CaRT hits back
IN A somewhat blatant attempt to nullify the continuing complaints from all quarters of the ever deteriorating waterway structures, Canal & River Trust have rolled out the 'independent' Sir Neil Cossons to give the structures top marks, though it would have perhaps been better if Sir Neil was not Chairman of CaRT's own advisory group, with the Trust telling us:
The Canal & River Trust's heritage credentials have been given top marks over the last financial year following successful repairs to hundreds of listed or scheduled structures. The conservation works, which included repairs to numerous locks, including the Caen Hill Lock Flight, as well as bridges and aqueducts, were subject to heritage consent or clearance from either local planning authorities, English Heritage or Cadw.
Trust and volunteers
The year came to a close without a single compliance issue raised by the regulators; a feat given the number and level of works carried out by the Trust and its volunteers.
The Trust carried out 261 works requiring heritage consent or clearance plus hundreds more works to historic canal infrastructure that, because they were not listed, didn't require specific clearance.
Finest examples
Sir Neil Cossons, Britain's leading authority on industrial heritage, former Chairman of English Heritage and independent Chairman of the Trust's heritage advisory group, comments:
"The nation's canal heritage is amongst the finest examples of industrial heritage in the world. In the Canal & River Trust we have a real champion looking after it.
"The age and nature of the canal network together with its importance makes for a hugely challenging and rewarding task for the Trust. Very few organisations have to carry out such large numbers of heritage conservation works each year and few organisations manage to achieve this level of performance."
Long list
Nigel Crowe, Head of Heritage at the Trust, comments:
"The nation's ageing canal network is a unique window onto our industrial past. We have a long list of conservation works planned for the year ahead and a lot more to do besides. One of the things we are working towards is a National Listed Building Consent Order that would allow us to perform certain specific works without the need for repeat consents.
"So it's very important to us that the quality and standard of our workmanship is as high as possible. It's the same if we're conserving an internationally renowned aqueduct or a much loved local landmark, a structure that has the highest level of designation or a heritage detail that's without any protection. Our standards should be equally high and thanks to the support of our Friends and volunteers we'll continue to do the very best we can for the heritage of the waterways."