IWA Lichfield Branch Magazine Spring 2023

Lichfield Branch

Lichfield Branch

Outgoing Chairman’s Report

As I write this there is brilliant sunshine outside and a cool easterly breeze but it definitely feels like spring, which is great. Hopefully this means we can all get out in warmer weather to enjoy our wonderful waterways.

As I mentioned in the previous magazine, at the AGM in March I stood down from the committee and hence the Chairman/Secretary roles. I will still be editing this magazine, producing posters and looking after the web site so I am still involved.

For those of you who do not come to our monthly social meetings or go on the walks this seemed to be a good time to introduce our committee. They have all been around for a while but some will be taking on new roles from the latest committee meeting on April 5th.

Chairman—Adrian Wedgwood

Having moved from the Home Counties in 1959 to Burton upon Trent to start a lifetime career in the Brewing industry, mostly with the then mighty Bass Brewers, my wife Maz & I have moved around Britain including Lancashire, living beside the Staffs & Worcs canal in Stafford, at Bradford on Avon and returning to Barton under Needwood in 1992.

Our 'boating' started in the 1960's with holidays from Preston Brook to Llangollen & to Worcester steering a 72ft. converted wooden Bridgewater tar boat. Since then with long hires we've cruised most of the connected system including the tidal Thames & Trent. Our 'swansong' cruise on the Caldon was covered last year by articles in both Towpath Talk & Waterways World.

My ancestral family linkage to our wonderful canals inspired me to join IWA & attend our Branch meetings joining our Committee in 2021 as Minutes Secretary. My other interests include CAMRA, Morris dancing & church bellringing.

As your Chairman, my limited understanding of IWA & CRT and need to look after Maz, my disabled wife (its our Diamond Wedding Anniversary next year) will be reinforced by Neil Barnett as Deputy Chairman and my highly experienced colleagues on your Committee. We'd welcome more to join us.

I'm looking forward to getting to know more of our members and to leading the Branch into greater success particularly attracting more people to our meetings.

Lichfield Branch

Vice Chairman—Neil Barnett

In addition to his role as Vice Chair, Neil looks after the memberships. volunteering, and publicity. Having narrowboated since 1976, Neil and his wife have lived on their boat since they retired in 2013, and spend each summer cruising extensively around the country. Note: Neil normally wears glasses but this is a passport photo and hence no glasses.

Treasurer—Sue Gurney

For over 50 years Sue has been volunteer Treasurer of several clubs and a small charity and her second career since leaving the IT business is as a professional bookkeeper. Since November 2020 Sue has been managing the Branch finances including liaising with the IWA Central Finance Team. Narrowboating – both hiring and shared ownership – with husband Pete has been a favourite leisure pastime for many years as has helping on the IWA sales & recruitment stand at local and national events.

Secretary & Planning Officer—Phil Sharpe

Phil has been the Branch’s Planning Officer for 30 years, has had two periods as Branch Chairman, the second also as Acting Secretary. As a onetime West Midlands Region Chairman he was briefly an IWA trustee, and at national level is currently IWA’s HS2 Lead Representative and a member of the Planning Advisory Panel. As well as planning, he has a particular interest in restoration, being a former Vice-Chairman of Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust, is now IWA’s nominee director on the Ashby Canal Trust, and represents IWA at meetings of Stafford Riverway Link. Phil started boating and helping to restore Marple Locks when still at school in the 1960s. He has been part owner of a Leeds & Liverpool short boat, and then of a Humber Keel on which he toured most of the French, Belgian, and Netherlands waterways. He

Lichfield Branch

still goes boating in Britain several times a year with a group of old friends and lives by the Trent & Mersey Canal in Rugeley.

Navigation Officer—Derek Beardsmore

Over 30 Years boating and narrow boat ownership. Member of Ash Tree boat club and past director of Lichfield and Hatherton canal restoration.

Region Chair—Helen Whitehouse

An Ex Officio member of the committee is Region Chair Helen Whitehouse.

Next time you bump into one of the committee you will now be able to recognise them.

I will now be handing over the Chairman’s report in the magazine to Adrian and I wish him and all the other members well in the future. This also seems like a good time to thank everybody who has helped me in the 2½ years I have been Chairman.

