West Midlands Strategic Rail Freight Interchange given the go-ahead
THE approval of the West Midlands Interchange planning application will see the rural environment of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal destroyed.
Due to early engagement, IWA was able to mitigate some of the impacts of this project between Gailey and Calf Heath. This includes the removal of two unsightly pipe bridges and a concrete bridge at Four Ashes.
The towpath through the site will be resurfaced and there will be towpath access to a canalside park area at Croft Lane. However, these are little compensation for the lasting damage this development will do to the heritage, amenity and tourism value of the canal.
This Strategic Rail Freight Interchange is an enormous road-served warehouse development on the scale of Daventry, with 14 huge warehouses of which only two will be directly served by rail, should the construction of the rail terminal proceed. The site will surround the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal and its Conservation Area. Its present tranquillity will be replaced by constant traffic noise from 24-hour operations.
The Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal is one of the first narrow canals and the only one completed in James Brindley’s lifetime. It has remained remarkably unchanged for 250 years with a wealth of historic structures and largely rural surroundings.