Stratford-on-Avon District Local Plan

Policies and proposals relating to waterways and the
Upper Avon Extension

The first 'deposit draft' of the Stratford-on-Avon District Local Plan Review has now been out for consultation.  Over 4,000 representations were made, of which 154 were objections to the lack of a policy to safeguard the route for a possible extension of navigation on the Upper Avon.

Thanks to all the individuals and organisations who responded.  It is now likely that the planners will recommend the inclusion of such a policy policy in the second deposit draft, which will be considered by the District Council this summer.  That will also go out for consultation and will provide an opportunity for the objectors to the proposal to make their representations.  A further response may then be needed - details will be posted here.

The Warwick District Local Plan is also being reviewed and a similar policy needs to be included in that.  If anyone has information about the stage the Warwick Plan has reached please email me.

The whole of the proposed extension of navigation is backed by the Association of Inland Navigation Authorities (AINA) in their new strategy, published in the first week of December 2001. 

The link is also considered to be of national significance by the Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council, whose chairman, The Viscountess Knollys DL,  made this clear in a letter to the District Council's Assistant Director of Planning.  IWAAC  is the statutory advisory body on inland waterways to the Secretary of state for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and British Waterways and carried out an assessment at the Government's request in 1998 which was reviewed in 2001.

The Upper Avon Extension would connect the broad beam navigations of the Severn and Avon with the Grand Union Canal and so to the Thames.  Another 10 linking projects identified by AINA would produce a complete broad beam network from here to the Trent, Nene, Humber and Mersey.  But the scheme is not without opponents, as reported in the Stratford Herald of 6/12/2001.

The policy for development related to water-based recreation was successfully amended in deposit draft to include the navigable Upper Avon and to clarify the conditions for allowing additional permanent moorings or marinas.  There is no proposal to change this.

The proposal to allocate land at Napton brickyard (near bridge 112 on the Oxford Canal) for a possible marina was also carried forward from the current plan unaltered.

This page produced and published by and copyright of Andrew Cooley 2002

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