Water has returned to a newly restored section of the Lichfield Canal after volunteers completed 85 metres of work at Gallows Reach off Tamworth Road.
Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust has constructed and lined the section so it can hold water for the first time. The work forms part of the second phase of the wider Gallows Reach restoration project.
Lichfield District Council awarded the trust £200,000 from its Community Infrastructure Levy fund. The contribution is paying for essential materials needed to restore a 225-metre stretch, including sheet piling for the canal sides and a watertight lining for the bed.
Volunteer work reaches major milestone
The completed section has been temporarily closed off to retain water. Work is continuing on the next stages as the trust pursues its long-term ambition of reconnecting the Lichfield Canal with Huddlesford Junction.
Councillor Alex Farrell, Lichfield District Council's cabinet member for housing and the Local Plan, said seeing water in the section was a “brilliant milestone” made possible by the volunteers' time, skill and dedication.
“This is exactly what Community Infrastructure Levy funding should be about — taking money generated through development and investing it back into infrastructure that benefits our communities.”
Derek Lord, the trust's planning and technical trustee, said the funding had provided a major boost and that completing and watering the first section demonstrated visible progress.
“With this first milestone now reached, we've already begun the next stages of restoration at Gallows Reach.”
New walking route and wildlife habitat
Alongside the canal restoration, the project is intended to create a traffic-free pedestrian route between the new communities at Cricket Lane and St John's Grange.
The council and trust also expect the work to create new wildlife habitats, improve biodiversity and establish a stronger green corridor for residents and visitors.
The story details, quotations and photographs were supplied by Lichfield District Council for editorial publication.
