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Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal - Llanthony: Hydro-Electric & Flood Relief Scheme

Richard Benyon MP, the Minister for Inland Waterways, at Gloucester, together with David Penny from the Canal Trust, announced the above scheme to an assembled audience in Hereford on 12th December 2011.

The assembled company consisted of executives from British Waterways and the Environment Agency together with directors and cabinet members of the Local Authorities of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire as well as other invited participants at the invitation of Richard Graham, the MP for Gloucester (and new Vice President of the HGCT).

The day was to permit the Minister to open the Environment Agency’s new flood storage scheme at Horsebere Brook and to launch British Waterways locally as a charity. After the Minister had delivered his speech, he handed over to David Penny to launch the £7m scheme at Llanthony to create a new lock which will also serve as a flood relief channel and a major hydro-electric scheme. As well as being a huge asset to the community residing either side of the River Severn’s route, the scheme is set to earn the HGCT a good return once operational.

It will take several years to reach the stage of acquiring planning permission and other consents, but it will now be full steam ahead, led from the HGCT headquarters at The Wharf House, Over, to reach that objective.

MP for Gloucester Richard Graham praised the scheme, saying: "This is the most exciting environmental project Gloucester has seen for a long time. It's an opportunity to generate significant green revenue from hydro electricity for the Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal Trust's work, improve the quality of water brought from the river to the Docks, construct a new Llanthony Lock connecting the Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal with the River Severn and Gloucester Docks, and to provide flood relief. What a vision, what prospects - and what enthusiasm in the high level audience from the public, private and voluntary sectors who heard the presentation. David has done a great job carrying everyone with the idea: now we must run with that momentum and keep everyone together as the Trust digs into the detail. All of us in the City are excited."

Nick Worthington, from British Waterways, added: "Clearly, the potential here is huge."

The Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal took 53 years to build and was completed in 1845, making it the last major route built in Britain (apart from some navigations in Birmingham and the Manchester Ship Canal). The canal stretched for 34 miles from the River Severn at Gloucester, via Newent, Dymock and Ledbury to the city of Hereford, using twenty two locks and three tunnels. The Canal was formally closed in 1881 to allow construction of the Ledbury to Gloucester railway which in turn was closed by Dr Beeching in 1964.

The Canal Society was formed in 1983 and in 1992 became the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal Trust, a registered charity. The Trust has an ordinary and corporate membership of over 1,300 nationwide and abroad.

The Trust’s objective is to fully restore the 34-mile Canal, from its connection with the 2,500-mile inland waterway network at Gloucester to the centre of Hereford. The Trust has major restoration sites in each county, which together extend to over four miles, and plans to progress several other developments in the near future.

The Herefordshire and Goucestershire Canal Trust is a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee (no 2704407) and is a registered charity (no 1010721).

www.h-g-canal.org.uk
www.thewharfhouse.co.uk