Monmouthshire And Brecon Canal Reopens After Six Months

After six months and the comforting application of about £1 million of money, work to repair a section of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal has been completed after it had been  damaged by storms during the winter.

£1 million well spent on the Mon and Brec

As part of the works, The Canal & River Trust installed more than 500 pins measuring 32ft (10m) long into two areas of the embankment in the area around Llanfoist in the Brecon Beacons. The pins helped to stabilise the canal edge after torrential rain caused it to slip down the hillside. The repairs were part-funded by public donations and the Welsh government.

The slippage was first noticed in late December but the wettest winter on record made the damage worse. Repairs started in February and the 200-year-old waterway reopened to boats in April, but the scale of the damage meant further work was needed to reinforce the surrounding areas.

As well as the pins, a mesh wall has been put in place to try and prevent any future movement.  The towpath, which was closed while work was carried out, has now been reopened.

Vince Moran, operations director at Canal & River Trust which looks after the canal, said the job was "massive" and specialised. "The canal is hugely important to the local community and its economy, so we're delighted the project has gone so well," he said. "We worked quickly to deal with the problem when the wet weather, which disrupted so much of the country, hit us."

Tourism minister Edwina Hart said she was pleased the canal was back in working order and ready to welcome visitors over the summer holidays.

The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal is 35 miles (56km) long and supports 390 jobs and it estimated to contribute £17m to the Welsh economy each year.

More about the canal

Hull Will Be Part Of Regional Funding Jackpot

Already cock a hoop having been awarded the UK City of Culture for 2017, there was more good news for Hull a couple of days ago, as it was announced that it will benefit from the approximate £107 million regional funding being awarded to the East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire area.

The icing on the cake is the fact that the government says the total investment will grow to £358m, with additional money coming from the public and private sectors. Money will be spent on flood defences, improving transport links and training projects, all of which will undoubtedly provide a knock on benefit for the expanding tourism industry.  The two years' worth of funding starts in 2015.

Hull is certainly on an economic roll at the moment

The money is the first instalment of £12bn the coalition is investing nationally in a series of local "Growth Deals", with the government saying that the investment could create 6,000 local jobs and safeguard 3,000 others.

Top priority for Hull will be the £4 million set aside towards building a footbridge over the A63 Castle Street in Hull to connect the city centre with Hull Marina. More than £7.5m will be invested in electrifying the Hull to Selby rail line, if the Department for Transport approves the scheme

With regard to Lincolnshire, funding will be put towards protecting a planned 6,000-home development near Scunthorpe. In December, parts of the region were flooded following a tidal surge along the Humber Estuary.

Lord Haskins, chair of the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership, said the region had done better than the rest of the country in the amount of funding it had received. "We asked for rather more, "he said. 

"We got half of what we asked for, whereas the rest of the country got only a third of what it asked for.  So there is a recognition that there is greater need, if you like, for public expenditure in this area."

Twelve New Projects In England Will Benefit From £34.5m Lottery Funding

They have often had to go through a rigorous application procedure to make it to the finishing line, but another twelve prominent historic parks and cemeteries throughout England will be making restoration plans based on the latest news from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Beckenham Place Park, Lewisham

A substantial £34.5 million has been made available as a result of a report that focused on the decline of public green spaces. These 12 projects include Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham, south-east London, which gets nearly £5m. Gunnersbury Park, Ealing and Cassiobury Park, Watford, each get more than £4m.

In Kent, Dover District Council will get more than £3m to restore Kearsney Abbey and Russell Gardens to boost tourism and community use. One park in Scotland - Levengrove in Dumbarton - is among those receiving funding.

All of this is as a result of a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) report last month which said the nation's public parks would be at serious risk of decline without new methods of providing finance and maintenance. The HLF said there would be restoration of historic features, such as bandstands and gatehouses, as well as provision of new entertainment such as skateboard parks and children's play areas. For example, the restoration being done in Dover will showcase the work of Edwardian landscape architect Thomas Mawson in Russell Gardens.

His canal pond, Palladian-style pergola bridges and boathouse pavilion form central architectural features of the park. At Kearsney Abbey opposite the gardens, the Festival of Britain open air theatre will be restored and the cafe extended.

Leader of Dover council, Paul Watkins, said he was delighted the lottery funds were supporting the park restoration. "These parks are highly valued by local people and its great to know that we can progress our plans to maintain, enhance and interpret this unique heritage," he said.

