BW gives land to trust

Published: Monday, 18 January 2010

BRITISH Waterways has gifted land to the Cotswold Canals Trust to help with the restoration of the Thames & Severn Canal, now known as the Cotswold Canals.

The land includes the entrance to the Thames and a section of the Thames & Severn Canal and the first lock.

BW originally acquired this part of the canal, together with the adjacent roundhouse and a converted warehouse, in 2002 when it came up for sale. This was around the time when BW had completed a number of major canal restorations across the national network, and everyone hoped that the Cotswold Canals would be next.

Spending cuts

However in February 2008, with mounting problems elsewhere on the canal network and cuts in Government funding, BW decided it had to pull out of the Cotswold Canals restoration.

Of the gift, Ken Burgin, the trust's Chief Executive told:

"We are very grateful to BW for the way they handled the disposal of their land at Inglesham. With all the other issues they have, including underfunding due to government cut backs, it would have been all too easy just to sell the property and walk away. As it turns out, BW still have a very valuable property to sell but the entrance of the Thames & Severn Canal has been safeguarded.

"The Cotswold Canals Trust now intends to develop proposals to restore Inglesham Lock and the entrance to the canal. The bridge and the Roundhouse are listed buildings, so whatever is done will need to be of high quality and carried out with care."