Thank you for your interest in this story
To continue reading this article, subscribe to the Stray Ferret for as little as £1 a week
Already a subscriber? Log in here.
26
Oct
Ripon Canal closures threaten tourism as £25,000 solution stalls
Ripon Canal’s economic and leisure benefits are under threat from recurring closures during dry weather, according to the family behind a local sightseeing cruise business.
Richard Willis, whose family operates Ripon Scenic Cruises, says a £25,000 investment in water pumps could help prevent future closures by recycling water through the canal’s three locks.
However, the Canal & River Trust, which owns and maintains the waterway, has ruled out funding the scheme.
The canal connects Ripon city centre with the River Ure and provides a route for visiting boats to reach one of the most northerly points on England and Wales’ connected waterways. It also offers leisure opportunities for residents and tourists.
But low water levels have led to repeated closures of the canal’s three locks over the past five years, restricting navigation and limiting the options available to cruise operators and visiting boat owners.
Mr Willis says the closures have forced Ripon Scenic Cruises to offer only 30-minute trips, preventing the business from running longer excursions along the full 2.5-mile waterway. He said:
With the climate changing, summers are now drier and warmer, so such closures may well continue in years to come. There is a simple solution: back-pump water up the canal at each lock. This recycles the water flowing down for filling the locks.
Ripon Canal basin
£25,000 scheme proposed
Mr Willis estimates that installing pumping equipment at all three locks would cost about £25,000. However, he says the Canal & River Trust is unwilling to cover the installation and maintenance costs.
He has approached North Yorkshire mayor David Skaith, Ripon City Council, marina operator Aquavista and Ripon Motor Boat Club in an effort to secure support, but no funding has yet been agreed.
Mr Willis is now considering launching a crowdfunding campaign to raise the money, arguing that keeping the canal open would benefit the wider city by attracting visitors and supporting local businesses.
He said:
We spent 14 years campaigning and raised £250,000 in donations to get the canal reopened in 1996. Now this is threatening its future. If climate change continues, the canal could always be closed, and this stops people visiting Ripon.
Reopening the full length of the canal would also allow Ripon Scenic Cruises to offer afternoon tea excursions lasting up to two-and-a-half hours.
“We get enquiries from coach parties,” Mr Willis said. “But it’s not just us suffering. Boats from all over the country are stuck in the marina, unable to get to Ripon.”
Cost concerns
The Canal & River Trust said exceptionally dry conditions in North Yorkshire over the past couple of summers had resulted in closures at the upper end of Ripon Canal.
A spokesperson explained that the canal receives its water from the River Skell. When the river falls below a certain level, water abstraction must stop to protect the river’s ecology.
The charity said a proposal to pump water back to the canal’s summit had been ruled out for the summer because of its cost and competing priorities across its wider network.
The spokesperson said:
Maintaining our 250-year-old, 2,000-mile network of canals in England and Wales is a massive cost that our charity seeks to fund. The decision meant that Ripon’s trip boat could still operate in the summit pound without any pumping.
The spokesperson added:
“We haven't worked out the exact costs of back-pumping the water, but should someone want to fund this in future years, our charity would be very open to this opportunity,” the spokesperson added.
City council funding?
Ripon City Council said it recognised the canal’s importance to the city and understood concerns about the closures.
A spokesperson confirmed it had been approached by an individual seeking support for a back-pumping system at the locks.
However, it stressed that it does not own or manage the canal and has no statutory responsibility for its operation or maintenance. Any pumping scheme would need to be developed in partnership with the Canal & River Trust, including arrangements for installation and ongoing operation.
The council said it had identified a possible route to funding through its small grants scheme. Applications must come from an eligible charitable or not-for-profit community organisation responsible for delivering the project, rather than an individual.
“At present, there is no applicant organisation with that responsibility in a position to apply,” the council spokesperson said.
Long history
Ripon Canal was built to transport goods by water before the expansion of the railway network.
The 2.5-mile canal opened in 1773, but the arrival of the Great Northern Railway in 1841 affected coal traffic to Boroughbridge. The canal was eventually abandoned in 1956.
A restoration campaign led to the reopening of navigation as far as Littlethorpe Road Bridge in 1986, with the full route reopening in 1996.
Today, water is supplied from the River Skell, a tributary of the River Ure. It passes through a sluice and travels along 170 metres of pipeline beneath the town before reaching the head of the canal.
With the cost and responsibility for a pumping scheme still unresolved, the future of longer cruises and unrestricted navigation remains uncertain during periods of low water.
0