The twelve successful English sites and the one in Scotland are:
           
Beckenham Place Park, Lewisham - £4,908,400           
Gunnersbury Park, Ealing - £4,671,000
Cassiobury Park, Watford - £4,534,900
Kearsney Abbey and Russell Gardens, Dover - £3,389,400
Beddington Park and Grange, Sutton - £3,203,900
Levengrove Park, Dumbarton - £2,660,800
Hemel Water Gardens, Hemel Hempstead - £2,467,700
Pearson Park, Hull - £2,343,600
Avenue House, Finchley -£2,154,700
Moor Park, Preston - £1,725,000
Northwood Cemetery, Isle of Wight - £1,064,000
Victoria Park, Ilkeston - £740,800
Ampthill Park, Bedfordshire - £606,800

“Traffic Lights” Trial For Island With No Residents

The island in question is Sully Island, situated just off the Vale of Glamorgan coast, and because it can be accessed by foot at low tide by way of a rocky causeway, it is a favourite walk for local ramblers.

This coastline has treacherous tidal runs

However, over many years hundreds of people have been left stranded on the island when the tide comes in, meaning busy times for the local lifeboat at Penarth. Now the RNLI is trialling a set of traffic lights to warn visitors when they are likely to be cut off.

The lights have recently been installed, just two days after a couple of people had to be rescued. Nine others had to be saved over the last bank holiday from the island which is 400m from the mainland shore. People can get to and from the island during a three-hour window either side of the low tide.  It is a popular attraction for people visiting a Danish Iron Age fort and the remains of a Victorian-era ship which ran aground there.

In a bid to reduce the volume of calls for help, the RNLI has set up the traffic lights to warn visitors about the incoming tide. These traffic lights will let people know when it is safe to cross, when time is running out and when it is unsafe to walk along the causeway.

The amber light provides a countdown on how much time is left on the island as a return trip takes about 40 minutes on foot. An RNLI spokeswoman said: "By observing the sign, visitors don't have to second guess how much time they have."

RNLI community incident reduction manager Nicola Davies said the charity will now closely monitor the effect the lights have on cutting the number of rescue call-outs.

She said "hundreds of visitors have been caught out over the years" by people misjudging the returning tide over the rocky causeway.  The sign is a pilot and has not been tested anywhere else in the UK," she said. Sully Island is the perfect place for it to be tested as we are seeing regular incidents involving people cut-off by the tide resulting in call-outs for Penarth RNLI."

A former haven for smugglers in the Middle Ages, Sully Island is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest by Natural Resources Wales.  

More about Sully Island

There Is Potential To Be Maximised At Edinburgh’s Waverley Station

Waverley Station - the retail potential is enormous

Seeking inspiration from what has been achieved at a number of major rail terminals in London, rail bosses have been advised to travel down the same route to transform Edinburgh’s Waverley Station.
Retail experts, such as Leigh Sparks, a professor of retail studies at Stirling University, have urged rail bosses to mimic successful models like King’s Cross and St Pancras in London if they are to “maximise potential” at Waverley.

A catalyst to this change of thinking has been a controversial taxi ban coming into force, freeing up prime retail plots in the heart of the building. Waverley is one of the busiest rail stations in Scotland with around 25 million commuters passing through its doors each year.

Experts take the view that the new private vehicle ban offers a chance to expand the retail offer to include boutique stores and franchises in what they have called an “untapped gold mine”. Prof Sparks said Network Rail bosses should emulate London and Japan to exploit Waverley’s potential.

“When you think about the footfall that goes through Waverley, you have got a very interesting market and the retail offer should match that,” he said.  “I think a model like London should be their ambition in terms of a gateway to Edinburgh. They could look at more international examples like in Japan where railway stations are commercial hubs. This should also showcase Edinburgh.”

Waverley already has a popular Marks and Spencer mini-supermarket, fast food restaurant, bar and several eateries among its commercial lettings, but it is thought that there are more restaurants and franchises interested in leasing space. As an example,  St Pancras International boasts a blend of recognisable retail brands and independent stores with extended operating hours to cater to the early-rising and late-finishing commuter.

Andy Neal, chief executive of Essential Edinburgh which represents hundreds of city centre outlets, said Waverley station had “fallen behind” stations at other major European cities. “At the moment it’s below standard and needs to be upgraded,” he said. “The station is the first thing people see when they got off the train.

“Although there has been significant improvement to the environment, in terms of retail and restaurants it has fallen short of other capital cities, certainly some of the ones in London. This is not the consumer place it could be. At the moment you have a very basic retail offer and it should be brought up to the standard you would expect of a city. I think this is a great opportunity for Network Rail.”

