Costwold Canals - Wiltshire Council

[PaulG]

Cotswold Canals Trust are reporting a strange U-turn by Wilshire Council:

 

"Restoration of the Thames & Severn Canal at Marston Meysey

As a result of a Cotswold Canals Trust campaign that started 25 years ago, Wiltshire Council imposed a planning condition in respect of gravel extraction at Roundhouse Farm in Marston Meysey, Wiltshire. The condition states that the Thames & Severn Canal would be reconstructed across the site.
Recent agreement

Indeed, the Cotswold Canals Trust recently reached agreement with Morton C. Cullimore (Gravels) Ltd regarding the detailed specification of the canal and how it would be restored.
Extraordinary turn of events

In an extraordinary turn of events, Wiltshire Council's minerals planners have advised Cullimore not to include the restoration of the canal when finishing off their site."

 

Full story
http://www.cotswoldcanals.com/pages/posts/message-from-cct-chief-executive-739.php

 

This despite the fact that the Council describe themselves as "Being a key member of the Cotswold Canals Partnership, Wiltshire Council assists with the restoration of this canal through the giving of financial contributions and technical assistance.

 

Information on the CCT website (link above) if you want to express an opinion...

[David Mack]

Cotswold Canals Trust are reporting a strange U-turn by Wilshire Council:

 

"Restoration of the Thames & Severn Canal at Marston Meysey

 

As a result of a Cotswold Canals Trust campaign that started 25 years ago, Wiltshire Council imposed a planning condition in respect of gravel extraction at Roundhouse Farm in Marston Meysey, Wiltshire. The condition states that the Thames & Severn Canal would be reconstructed across the site.

Recent agreement

 

Indeed, the Cotswold Canals Trust recently reached agreement with Morton C. Cullimore (Gravels) Ltd regarding the detailed specification of the canal and how it would be restored.

Extraordinary turn of events

 

In an extraordinary turn of events, Wiltshire Council's minerals planners have advised Cullimore not to include the restoration of the canal when finishing off their site."

 

Full story

http://www.cotswoldcanals.com/pages/posts/message-from-cct-chief-executive-739.php

 

This despite the fact that the Council describe themselves as "Being a key member of the Cotswold Canals Partnership, Wiltshire Council assists with the restoration of this canal through the giving of financial contributions and technical assistance.

 

Information on the CCT website (link above) if you want to express an opinion...

 

 

From my quick reading of a selection of the documents it appears that Cullimores no longer wish to restore the canal. One might speculate as to their reasons but the cost could be one consideration. The council's planning officers have advised that as some of the conditions attached to the original planning consent were not addressed at the time, the restoration is no longer strictly required to be carried out, as long as nothing done now prevents the future canal restoration, which would need to be the subject of a separate planning application.

 

The planning officers may well have provided a strictly correct legal interpretation of the planning position, but it clearly drives a coach and horses through the original intention of the planning condition. As such, simply registering an objection with the Case Officer will have limited impact. It will be much more effective if letters of objection are sent directly to Wiltshire County Councillors, in particular the relevant ward councillors and the chair of the planning committee.

 

Magpie Patrick is the man who really knows about this sort of stuff (and may already be involved).

Edited March 19, 2015 by David Mack

[1st ade]

This has just re-surfaced on Facebook as the closing date for comments regarding planning permission is 14th December 2017. However, having commented, Facebook has obligingly hidden the link (presumably as I've viewed it once and it's giving me "new" news)!

[Rob-M]

I think this is the application you are referring to, http://cotswoldcanals.com/roundhouse-farm-planning-application/