Pete Gurney

—Outgoing Chairman

Forthcoming Events

3rd April 2023

Thursday 19th April 2023—Meeting—A Northerner On (and off) the Northern Canals

In a change to our previously published speaker our last meeting of the season will feature the ever entertaining Phil Clayton with one of his many illustrated talks.

Thursday 18th May 2023—Walk

"Barton under Needwood and the Trent & Mersey Canal". This is an easy 5 mile walk on even ground with 6 stiles, on public footpaths, pavements, and the towpath. We first walk through this pleasant village before continuing southwards on a green lane to the hamlet of Wychnor. If time permits, and the church is open, we may visit this historic building.

On reaching the river section of the canal we turn left towards Wychnor lock. We finally leave the canal by bridge 40 and enter Efflinch. From there we continue on a pavement back to Barton under Needwood, passing several

Lichfield Branch

impressive buildings along the way. Meet 10:15 for a 10:30 start in the car park of The Middle Bell, 33 Main Street, Barton -under-Needwood, Staffs. DE13 8AA. Contact Clive Walker at clive.walker@waterways.org.uk

Saturday/Sunday 20th/21st May 2023—Moira Canal Festival Moira Furnace - To get here, follow the M42 north, A42 south or A444. Then, simply follow the brown signs!

For Sat Navs use our postcode: DE12 6AT

Enjoy a wide range of attractions on the banks of the restored length of the Ashby Canal, in the grounds of the Moira Furnace over the weekend of 20, 21 May. There will be boats, Military Wives Choir, Hey Beatles tribute band, children's entertainment, Morris dancing, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, Classic cars, Trad Jazz, static engines, bar and refreshments. - and don't forget Mother Duck and the Ashby Canal Duck race!

Open from 10-5, Adults £6, Children over 4 £3, carpark and programme free. We also hope to have an illuminated boat parade on Saturday evening if we get enough entrants. (It was a great success last year!)

All at Moira Furnace, Furnace Lane, Moira, DE12 6AT moiracanalfestival@outlook.com, www.moiracanalfestival.com

But want to get in free??

Volunteers wanted!

It's an easy job and you can sit down at it! We would like help at the site entrances for 2 hours, either one day or both days. Either way, you will get a cherished wrist band, which gives free admission to the event over the whole weekend.

Have a word with Fiona, the volunteer organiser, for details: fionapursglove@outlook.com, or 079414145212

Wednesday 7th June 2023—Walk

Our summer evening walk will start from the Clifford Arms, Great Haywood ST18 0SR. Keep an eye on the website for details of the route. Meet at The Clifford at 5pm. Contact Clive Walker at clive.walker@waterways.org.uk

Lichfield Branch

Sunday 6th August 2023—Lockwind

We will be holding a fund raising lockwind at Barton Turn lock starting at 10am and finishing about 4pm followed by a barbecue for the participants. We make money from donations but mostly from the sale of cakes, so if you can bake a couple of cakes (not too big) please contact Helen on helen.whitehouse@waterways.org.uk or 01543 491161.

Saturday/Sunday/Monday 26th-28th

August 2023—IWA Festival of Water

After a great event at Burton-upon-Trent last year the August Bank Holiday weekend again sees the IWA Festival of Water in our area, this time at Pelsall Junction on the Wyrley & Essington Canal. (see article Page 8) There will be lots of boats, lots of stalls and musical entertainment, and hopefully the weather will be good to us!

Recent Activities

Wednesday 18th January 2023—Meeting—Lichfield Canal Restoration— Engineering, Progress and Plans

Our first meeting of 2023 saw Bob Williams of the Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust give us an update on the success stories and challenges of restoring the Lichfield Canal. They have made great strides in 2022 and the plans going forward look to be both ambitious and practical. As always funding is the main issue and after the talk the Branch donated £500 towards their efforts.

Wednesday 15th February 2023—Meeting—”Coal from Cannock”

Andy Tidy gave us a fascinating talk on the route taken by coal boats from the Cannock coalfield into eastern Birmingham. He showed us many old photos of buildings and waterways, some of which no longer exist and some of which now run through the skyscrapers and posh buildings of Birmingham. He also had excellent jams and chutneys for sale from the “Jam Butty”.

