Staveley Canal restoration hailed as “new way for people to walk and cycle” which will be “just magic”

A new bridge linking the Trans Pennine Trail with the Arkwright Trail will be dropped into place over the canal next month and the newly widened but little-known tow-path will enable people to cycle or walk all the way to Renishaw from as far as Maston Moor.

At the same time a new two-storey building council building with a cafe included in 11 new business units is scheduled for completion by April.

Chesterfield Canal Trust has been restoring Staveley Canal since 1989, having brought 12 miles back into use. However Secretary Rod Auton says the latest phase and particularly the new bridge at Bellhouse Basin at Staveley will “open everything up”.

The 38-metre-long bridge will be lowered and bolted into place on October 10 and open to the public soon after.

Rod said: “It’s amazing because it’s a massive thing, it’s 38 metres long and it’s a real statement of intent. When you can do something like that or open a lock it grabs people’s attention much more than getting an extra few yards of canal.

"But it also means it’s going to be far easier for walkers and cyclists. At the moment they have to go up a slope and then down a slope and then a big zig-zag and they’ve been doing that for 25 years.

“But now people going on the Trans Pennine Trail and along the tow-path are just going to fund it so much easier."

Although many people use the canal for walking and cycling, the tow-path which follows the line of the canal across to the other side of the Doe Lea Valley is often looked overlooked as most travel along the existing Trans Pennine Trail, said Rod.

“But they will now be able to go along the new tow-path, which is going to be really wide,” he added. “So there’ll be plenty of room for cyclists and walkers to use it – it will be a new way for people to walk and cycle.”

The new tow-path will link with an exiting tow-path next to the Norbriggs branch of the Staveley Canal which stretches to Maston Moor – where 650 new homes are planned.

Speaking about the Norbriggs connection, Rod said: “People from there will be ale to join the new tow-path from there and will be able to go to Chesterfield on their bikes or walking – offroad all the way along the line of the disused canal, which will be fantastic. All these things are going to be opened up for people, which is just magic.

"Below the new bridge a new lock is going to be built just to the west of it, so the canal is going to be restored and all the area around there will be landscaped with benches and information boards put in as well.

"So it’s going to be a lovely place to sit and relax. By the time that’s done, by next April, the building at Staveley basin will be finished with a cafe – and that will be really good because for years the basin has just sat there. But finally, it will be used and there will be boat trips there.”

The Trust is managing the latest restoration using £5.8m awarded by the Staveley Town Deal and 160,000 cubic metres of clay donated by Suon Ltd.

While Chesterfield Borough Council’s Staveley Waterside development at Staveley Canal Basin is part of £2.664 million in funding from the town deal and is part of the Markham Vale estate off M1 junction 29a.

Staveley Canal Trust has worked for 35 years with the ambition of seeing the waterway completely restored to Renishaw. And with only eight-a-half miles still to be reinstated between Staveley and Kiveton Park, the Trust sees the latest restoration as a step closer.

However Rod added: "It’s incredibly expensive – we’re having a couple of bridges, a pumping station and a new lock. If there’s engineering to do it gets really expensive. It’s really frustrating but at least we’ve got this really expensive bit out of the way.

"All the time we’re putting in bids for funding and getting small amounts – but to get millions, which is what we need, you’re taking about Government money or Lottery money.

"You never know when that’s going to happen. So all the time were making sure that when the opportunity arises we’re ready to be able to apply and put in proper plans.”