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Congratulations to the Lion Salt Works TrustThe Lion Salt Works Trust has been awarded £5,000,000 by the Heritage Lottery Fund to help restore the Lion Salt Works at Marston, near Northwich. See the BBC news video A preliminary version of the Weaver catchment flood management plan (CFMP) is available here for you to read.Consultation will start on 17 March on the final version.
One issue will be flood water storage upstream of Northwich - on the Weaver and/or Dane.
Extracts from Chairman’s Report 2007 - from AGMThe past year has been one of some progress for the Society but there was a minor blip when I proposed the merging of the James Jackson Grundy Preservation Society with the River Weaver Navigation Society. I thought the aims of the two Societies were complementary, the combined membership figures would be beneficial and administration costs and workload would be reduced. This merger was agreed at an Extraordinary General Meeting in November, and the joint aims of the two Societies have been combined. Regarding the James Jackson Grundy: we wish to acquire this Weaver Packet, make it available for public exhibition in Northwich, where it was built and worked, and maintain it in usable, operating condition, with a multi-function space in the hold to use for a variety of different functions. To this end we are exploring funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. We are hoping for agreement from British Waterways that we can moor the craft at Anderton, and if this is forthcoming, we must do everything in our power to ensure this vessel is preserved, as, if we cannot guarantee the purchase money very shortly, the vessel may well be sold for other purposes. We shall, of course continue to work with the Salt Museum on promotional and exhibition projects. I must also record that Carl Leckie, the previous lock-keeper at Dutton Lock and great lover of the river, has most generously given the Society all his comprehensive records and artefacts for display, hopefully on the JJG, as he feels that this is the most suitable home for them. They are currently being catalogued, and will be preserved until such time as they can be used to help tell the Weaver story. Now, to our greatest success of the year. This was the guaranteeing of funds through the offices of Sustrans 2 and the Funding from HLF for the restoration of Riversdale Bridge (see below). Enormous efforts were made by Cheshire County Council and Vale Royal Borough Council to ensure this venture had maximum publicity, with John Hulme, as project manager working with dedication to ensure local awareness, with tremendous support being offered by Cheshire FM, our local radio station, and other Society members, including Colin Edmondson and me, accosting people in the street to ensure they knew what was at stake. This brings us to two further disappointing aspects of the deterioration of river condition over the last twelve months, due to the tight financial constraints that have been imposed upon British Waterways by our government. The first is the lack of action on the repair of Vale Royal locks. Despite assurances that the funds had been allocated and “ring fenced” for the repairs to commence, the collapse of the embankment on the Monmouth and Brecon Canal has seen the ring fence rapidly disappear, and the money has now been allocated to assist in the repair of this breach in South Wales. The second is the appearance of that all pervasive weed, floating pennywort, on the river in frighteningly increasing amounts. We have approached British Waterways, informing them of our concern, but again lack of manpower and equipment means that they do not have the ability to solve the problem at present. They are fully aware that neglect now means much higher costs later, but the problem has no easy immediate solution. I should mention the intended developments at Weston Point. At present we do not know whether firm plans have been submitted for approval, but the development of Weston Port has exciting possibilities, if it can lead to the more efficient handling of freight because of its significant location. We have been assured that a navigational route will be maintained through this facility, enabling boats still to pass from the River Weaver to the MSC. RESIDENTS of Vale Royal showed their support for the Riversdale Bridge, in Northwich, by voting for it to win a National Lottery TV show.
The Riversdale Bridge scheme is part of a bigger project called Sustrans Connect2 which will revitalise walking and cycling in 79 communities across the UK. Connect2 won, so millions of people will be able to travel in a healthy and environmentally-friendly way to the shops, school, work, and the park or to see family and friends as the project involves 79 Connect2 schemes around the UK. IWA Chester Branch is planning a rally on the WeaverThe River Weaver although engineered to carry freight is very beautiful and varied, from its meandering through fields and woods, to its passing of industry, the giant wharfs allowing the imagination to see the large ships that where once tied up and on to the centre of Northwich, a reminder of the modern world and a chance to provision.
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