Lichfield Branch

Friday 17th February 2023—Stroll—Alrewas and the Trent & Mersey Canal

In February the latest of our short walks programme took place in the village of Alrewas. Starting and finishing at the Crown Pub, the 2 mile ‘figure of eight’ walk encompassed the canal towpath, a short riverside walk, a stroll through the back lanes of this pretty village, a stop off at the magnificent All Saints Church for a mooch inside, and a pub lunch afterwards. The predicted gale force winds thankfully didn’t happen and we were even blessed with some sunshine. There was originally a small church in Alrewas in the 800s but the current building was started in the 1200s and has been continually modified since. A beautiful building!

Thursday 2nd March 2023—Walk—Penkridge and the Staffs & Worcs Canal

The Lichfield branch last had a walk in Penkridge on 9th May 2019, when we started from The Four Crosses pub, and headed southwards passing through Rodbaston College. This time we began at the Boat Inn and headed northwards along the canal. The towpath here forms part of The Cross Britain Way, a 279 mile trail created to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support Macmillan Way - Cross Britain WayLDWA Long Distance Paths. Shortly after Woodbank Lock we walked under the busy M6. Whilst this underpass is not pretty, it is nevertheless a substantial piece of concrete engineering, and amazingly free of graffiti! We left the canal by the ornate Teddesley Park Bridge No. 89, posing first for a group photo. We were now in Teddesley Hay, an area of 2,625 acres and part of Teddesley Hall, the ancestral home of the Littleton family. The main building was demolished in 1954, and only the gardens and the fine Georgian stables remain. We were distracted from our distant view of the stables by the sight of a couple of stags in an adjoining field. Clearly, the deer were aware of our presence, and had seen us first.

We continued through parkland, the

noise from the M6 a distant memory. Taking care when walking a short distance along the busy B5012 we then crossed over to Quarry Heath Lane, which led us into the hamlet of Pillaton. The farm buildings on the Pillaton Estate have been converted into light industrial units and a caravan park. Hidden from the road is Old Pillaton Hall, a gem of a building. Its front is somewhat reminiscent of the gatehouse at Tixall. This grade II listed building has links to the neighbouring Teddesley estate. It is said that the fourth and last of the Littleton baronets moved the family seat north to Teddesley Hall, allegedly building it with hoards of cash discovered hidden at Pillaton. Walking by, we were unaware of this hidden cache, nor did we see any eccentric metal detectors – detectorists – in the vicinity.

Pilllaton used to be the base of RAF Penkridge, an elementary WW2 flying school equipped with Tiger Moths. Some of the outbuildings still exist, indeed the airfield is still used by a fleet of microlights. We walked back into Penkridge past Moor Hall Cottages and along the ring road. Our table had been set at the pub and we enjoyed refreshment.

Clive Walker

Wednesday 15th March 2020—Branch AGM followed by Neil Barnett

The formalities of the AGM were soon over (see Chairman’s and Treasurer’s reports on pages 11-14). Then it was on to Neil Barnett’s first short presentation which featured an video “borrowed” from youtube (with permission) of a trip, just like the one Neil had done last year, into the centre of Cambridge by narrowboat. The second presentation showed another of Neil’s long held ambitions to boat the Caledonian Canal. Spectacular scenery and very different from the narrow canals of the Midlands!

IWA Festival of Water 2023 – Call for help!

The IWA Festival of Water will this year be held at Pelsall over the August Bank Holiday weekend (August 26th – 28th).

You may be aware that this festival is run entirely by volunteers. The team preparing for the event is looking for extra volunteers to ensure that it is a success. In particular, they would like to hear from anyone who could assist with selling space to stall holders and exhibitors. The aim of the festival is to highlight the waterways and the restoration projects in the area. It is essential that any event run by our charity should

Lichfield Branch

at the very least “break even” financially. This is only possible if we have a wide and varied selection of traders booked into the event in advance. Achieving this is essential and preparatory work is the key. The more exhibitors and traders at the festival, the more attractive it becomes to visitors so this aspect of preparation for the event is absolutely crucial. Whilst we have some regular stall holders who join us every year, finding new and interesting stall-holders keeps the event alive so if you are interested in helping to “sell space” or to help in co-ordinating this effort please contact John Butler john.butler@waterways.org.uk

Nearer the event, people will be needed to distribute leaflets and place banners and posters around the area. Volunteers will also be needed on site to help set up. If you would like to register an interest in any aspect of this, without committing yourself in any way, please contact me: helen.whitehouse@waterways.org.uk or phone for a chat on 01543 491161.