Transport expert Simon Johnston, editor of the magazine Tramways & Urban Transit, said a retail hub in Waverley makes “absolute sense”. “The space is absolutely ripe for retail development as long as it is sympathetic to the architecture of the station. This is an untapped gold mine,” he said.

“Transport for London is already getting rid of some of their ticket offices and using some of those spaces for supermarkets. Something like that or “click and collect” for commuters is an idea that Waverley could perhaps be looking at.”

Similar retail expansions in London stations have generated revenue worth hundreds of millions, he said. Network Rail said there were currently no plans for the former taxi rank but conducted “regular reviews” to ensure its facilities met passengers’ needs.

Four Pronged Campaign For Tidal Lagoon Grant Funding

Severn Estuary - second highest tidal range in the world

Four local authorities covering South West England and South East Wales are mounting a united campaign seeking funding for grant aid relating to a tidal lagoon project in the Severn Estuary.
Bristol City is leading the scheme and, along with Sedgemoor, West Somerset and Cardiff councils, will table a bid to the European Union this summer. This approach follows the shelving of the £25 billion tidal barrage proposal last year.

The councils hope building a tidal lagoon will have the advantage of creating valuable local expertise of the technology involved. A tidal lagoon works by isolating a large area of water with a concrete wall which houses a series of turbines. Electricity is produced as tidal water flows through the turbines four times a day.

Bristol City Council has not provided an estimate of the final cost of the project but has said it would be paid for through a combination of private and public money. The £3m grant would be used to carry out feasibility studies and gain a clearer estimate of the cost of the project and the size of the lagoon required.

Bill Edrich, from Bristol City Council said: "We've got this great geographic anomaly which is the second highest tidal range in the world and the highest tidal range with over a million people on both sides of the estuary.

The tidal lagoon project differs from the previous Severn barrage proposal which involved building an 11-mile (18km) wall between Lavernock Point near Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, and Brean near Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

Last September the UK government refused to commit to the Severn barrage proposal due to serious concerns about the environmental impact. There are also efforts being made by a Cheltenham-based Tidal Lagoon Power to build a tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay with the aim of it generating power by 2018.

TripAdvisor Award For Beverley Minster

Beverley Minster has received a 2014 Certificate of Excellence from the travel firm TripAdvisor for consistently earning outstanding feedback from visitors who comment on its website. The church is the most visited tourist attraction in the town.

TripAdvisors Reviewers Fall For The Charms Of The Minster

Of the 251 TripAdvisor reviewers who posted feedback, 97 per cent said their visit had been very good or excellent, with praise being given to the building, the roof tours, the shop and the general welcome.

One person noted that "The minster has a lovely shop and café. The tour of the rafters and the view from the opening in the ceiling was quite remarkable. The staff and volunteers clearly love their minster and are always excited to have visitors see this remarkable feat of building.

The Vicar, the Reverend Jeremy Fletcher, said: "The Minster is staffed by dozens and dozens of volunteers, all giving their time because they love what they do. They are inspired to work in this beautiful building and this award shows that the warmth they bring to their work is very much appreciated by the thousands of people they greet every year.

"Beverley Minster is a truly outstanding building and it is a privilege for all of us to be able to show it off to visitors from near and far. This award means a lot, because it means that those visitors are saying 'thank you' to them all – as do I."

About 55,000 people visit the landmark building each year. Minster verger Neil Pickford, who conducts tours at the church, said: "We are the biggest free attraction in the East Riding.
"We get visitors from across the world, as well as from around the UK. We have 16 different language leaflets, including Japanese, Chinese and Russian, so we are catering for a truly international audience. It is truly astonishing that this 800-year-old building can hold comparison with almost every other part of the world."

Mr Pickford said daily visitors were impressed by the sheer scale and beauty of Beverley Minster. He said: "People's mouths drop open when they see the size of the church. They are incredibly impressed by the way it has been put together, as it looks so majestic. It's not just a huge space – the design moves people. It's the scale and beauty of it."

The minster is a major tourist attraction for the town. Mr Pickford said: "There are a lot of people who come to the town because they have seen or heard about the minster. They come to Beverley on the strength of what they have heard about the minster. It's the first thing about Beverley most people will have heard of, but they don't just come to see us, they come for the whole town."

The minster offers tours inside the church roof spaces twice a day, normally at 11.15am and 2.15pm, involving a steep climb up several hundred spiral steps.

Mr Pickford said: "It's a unique glimpse inside the structure of a major Gothic building. It's really nice that people single out the roof tours as a highlight."