Canal supporters urged to take part in water resources consultation
COTSWOLD Canals Trust is calling on its members and supporters to take part in a public consultation regarding the ‘emerging’ Water Resources South East Regional Plan and says it is very important that as many of its members and supporters as possible take part.
Urging people to respond by the March 14 closing date, director and trustee Ken Burgin said: “Over the last couple of years, the emphasis has changed in favour of environmental and social benefits as against focusing on least cost. However, the emerging plan is promoting large scale reservoirs (including a monster one near Abingdon) and energy hungry and costly water reuse and desalination schemes for the period between 2025 and 2040.
“A Severn-Thames Transfer features as likely in the 2040-2060 period, which is a slight improvement on 2080 back in 2019 but is not of much use to a lot of us.
“This is an emerging plan and is aimed to solicit comment – if we want the priorities to change in favour of restoring the Cotswold
Canals for water transfer with work starting in 2025 and finishing perhaps seven or eight years later, we need to make our views clearly heard and in numbers that cannot be ignored.
“The final plan is supposed to be ‘Best Value’ taking natural capital (canals fall within this definition) fully into account. Work is still ongoing as to how much the various water resource options will actually cost and there is almost no natural or social capital likely to be delivered by a desalination or waste water reprocessing plant. It is probably fair to say that the emerging plan is likely to change and we need to influence that in the canal’s favour.
“From what has been said in various forums, we know that there is a greater understanding of the value of using canals for water transfer. The public support for using the Grand Union Canal for a proposed water transfer instead of a pipeline to supply Affinity Water was so great that the pipeline option was dropped.”
Mr Burgin explained that people can get involved by taking part in this consultation and can make some of the following points if they wish:
· The Cotswold Canals Severn-Thames Transfer should be highest on the preferred programme list because it delivers so much natural capital including biodiversity connectivity and social benefits in addition to the water.
·A Severn-Thames transfer can be implemented years quicker than building the large reservoir in Oxfordshire and with far less local public opposition. This reduces the risk of running out of water in the shorter term were a drought to occur.
· The canal should be used rather than a pipeline because it offers so much more including a much lower summit over which water has to be pumped.
·The expensi ve desalination and water reuse schemes currently proposed are likely to consume a lot of electrical power at a time when the supply may well be highly stressed and such schemes would have minimal natural capital benefits.
Mr Burgin continued:
“Restoring the Cotswold Canals would incorporate a legacy into the programme that would be seen as inspirational and visionary by current and future generations. It would be seen as an iconic manifestation of the Government’s 25-year Environment Plan.
“You can go through answering all the consultation questions, which cover a wide range of issues, by following the instructions at: https://wrse. uk. engagementhq. com/ about-our-consultation or email just making points about the canal at: contact@ wrse.org.uk
“Many of you will have participated in similar consultations in past years – it has worked! The Cotswold Canals scheme is still very much on the agenda with a team of consultants currently working up the details.
“However, this is a new process and we need to reiterate our support for the canal again.”
You can also write directly to: WRSE Consultation, c/o Adams Hendry Consulting Ltd, Sheridan House, 40-43 Jewry Street, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 8RY.