Cutting down on moorings

Published: Thursday, 01 October 2009

The Trent & Mersey Canal Society magazine Grand Trunk, describes the greenfield site at Branston Bridge as ‘a very welcome and peaceful largely rural mooring', but the secretary believes  building a sports ground will further diminish rural moorings.

Dave Brewin, Secretary of the Society, believes the new sports ground, including eight new pitches and a clubhouse on the land, will just add to the dwindling number of rural mooring spots alongside the canal at Branston. (An artist's impression is shown.)

Of the application for the sports ground Dave revealed:

"It is very noticeable how the authors (of the original planning application) seize on perceived defects in the character of the existing area as reasons for adding other far worse visual intrusions.

"For instance, how many of the thousands of boaters, walkers or anglers who visit the site every month realise it consisted of ‘species poor semi-improved grassland' with ‘over-managed hedgerows' and ‘over mature oak and ash trees scattered across the site'?

"We should clearly be thankful it wasn't flattened and ‘improved' years ago."