Looking forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.

Helen Whitehouse

Recent News

National Viewpoint & Victoria Cup

After the AGM our West Midlands Region Chair, Helen Whitehouse gave us an update from the national perspective. There have been significant staff changes at Chesham with the acting CEO Jonathan Smith finishing his six month stint and a new (Part time) CEO recruited, unfortunately this position is vacant again. The full time post of Operations Manager has been created to run the office on a day to day basis, this has been filled by Ross Field. We also welcomed Verena Leonardini as Events and Restoration Hub Coordinator, Jenny Hodson as Volunteer and Membership Coordinator and Vedy Reddy to replace Genevieve Wilson as Finance Manager. Helen also outlined several campaigns already running “Waterways for Today” and “Only IWA”. Have a look at the website for more details on these. A new campaign is at the planning stage called “Protect Our Waterways” to ensure that required resources are available to maintain and develop the waterways.

After the formal part Helen was pleased to present the Victoria Cup. This is awarded annually to an IWA West Midlands Member who has made a significant contribution to the aims of the association. This year it was deservedly awarded to Lichfield member Jeff Steele for his outstanding work organising and

IWA West Midlands Region Chairman

Lichfield Branch

running the Offside Veg programme and dealing with all the complications thrown at him by Canal & River Trust.

Membership Incentive Scheme

It is probably a little known fact that if the Branch recruits a new member then the Branch will get a financial contribution from central funds. The new member needs to put “Lichfield Branch” either on the form or in the online field “Where did you find out about us”. This can be a very useful addition to Branch funds so KEEP RECRUITING!

Information Box at Colwich Lock

There have been information boxes at Colwich Lock and Shade House Lock at Fradley for some years. They were originally funded by Rugeley traders to contain the Rugeley Town Guide. They were very well made by one of the inmates at Featherstone jail and were originally locked with a CRT keyed padlock which has long since vanished. With the rise of the internet the Guide has not been published for some years so the plan was to repurpose them to contain information about the Lichfield Branch. Unfortunately, the one at Fradley has disappeared so we are left with just the Colwich one. The Branch recently purchased a label to attach to the box and we are stocking it with copies of Lichfield Lines. The idea is that passing boaters/walkers will pick up a magazine and be encouraged to join IWA and hence the Branch.

Article in Narrowboat Magazine

If you didn’t see the Winter Edition of Narrowboat Magazine there was a fantastic article by Branch member John Parry on Burton’s 18c Waterways. As usual with any article by John this was fantastically well researched and really interesting! If you missed it I’m sure there are copies still available either from Waterways World or other sources.

Towpath Through Burton-upon-Trent

A while ago the Branch were contacted by Canal & River Trust to let us know that they had acquired external funding to improve the towpath from Branston Water Park to the Dove aqueduct, some 5 miles. We were asked to walk the section and provide input to CRT on what could be done to improve things. Following this myself (Pete Gurney), Adrian Wedgwood and Neil Barnett walked the length and made copious notes on the things we thought needed work. Locations were identified using

Lichfield Branch

What3Words enabling us to give precise positioning. Most of the towpath through the town is in good condition with plenty of armco for moorings. We pointed out some areas that we thought could do with additional mooring rings and also a significant number of areas where the bank was badly eroded. The report was welcomed by CRT and the work should commence in the autumn.

We enjoyed a pub lunch half way through the walk only to discover that at the end by the Dove aqueduct the recent heavy rain had flooded the lane on which Neil had parked his car. Undaunted he rolled up his trousers and waded through about 18” of water to reach it. Luckily he drives a Jeep and managed to negotiate the floods back to dry land. I don’t think an ordinary car would have made it!

Ashby Canal Path

In 2019 the IWA awarded £10,000 to the Ashby Canal Association to complete the 2½ mile path between Measham and Snarestone following the original and proposed restoration line of the canal. The path was fully opened last year and we have a limited supply of leaflets available at Branch meetings. For more information visit the Ashby Canal Association website at www.ashbycanal.org.uk

AGM Chairman’s Report

With the lifting of all restrictions 2022 proved to be our first “normal” year since 2019 and we managed a full program of public events. Our committee meetings were also held in person which was appreciated by the members. There was a slight hiccup in February when our speaker (John Parry) came down with the dreaded Covid and we had to cancel the meeting at the last moment. All the other public meetings went well although the attendances have still not recovered to the pre pandemic levels.

