee that we will re-open the navigation in the near future.

Colin Fletcher,
Project Director (West)
January 2012