Uttoxeter Canal Saved After Planning Application Refused

Volunteers from two charities, the local Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust, and the country-wide Inland Waterways Association, are celebrating after SMDC’s Planning Applications Committee turned down proposals for a development which would have blocked restoration of the Uttoxeter Canal in the Churnet Valley.

The first lock and basin of the canal at Froghall were restored in 2005 in a partnership project between volunteers, British Waterways and local authorities, backed by European funding.   The site proposed for development is immediately adjacent to this popular location, which is always busy with visiting boaters, tourists and walkers.  With no route allowed in the plans for future restoration of the canal, the development would have prevented the rest of the Uttoxeter Canal from ever joining on to the navigable Caldon Canal and 2700 miles of inland waterways.

Uttoxeter Canal Walk

Learn about the Uttoxeter Canal with this self-guided walk. Members from Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust and Inland Waterways Association North Staffs & South Cheshire Branch will be waiting at Crumpwood Weir, between Denstone and Alton, to talk about some of the history and features of the canal and to explain work that has recently taken place on the Canal.

Uttoxeter Canal Mileposts

The Trust has reinstated 11 missing mileposts along the line of the Uttoxeter Canal. You can now use these to guide you along the line of the canal between Oakamoor and Uttoxeter in our downloadable walking trail.