Lichfield Branch

The long running Offside Veg programme also restarted in full in 2022 and a total of 1,120 hours were worked by the Branch team who were putting in two days a week. Thanks must go to Jeff Steele for organising the programme and for resolving the hurdles CRT’s bureaucracy has attempted to put in the way. We again lost a long-standing member in 2022. Sadly Doreen Wood, wife of Branch founding member Eric Wood passed away in November. The funeral was very well attended.

Last year we had two legacies from 2021 to donate. £500 in memory of Jerry Sanders went to the Ashby Canal Association towards a bridge at the stop lock at Snarestone and £2,000 in memory of Malcolm Braine which went to the Friends of President towards their boiler appeal. The last was particularly apt as Malcolm was one of the main drivers behind rescuing President from dereliction. We also donated £500 to Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust from Branch funds. The Branch had a presence at both the Stafford Riverway Link 25th Anniversary festival and the IWA Festival of Water at Burton’s Shobnall Fields, also several branch members were involved in organising and manning the IWA stand at the Crick Boat Show. The festival is again in our area in 2023 at Pelsall and I hope to see many Branch members there.

At the AGM in 2022 Sue Gurney and Adrian Wedgwood were formally added to the committee after being co-opted the previous year, there were no other changes to the committee. Unfortunately, we are still short of a Speaker/Social organiser, but this does not need to be a committee post.

My thanks go to all the Committee members, past, present and future, for all the work they have done in the past year: Phil Sharpe, Derek Beardsmore, Neil Barnett, Sue Gurney, Adrian Wedgwood and our West Midlands Region Chair, Helen Whitehouse have kept the branch going and helped me with my role as Chairman.

My thanks must also go to Clive Walker for researching and organising our walks and Sheila Cook (and helpers) for providing the catering at our public meetings and everyone else who has provided their time during the year.

As has previously been publicised this will be my last Chairman’s report as at the end of this meeting I will be standing down from the committee. I will still be carrying on with the non-committee posts of Newsletter Editor, producing posters and looking after the Branch web pages and look forward to seeing you at our Branch meetings and IWA Events throughout the year.

I wish the incoming Chairman and the Branch all the best for the future.

Thanks for attending.

Pete Gurney, Outgoing Chairman

AGM Treasurer’s Report

The IWA Lichfield Branch available balance at the start of 2022 was £1,982 with a further £2,300 held in “ring fenced” donations brought forward from 2021. During

Lichfield Branch

the year the Branch income from activities and donations together with significant “ring fenced” donations meant the Branch was able to make donations totalling £3,235 to waterways projects as follows:

£2,000 to n.b. President Boiler Appeal in memory of Malcolm Braine

£500 to Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust

£500 to Ashby Canal Association in memory of Jerry Sanders

£135 to Stafford Riverway link

£50 to Shrewsbury and Newport Canal Trust in lieu of speaker expenses

£50 to Truman Enterprise Narrowboat Trust

Income in 2022 was £2,629 made up of:

£353 donations:

£176 from various Lichfield Branch walks

£145 In memory of Jerry Sanders

£32 general donations including £20 from Barclays to compensate for a lost cheque

£254 raffle and refreshment donations from our public meetings. Thanks to everyone present for their support.

£140 advertising in Lichfield Lines. This comes from adverts in each of the four quarterly magazines.

£988 Branch Sales (the net profit is £415).

£200 new membership incentive. This is allocated to the Branch from Central Funds for each new membership signed up directly by the Branch.

£694 Christmas meal

Expenditure in 2022 was £4,900 which included:

£3,235 donations (as detailed above)

£178 hire of hall for public meetings

£100 speaker expenses

£100 hire of committee room

£573 purchase of merchandise for Branch Sales (Cost value of stock in hand is £538).

£694 Christmas meal. This was covered in total by the income for the event.

£20 Purchase of a Sum-up card machine which enables the Branch to take card payments at meetings and events. The only ongoing charge is a transaction fee of 1.69% of each transaction value.

