Toddbrook Reservoir project gets under way
MAJOR construction work has started to restore Toddbrook Reservoir in Whaley Bridge. The project is likely to cost about £15 million and take two years to complete, with the reservoir due to reopen in late 2024.
The Canal & River Trust is working with contractor Kier to deliver the restoration. Work recently began to create a site compound on the northern end of the town’s Memorial Park, which has been temporarily closed to the public. Hoardings have been erected, site access installed, and existing drainage and feeder channels realigned.
CRT project manager Tom Greenwood said: “We are pleased to be starting work on the major construction project to restore Toddbrook Reservoir.
“We are very eager to reopen it again for the benefit of the local community, the sailing club, anglers, walkers, and all the other visitors who enjoy using it.
“With this summer’s dry weather, we’ve sadly been forced to close both the Peak Forest and Macclesfield canals due to lack of water, so it’s a timely reminder of why it’s vitally important to get the reservoir operational again.
“Kier has appointed a dedicated community stakeholder manager who will be available throughout to liaise with local residents.
“Construction access will be along Reservoir Road and we very much appreciate the cooperation of those residents, in particular as we start the main construction activity. We will do our best to mitigate noise and disruption as far as we can.”
Kier stakeholder manager Tess Smith will be available at a weekly drop-in community hub every Wednesday between 2.30pm and 5pm in the Transhipment Warehouse at the Canal Basin in Whaley Bridge.
There will also be a noticeboard with regular updates posted both at the warehouse and by the site works, plus letter drops to near neighbours about construction traffic and site activity.
Tess will be sending out regular updates by email. Anyone who has specific construction queries or would like to join the email list is invited to contact her via email: Toddbrook@kier.co.uk
The public will still be able to walk through the park on a footpath connecting Reservoir Road to the Memorial Park Bridge, which will feature a viewing point. New children’s play equipment has been installed as a temporary measure at the top of the dam, next to Whaley Bridge Athletic Football Club.
At the end of the project, a new playground similar to the existing one will be rebuilt at the same location in the Memorial Park.
The park will also be re- landscaped with replacement trees, wildlife habitats, extra paths and a new footbridge over the reservoir bypass channel. The project aims to achieve a net biodiversity gain of more than 10%.
Construction work is due to start to create a new overflow spillway structure to the north of the dam. This involves building a side channel weir, ‘tumble bay’, spillway channel and stilling basin which will link into the existing bypass channel flowing into the River Goyt in the park.
To make way for the new spillway works, the sailing club will be relocated behind the new tumble bay. The clubhouse has been dismantled and will be replaced by a new sailing club slipway, clubhouse, boat storage and car park.
The final phase of the project will be to remove the concrete panels from the 1970s-built overflow spillway, damaged in summer 2019. The dam will then be repaired and grassed over. This will be followed by works to the inlet cascade at the far end of the reservoir to increase resilience to high flows from Todd Brook stream.