If you are a
regular reader of this blog I am sure you will have realised
that restoring the Wilts & Berks requires some intense activity
from the team, so in putting this week's contribution together I am currently reminding myself
of what all the effort will produce. The Bank Holiday sunshine on our short
cruise from Gt Bedwyn to Hungerford on
the Kennet & Avon Canal has
brought out in numbers the walkers, cyclists, fishermen, boaters and
visitors ( including a pirate party on a trip boat!) that will quickly populate the restored W&B canal. So with the first swallows (or are they
martins?) swooping across the water where some early moorhen and mallard chicks
are scuttling amongst the reeds a quick look back at another busy week.
The new
Waitrose store in Wichelstowe Swindon has opened up a new
opportunity for many to observe
the Wilts & Berks Canal for the first
time. The Trust is keen to
further explore this new interest by
running trips on Dragonfly directly
from the store and we are seeking
a fast track solution to install
a landing stage as soon as possible.
It was the
same setting ( a trip on Dragonfly from
Kingshill ) where we invited last Friday
some of the senior managers from Biffa
Waste Ltd to discuss final
details of the planned works to restore the canal at
Studley Grange. We hope that a view of the ‘finished product’ will now help
complete the necessary process to
complete an agreement for the Trust to
lease the canal corridor and start work
when the current planning application is approved.
The Melksham
Link project team met during the
week to
review the current progress of ecological surveys ( the latest was a
fish survey in the river) and other
important aspects of the project. While
in the town I took a look at
progress on the new slipway. The retaining walls alongside the ramp are
nearly complete and with finishing on the approach expected in the next week or two, project manager Paul Lenaerts
is considering a date for an unofficial
opening soon. Behind the scenes the Trust
has made a submission to Wiltshire
Council to allocate a number of sites adjacent to the waterway for
development that will financially contribute to the projec.
Finally apologies
that once again holiday
arrangements have made the posting of this weeks blog later
than normal.
Ken Oliver
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