Although there was an apparent “loss” of £2,271 in 2022, this includes the use of the £2,300 brought forward as “ring fenced” donations from 2021. Hence at the end of 2022 the available funds were £2,011 with no “ring fenced” funds being carried forward to 2023. This represents an increase in funds of £29.

Lichfield Branch

All in all a successful year and we look forward to your continued support in 2023. Thank-you.

Sue Gurney IWA Lichfield Branch Treasurer

Planning

This report summarises the more significant of about 40 planning matters dealt with between mid-January and early April 2023. Further details are available on request. On the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal just south of Milford Aqueduct a proposed change of use of farmland to two dog exercise fields includes high wire-mesh fencing for 400 metres along the towpath and a car park near the aqueduct. These would be visually intrusive to the open rural setting of the Listed aqueduct and the canal Conservation Area, and barking dogs could spoil the enjoyment of mooring here. We asked that the West Field with its fencing and parking be removed from the application and for tree and shrub planting to screen the East field.

Near Four Ashes, the first of the giant warehouses on the West Midlands Interchange site will now have its earth bund screening along Vicarage Lane installed before its first use, as we requested.

On the Trent & Mersey Canal at Riley Hill near Kings Bromley, the small marina at Wharf Farm now has permission for sales of fuel, pump-out and boating items but only to passing boats. Replacement of some of the private moorings by a maximum of 8 hire boats and 2 day-trip boats was also agreed. But the maintenance and repair of boats outside the workshop building was not allowed to safeguard the amenity of the neighbours.

At Barton Marina, a proposed two storey building housing 17 motel units on the north side of the marina basin would be in the same location and of similar design to 9 craft shops with offices permitted in 2014 and again in 2017 but not built. It would be more appropriate than the 20 ‘tourist pods’ in

the adjacent woodland area also permitted in 2017 but not built. We had no objection to the motel units, but the adjacent moorings overlook and are overlooked by the motel rooms so should continue to be used for boat sales and not by moored boats in residential use. We were also concerned that a large wide-beam houseboat currently there was of a different design from the recent consent and in an unauthorised location.

In a separate application for The Waterfront public house there are plans to replace the ‘orangery’ part of the building by an extended conservatory with a balcony above.

Off Mill Stream Lane at Clay Mills in Burton upon Trent, a retrospective application was for retention of 8 containers and a large agricultural building on ground raised 1 metre by tipping. The large partly-built barn, ugly containers, untidy piles of soil and rubble and scattered vehicles on the site are all in a previously undeveloped field, very visible from the Trent & Mersey Canal and intrusive into the setting of its Conservation Area. Tipping to raise the land level in the flood plain has increased the flood risk to the canal embankment and Dove Aqueduct. We considered it should be refused, but if approved should be conditional on planting a new hedge along the actual site boundary with the field to help screen it from the canal.

By the Coventry Canal south of Hay End Lane at Fradley, the one field remaining between completed, approved or allocated housing developments is now inevitably also proposed for housing. However, the Outline layout and landscaping is acceptable, with footpath links to the towpath.

At Heath Gap, Fradley we objected to the size, design, and position of a very large house on a site approved in 2013 for a much smaller house set back from canal, but not built. Since then, the canal through Fradley has been extensively urbanised with more development planned, but this site is outside the village settlement boundary.

In Atherstone, just south of the top lock and the Britannia Works site, another derelict factory is proposed for replacement with a care-home. The large 3 storey block is designed like a canal warehouse with traditional small pane arched windows, with a glazed section, and set behind a canalside patio.

At Springwood Haven north of Nuneaton, the application for 11 holiday lodges has now been withdrawn.

At Tuttle Hill in Nuneaton, on the former quarry site approved for housing development, a proposed temporary use for 5 years as open storage could cause noise disturbance to the canal and acoustic screening should be provided over the canal bridge.

Near the Ashby Canal in a field west of Dadlington, a sculpture called The Storm Breaks is to be one of a series of artworks on the Bosworth 1485 Sculpture Trail linked by a walking route from Market Bosworth taking in a section of the Ashby Canal towpath, with a short new permissive path to the sculpture from the towpath. The sculpture will be largely screened from the canal by the existing hedge, although prominently visible from the road over Dadlington Wharf Bridge 30.

Near the Cannock Extension Canal at Norton Canes, the application for a go-kart track on Wyrley Common which was previously refused in 2020 was again recommended for refusal, partly because of its noise impacts on the residential canal boats, and has since been withdrawn.

