Councillors Support Uttoxeter Canal
Three Staffordshire County Councillors have clubbed together £1,800 from their ‘local member’s initiative fund’ to support the funding of a feasibility study for the restoration of the Uttoxeter Canal that could be the catalyst of a rural regeneration scheme for the north of the town and its surrounding areas.
County Councillors Geoff Morrison of Uttoxeter Town, Philip Atkins of Uttoxeter Rural and County Councillor Mike Maryon of Cheadle and Checkley, have a common belief that the re-establishment of the canal, which was closed as long ago as 1849, will bring many benefits to the area ranging from tourism and leisure through to ecological enhancements.
Left to right:
Councillors Philip Atkins, Geoff Morrison and Mike
Maryon
at Froghall, the start of the Uttoxeter Canal
Geoff Morrison said, “The line of the canal is still almost entirely intact thanks to its rural location and I am absolutely delighted that I can help the volunteers of the Caldon and Uttoxeter Canals Trust whose dedication to restoring what could become a fantastic asset to Uttoxeter. If the scheme goes ahead it will not only help to enhance an area of natural beauty by revitalising part of a quarry but will also bring natural environmental improvements to the area and all long its path.”
Philip Atkins commented, “This is a great community project driven by local people who want to improve our area and I was only too pleased to support their grant application for LMIS funds. The proposal will look at a large part of Uttoxeter Rural Division from Denstone through Rocester to Crakemarsh and will also bring benefits to all on its 13 mile path from Lock number one at Froghall through to Uttoxeter. I understand that preliminary surveys have been carried out, but the trust requires a formal feasibility study before they can move on to the next stage of the restoration and the funding.”
Mike Maryon concluded, “When a Cheadle resident asked me and my two colleagues for support on the basis that this project could only greatly benefit the people of the Staffordshire Moorlands and East Staffordshire it was difficult to refute. The public's increasing awareness of the positive environmental benefits of canals and their historical associations as well as interesting canal side sites is well known and has caught the imagination of the community. I have always been a supporter of the environment for the community and my interest is well known, whether it be with this canal or the Cheadle to Creswell railway line that I am currently urging the County Council to purchase. ”