Bypass opening boost for Lichfield Canal Trust

THE restoration of the Lichfield Canal has taken a huge step forward with the opening of the city’s Southern Bypass extension.

A section of the canal runs parallel to the bypass alongside a housing development and the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust is hoping for permission in the next few weeks to begin work.

A great deal of preparation of the site has been completed, courtesy of Persimmon Homes, who are constructing St John’s Grange housing development and Amey, who constructed the bypass, including the installation of two bridges over the line of the canal connecting the estate with the bypass.

LHCRT volunteers will build a new Lock 22 and restore a modified Lock 23 in this section, which has been named St John’s Reach.

The trust’s engineering director Peter Buck, who attended the official opening on October 15, said: “It’s another great day for us, handing over another large section for us to get on with restoration. A good portion of the restoration has already been done and it actually looks a bit like a canal now.

“We’ve had a long, long challenge over seven, eight, nine years working with Persimmon over the details of this and this is the day when the bypass is open and the canal is just about to be handed over to us to complete the restoration.”

Designers have had to overcome a major problem at a pinch point near London Road, having to get the bypass and the canal through a section only 18.2m wide, between the road and existing cottages.

The solution was to modify the heritage Lock 23, which will be built with a bend in it – probably the only lock of its kind in the country, according to Peter.

The restoration of this section of the canal will take it close to another major obstacle, the Cross-City railway line, which the canal has to go under and an appeal to raise the huge amount of money needed to build the tunnel has been ongoing for several years.

More information on the canal restoration and ways to contribute to the Tunnel Vision appeal can be found at the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust’s website: https:// lhcrt.org.uk/

PHOTO: PAUL MARSHALL The line of the Lichfield Canal at St John’s Reach, between the Southern Bypass on the left and the new housing development on the right.

DRONE PHOTO: COLIN ABLITT A drone’s-eye view of the St John’s Reach section of the Lichfield Canal, showing one of the bridges between the new Southern Bypass and St John’s Grange housing development and beyond that the pinch point between the bypass and existing cottage gardens.