By the Hatherton Branch at Oak Lane, it is proposed to demolish the old cottages close to the canal bridge and replace them with two bungalows set further back from the lane. We have supported this as it will ease the engineering challenge of replacing the lowered canal bridge deck to allow restoration of the canal. However, the proposed conifer hedging would shade and damage the existing towpath hedge, so we asked that instead the present hedge be strengthened with native deciduous trees and shrubs.

Alongside the Lichfield Canal at Tamworth Road in Lichfield, the long-running application for a very large care home and 15 houses has finally been refused. This was mainly because of its size and impact on an adjacent Listed Building, but the reasons also include concerns about its integration with the improved canal side infrastructure and its impact on the amenity and integrity of the Lichfield Canal.

Phil Sharpe Planning Officer

Lichfield Branch

Editorial Notice

Lichfield Lines is the newsletter of IWA Lichfield Branch, it is produced 4 times a year to keep members informed about our forthcoming public meetings, walks, work parties and other activities, to provide reports on recent meetings and events, and to include articles of general interest to our members.

The editor, Peter Gurney, welcomes articles, letters or photographs of waterway activities in our Branch area which can be emailed to pete.gurney@waterways.org.uk (Please note there is a 35MB limit for emails with attachments sent via this address). The copy date for the next newsletter will be 15th July 2023, for publication in August.

Advertising

Lichfield Lines is posted or emailed to about 350 Branch members. It can also be read and downloaded by anyone from the Branch website pages. If you would like to publicise your waterway related business to our members, and others that read the newsletter online, we can offer advertising space at the following rates:

Full Page - £20 inc VAT per issue

Half Page - £10 inc VAT per issue

Please contact the editor to discuss artwork and layout. By advertising you will help to sponsor IWA's charitable activities and reach potential customers who are all committed to the waterways.

The IWA has a range of corporate members some of whom offer discounts to members. The discount details can be found on the IWA website at https://waterways.org.uk/support/ways-to-give/corporate-membership

Corporate members in our area are—

Lichfield Cruising Club 2000 Ltd

Stafford Boat Club Ltd

Truman Enterprise Narrowboat Trust

Ashby Canal Trust

Lichfield & Hatherton Canals

Restoration Trust

Canal Transport Services Ltd

River Canal Rescue Ltd

Midland Chandlers

Norton Canes Boat Services Ltd

Lakeland Leisure Estates Ltd

Longwood Boat Club

Ashby Canal Association

Tamworth Cruising Club

Ash Tree Boat Club

Countywide Cruisers (Brewood) Ltd

Elite Furnishings

Waterways World Ltd

Hargreaves Narrowboat Trust

Stafford Riverway Link

All Leisure Boating Ltd

Please mention the IWA when contacting any of these Corporate Members.

Lichfield Branch

Your Committee

Chairman

Tel: 01283 713125

Email: adrian.wedgwood@waterways.org.uk

Vice-Chairman

Tel: 07808 846434 or 07481259955

Email: neil.barnett@waterways.org.uk

Treasurer

Tel: 01785 255101

Email: sue.gurney@waterways.org.uk

Secretary & Planning Officer

Tel: 01889 583330

Email: phil.sharpe@waterways.org.uk

Volunteer Coordinator & Membership

Tel: 07808 846434 or 07481259955

Email: neil.barnett@waterways.org.uk

Navigation Officer

Tel: 07847 470112

Email: derek.beardsmore@waterways.org.uk

Social Secretary

Ex Officio: Region Chairman

also Branch Sales and External Talks (non- committee posts)

Tel : 01543 491161

Email: helen.whitehouse@waterways.org.uk

Non-committee posts

Newsletter and Website Editor

Tel: 01785 255101

Email: pete.gurney@waterways.org.uk

Walks Coordinator

Email: clive.walker@waterways.org.uk

Social Media Editor

Email: Richard.curtis@waterways.org.uk

Branch Contact Address

Email: lichfield@waterways.org.uk

Adrian Wedgwood

Neil Barnett

Sue Gurney

Phil Sharpe

Neil Barnett

Derek Beardsmore

Position vacant

Helen Whitehouse

Pete Gurney

Clive Walker

Richard Curtis

Lichfield Branch