Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust
Encyclopedia
The Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust is a waterway society
and a registered charity which exists to promote the restoration of the Shrewsbury Canal
and the Newport Arm of the Shropshire Union Canal
. The trust was created in 2000.
, Stafford Borough Council
, and Telford and Wrekin
Council. They specifically asked that the councils should give support in principle to the aim of restoration, including working with the Trust and with the other affected local authorities, should support the production of a feasibility study into the restoration, and should use planning powers to protect the line of the canal. Stafford Borough Council's consideration of the report listed ten benefits to the community which would arise from the restoration.
The report was well received by the local authorities, all of whom gave their support in principle. The feasibility study was commissioned in 2003, and Alun Michael MP, the Waterways Minister, presented the findings in 2004, which concluded that full restoration was both technically possible from an engineering point of view, and economically viable. The estimated cost for full restoration is £86 million.
In 2007, the Wappenshall canal basin and warehouse were put up for sale. The Trust campaigned for it to be purchased and restored, rather than turned into flats, for which outline planning permission existed. In June 2008, Telford and Wrekin Council agreed to fund the purchase of the site, allowing the Trust to concentrate on its restoration, rather than trying to raise the money for its purchase.
Details of the Trust are:
Waterway society
A Waterway society is a society, association, charitable trust, club, trust or "Friends" group involved in the restoration, preservation, use and enjoyment of waterways, e.g. a canal, river, navigation or other waterway, and their associated buildings and structures, e.g...
and a registered charity which exists to promote the restoration of the Shrewsbury Canal
Shrewsbury Canal
The Shrewsbury Canal was a canal in Shropshire, England. Authorised in 1793, the main line from Trench to Shrewsbury was fully open by 1797, but it remained isolated from the rest of the canal network until 1835, when the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal built the Newport Branch from...
and the Newport Arm of the Shropshire Union Canal
Shropshire Union Canal
The Shropshire Union Canal is a navigable canal in England; the Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the Shropshire Union system and lie partially in Wales....
. The trust was created in 2000.
Activities
In 2001, the Trust produced a document entitled "The Shrewsbury and Newport Canals ? A case for restoration", which they circulated to the five local authorities who manage the areas through which the canals run. The local authorities are the County Councils of Staffordshire and ShropshireShropshire Council
Shropshire Council is a unitary authority in Shropshire, United Kingdom.It replaced the former two-tier local government structure in the non-metropolitan county of Shropshire on 1 April 2009, which involved its immediate predecessor, Shropshire County Council, and five non-metropolitan districts -...
, Stafford Borough Council
Stafford (borough)
Stafford is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire in England. It is named after and includes the town of Stafford. It also includes the smaller town of Stone and numerous villages....
, and Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin is a unitary district with borough status in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. The district was created in 1974 as The...
Council. They specifically asked that the councils should give support in principle to the aim of restoration, including working with the Trust and with the other affected local authorities, should support the production of a feasibility study into the restoration, and should use planning powers to protect the line of the canal. Stafford Borough Council's consideration of the report listed ten benefits to the community which would arise from the restoration.
The report was well received by the local authorities, all of whom gave their support in principle. The feasibility study was commissioned in 2003, and Alun Michael MP, the Waterways Minister, presented the findings in 2004, which concluded that full restoration was both technically possible from an engineering point of view, and economically viable. The estimated cost for full restoration is £86 million.
In 2007, the Wappenshall canal basin and warehouse were put up for sale. The Trust campaigned for it to be purchased and restored, rather than turned into flats, for which outline planning permission existed. In June 2008, Telford and Wrekin Council agreed to fund the purchase of the site, allowing the Trust to concentrate on its restoration, rather than trying to raise the money for its purchase.
Details of the Trust are:
- Registered Charity number 1088706
- Limited company number 4075920