Rationale & Benefits
Why Restore & Develop
The Partnership believes that the full restoration of the Chesterfield Canal can make a very significant contribution to the quality of life in Nottinghamshire, Rotherham and Derbyshire through acting as a focus and catalyst for economic, social and environmental regeneration.
- The history and environment of the canal is of national importance and is a magnet for boaters, visitors and tourists which will help in the creation of jobs and aid the economic regeneration of the area.
- The restored sections offer a waterside environment which is attractive for planned sustainable development including residential, commercial and leisure.
- The restored canal improves the quality of life for local residents by the introduction of a managed and accessible landscape feature; a ‘linear park’ adding visual interest and providing opportunities for enjoyment, relaxation and healthy activity.
- The Chesterfield Canal is an important educational resource for formal and informal use in the study of a range of subjects from social history to industrial archaeology to botany.
Creating a cruising ring
Access to the Chesterfield Canal involves a 13 mile section of the tidal River Trent, which has proved in the past to be a disincentive to boating visitors and to the establishment of boat hire and ancillary industries.
With the Rother Valley Link, however, the Chesterfield Canal would be opened up to the whole of the northern waterways, via Rotherham and Doncaster. At the same time this would provide an entirely new ring of approximately 93 miles of navigation and circa 83 locks. This would provide an ample week’s intensive cruising and would be comparable to the country’s most popular canal cruising routes.
Economic Regeneration
The Chesterfield Canal Partnership believes that there is a strong case for reinstatement of the canal as a catalyst for economic regeneration. Several independent studies indicate that the restoration will:
- Create short term construction employment and stimulate the local economy as the canal is restored.
- Create significant sustainable employment both directly on the canal and in the wider local economy. The original canal line alone would support a total of around 1050 long term full-time equivalent jobs. With the addition of the Rother Valley Link the total would rise to around 1200 jobs.
- Help the leisure and tourism economy to grow, especially in areas which are not traditional tourist destinations. It is estimated that restoration would generate an annual visitor spend of between £3.1 million (without Rother Valley Link) and £3.7 million (with Rother Valley Link).
- Promote imaginative schemes for commercial and domestic building on brownfield sites adjacent to the canal. Waterside locations are attractive for investors and add value to land and property. On other waterways, uplifts in land and property values of between 15 and 30% have been recorded.
- Change external perceptions of an area leading to greater developer confidence and increased inward investment.
Social Regeneration
The Canal will continue to make a vital contribution to the social regeneration of the region. Experience on restored canals elsewhere has shown that restoration will:
- Provide a focus for pride in the community and community ‘ownership’ of the local environment.
- Provide recreational green space amenities with ‘quality of life’ improvements for communities. The canal will effectively become a 46 mile long linear water park, offering health & wellbeing opportunities.
- Provide a safe, traffic free route-way which will enable communities divided by road expansion to be reconnected. It will develop new walking and cycling routes between communities, schools and workplaces.
- Develop the potential of the canal as a venue for the arts and learning.
- Encourage further inward investment through improving the local environment and reducing anti-social behaviour.
Environmental Regeneration
A product of the pioneering years of the Canal Age and the Industrial Revolution, after the Chesterfield Canal has for 250 years been a distinctive thread running through and linking the contrasting landscapes of Derbyshire, Rotherham and Nottinghamshire.
It has a complex social and industrial history which has left a rich heritage of structures and monuments. At the same time its long peaceful decline and semi-abandonment has allowed it to develop a diverse range of semi-natural habitats containing a unique flora and fauna.
Restoration will protect and preserve the natural and historic environment of the canal. The Partnership will work with local communities to:
- Protect the nationally important built heritage of the canal and the canal corridor.
- Explore the history of the canal and the industries and communities which it served.
- Foster a sense of place and pride in local community.
- Enable communities to preserve their history through local archives and present their history to a wider audience.
- Protect and enhance the nationally important natural environment of the canal.
- Develop the canal as a significant wildlife refuge and a green corridor linking a number of different habitats and wildlife reserves.
- Create new wetland habitats which are being lost elsewhere in the region.
- Provide a model of integrated planning which incorporates cutting edge engineering, social and environmental design.