Sustrans in conjuction with Calderdale Council are to make an all weather surface (probably tarmac) on the canal towpath. This will run from Warland on the Lancs boundary to the tarmac down the valley where it reached a couple of years ago (Salterhebble?).
I know there was controversy with the tarmacing when it was done on the lower stretches and the effect on vegetation etc. Does anyone know how things have resolved? We are worried in the Upper Valley because the towpath is so narrow and any worthwhile vegetation will disappear under a hard surface.
Hi Philip
ReplyDeletePerhaps Hugh Firman or Steve Blacksmith may be able to comment. I know it's been (or still is) an issue at Cromwell Bottom.
Please note the attached extract from a post on Calderdale Wildlife Network at the end of September. It throws some possible light on the situation and provides contact details. I haven't heard the outcome though. Nigel.
ReplyDelete"On 14th September officers from British Waterways, Rochdale Council and The Waterways Trust met to consider the options available for taking forward towpath improvements between Punchbowl Lock (Lock 40) and Warland Swing Bridge on the Rochdale Canal using funding via the South Pennines LEADER programme. It has been recommended that a selection of surface solutions should be costed for the scheme via a tender process. For the Summit pound, a distance of approximately 1.4km, these are Self Bind, Toptrek (a 100% recycled pathway which provides a durable footpath surfacing, especially on rural situations), and Finepath (which was developed by Tarmac in association with British Waterways as an alternative material to 'black ash' surfacing and is used extensively on the canal network in the West Midlands). For the length between Punchbowl Lock and Chelburn Bridge, a distance of approximately 650m, these will be Self Bind, Toptrek, Finepath and a bound tar spray and chip finish. A final decision on which of the surface specifications will be used for each stretch will then be reviewed on an engineering and cost basis. The timescale will be as follows ... By the end of November the final decision will be communicated to users and the local community
If you would like further details on any of the information provided above please contact Nick Smith, British Waterways, email Nick.Smith3@britishwaterways.co.uk, sent by Lucy Rogers, Development Manager, The Waterways Trust c/o Sustrans Lucy.rogers@thewaterwaystrust.org.uk"