Petition calls for Chesterfield to 'embrace' its historic canal's restoration plans

Plans were submitted to restore another key stretch of the waterway this month after work on the project was stalled by the coronavirus pandemic.

A planning application for work on the remainder of the canal which falls within Chesterfield borough – a 1.6-mile section from Staveley to the edge of Renishaw – will be decided on by Chesterfield Borough Council’s planning committee soon.

Now three canal activists, who are also councillors, have launched the petition to coincide with the application.

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Councillor Ed Fordham said: "I am a canal boat owner myself and an enthusiastic supporter of the canal restoration – I wanted an opportunity for residents to show their support too.

"This petition is good timing as the final application for Chesterfield Borough Council to determine has been submitted and the opportunities for improved cycling, walking, water transport and the dynamic of becoming a canal town again must not be missed.”

Councillor Shirley Niblock, who represents West ward, said she and her husband had been members of the Chesterfield Canal Trust for more than 35 years.

"We are delighted to see the steady progress that has been made by so many volunteers giving up their time and their resources,” she said.

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"We pay tribute to the trust and we hope that this petition will mobilise the support of local residents and unlock the many benefits of the canal as a working waterway."

Volunteers at the trust say the completed canal towpath will provide a ‘delightful walking and cycling route’ which will link up with the Trans-Pennine Trail and other routes.

The bid is part of their ambitious goal to open up the canal from Chesterfield to the River Trent in time for the historic waterway’s 250th anniversary in 2027.

The canal’s route from Staveley to Renishaw, which falls under the planning application, is mostly through open countryside.

It will cross the River Doe Lea via a new 37m-long aqueduct.

You can sign the petition here and show your support.

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