While having the footpath into Newtown it seems that certain persons wanted to build on the line of the canal - a section that if restored water would need to be pumped up to to supply the locks. Newtown council were very much against building on the canal line as they wanted the trade an opened canal would bring. At this point there seems to have been some backtracking in public by interested parties. It is interesting that councils like the (now defunked) Oswestry Borough Council actually pay BW money to maintain the Monty through their area. This sum varies with how much is restored. What the money is spent on by BW is not known. It is interesting that the agreement was signed with the council expecting rapid restoration and unlimited boat use (BW always touts the money from boats at Llangollen as a model.) This was at a time when, unbeknown to the councils, BW had already sold the water originally earmarked for the Monty to allow unlimited boat use to Crewe waterworks. In mitigation of this one might add that at that time (pre eco) back pumping up the various locks might have been possible but, of course, this is not allowed now - hence the number of boats allowed down Frankton being fixed at the present level or less ad infinitum. --- On Wed, 22/7/09, Steve Wood <[email protected]> wrote:
From: Steve Wood <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [canals-list] Montgomery restoration To: [email protected] Date: Wednesday, 22 July, 2009, 6:47 PM That's brilliant Martin, thanks a lot. I've not walked down to Crickheath yet, but I will do before I move off. I'm curious about both the original and proposed Newtown terminus. The interpretation panel on the line of the canal says that there was a terminal basin some way short of the town centre but Nicholsons suggests it went right to the town centre footbridge. I also don't get why the proposed restoration stops in the middle of nowhere at Freestone Lock when the line of the canal closer to the town hasn't been redeveloped, and indeed the towpath restoration is pretty much done! Steve NB Bream [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
