The Sainsbury's Plan for Selly Oak  January 2007

 

Sainsbury's  has now submitted its substantive Planning Application to begin its "exciting plans" for the regeneration of Selly Oak, much of which occupies land adjoining the former Lapal Canal near its junction with the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.

The Planning Application can be viewed online here : application number S/07902/06/OUT

A key aspect of this extensive plan is to restore the Lapal Canal with a basin alongside their new food store, as a focus for the architectural impact of the development.

The Lapal Canal Trust, together with British Waterways and the Worcester & Birmingham Society, have all been consulted about the planning options and widespread agreement between the various parties now makes the future of the waterways in this part of Birmingham look very exciting indeed.

WORK IN PROGRESS - March '07

Outlines of the Plan
 are available from;

Sue Bailey
Sainsbury's Selly Oak
Freepost BM8409
Bromsgrove
Worcestershire
B61 7BR

0800 975 5299

 

 


Birmingham City Council Housing Departments recognise the Trust's maintenance activities.

 08/06/05

At a lunch-time gathering of BCC Housing Officers, held at the Botanical Gardens in Edgbaston, Chairman Peter Best, accompanied by Committee Secretary, Ian Hunter and Work-Party Organiser, Jon Axe, received a presentation plaque from the Director of Housing, Elaine Elkington, in recognition of the Trust's scrub-bashing and refuse-disposal works along the Lapal line. In his brief acceptance speech, Peter thanked Elaine and the meeting for their special generosity towards the Trust, and also took the opportunity to put on public record our thanks to the groups of local and national volunteers who have contributed to these pre-restoration tasks in recent times.
Certificate of Thanks

presented to

The Lapal Canal Trust

June 2005

by
Birmingham City Council
Housing Department

in recognition of their work in the community.

Thank you for helping to make our city a cleaner, greener and safer place.

Signed: Elaine Elkington, Director of Housing & Councillor John Lines,
Cabinet Member for Housing

 

 

" What a load of Rubbish ? "

 20/02/05

Over the week-end of February 19 & 20, 2005, a team of well-established friends of the Lapal project descended on us for a hugely transforming session of scrub-bashing. Based in the Stonehouse Gang's centre in Burnel Road, they had ready access to the Bottetort Road 'triangle' and some of the Lapal corridor lying to the east. 
On their arrival on the Friday evening, all of this area was significantly overgrown with unrestrained shrub and untold quantities of discarded household debris. But by Sunday afternoon, under the able leadership of Mike Paice, the rubbish was piled high in Bottetort Road ready for BCC's agreed removal and a large swathe of scrub had been cut and dragged to a position where a promised BCC-'chipper' could complete the transformation.

The activities drew the attention of several locals to the possibilities of restoration and certainly fired the imagination of several punters at the Bear & Staff, in Selly Oak where our visitors received warm and generous hospitality from landlady, Pat Jones and her staff, on Saturday night.

 

The transformation which they achieved enables the Trust to keep it in order with our own 'routine maintenance' working parties in the future.

The Trust is delighted with BITM's efforts and we look forward to welcoming these energetic volunteers back in about 18 months time, when, no doubt, they will have delivered equal enthusiasm and commitment to a range of other waterway restoration projects around the UK .



MPs Committee considers the Lapal Tunnel

 08/03/05

As the division bells rang across the road in the Palace of Westminster, Mr Jack Knight of the Haswell Partnership, rose to his feet in the Thatcher Room of Portcullis House to  make a presentation on Victorian Tunnels to a Parliamentary Group which convenes there from time to time to consider underground spaces. With some impressive photographs of tunnels conveying our sewers, water-supplies, railways and canals, through elevated land, Jack illustrated that a tunnel which is 100-years old or more, may well be in better working order than one of the tender age of 60-years!

Demonstrating his deep insight - every pun intended ! - into the construction methods and sequences, of a variety of tunnels he then concluded his presentation with a focus on the Lapal Tunnel. The walls of the Thatcher Room had already been suitably 'decorated' with a series of drawings suggesting how the "Rotunda-Unda" project might give the Lapal Tunnel a dramatically new lease on life. Certainly in the subsequent Q&A  and hospitality sessions, the Lapal Chairman detected a significant interest in this proposal amongst the other delegates who had attended as representatives of a variety of the underground ( ! ) professions.

 

Illustration to follow shortly - by kind permission of the Haswell Partnership


Feasibility Study : to be commissioned soon   February 2006

  ..

The Lapal Canal Trust is keen to elevate the prominence of the full Lapal restoration and conservation project by commissioning a Feasibility Study. This will involve the use of professional bodies and consultants to consider a range of aspects for the future of the entire derelict section of the Dudley No.2 Canal. Over the last two years, the Trust has been very pleased to receive a series of generous grants and donations towards this significant requirement, and is now in a viable position to seek tenders from appropriate Consultancies, very shortly.

 Members of the Lapal Canal Trust might like to note that these two issues; Study and Selly Oak, will be considered at the delayed but soon-to-be-called AGM. ('06)


Trust Members study the full Lapal route and consider some of the challenges which lie ahead.


 

The walk was repeated on Sunday April 3, 2005.

 

 


Volunteer Students descend on Harborne Wharf in support of the Lapal Canal Trust.

 

Fourteen students from Birmingham University Guild descended on a tranquil section of Selly Oak armed with spades, garden forks and boundless energy. Their task was to transform this former section of the derelict Selly Oak Extension Canal into a tidy and litter-free amenity. It had last received such concentrated attention more than two years ago and had become so heavily overgrown that it resembled a mini-jungle. But not so when the students finished and stood back to admire their handiwork.

The work had begun the day before when several members of the Lapal Canal Trust began the scrub-bashing, under the direction of Jon Axe; the working-party co-ordinator. Using power tools they cleared away the recent layers of overgrowth which revealed the more deeply concealed debris underneath, including fallen tree branches and the like. Commenting on the weekend's activities overall, Lapal Chairman; Dr Peter Best said "Some of these were particularly heavy logs that we could not have achieved such a level of clearance and tidiness without the students' help. They all worked like Trojans. They were marvellous!"

Looking to the future, Jon Axe also commented that "We intend to gradually work like this along the entire length of derelict canal through to Weoley Castle to preserve the Lapal Greenway walk and make it more convenient to use.

Jon is available for contact on 0121 608 0296.

 

Scrub-bashing over the weekend of October 30/31, 2004
Volunteers from Birmingham University transform Harborne Wharf
(source photos are full resolution files)


 

 


Fly-tipping thwarted by Scoop-and-Skip

 

Jon Axe and Barrie Johnson (pictured left in hi-viz tabard) had a worthwhile set-to when they tackled a particularly unsavoury heap of fly-tipping in early November 2004, near the site of the Weoley Castle Ruins. Amongst the several hazards it had lurking in wait for them and their companions from the skip-hire company, was a set of defunct fridges. These were carefully extracted and set aside for "Council collection" whilst the rest of the heap was scooped into a skip, hired specially for the purpose. Although the Trust covered the immediate costs of the endeavour, it is understood that a grant for the entire project is to be given to us from a BCC 'purse'.

 

 

 

STOP PRESS  (13/6/'06)

The Severn Trent Water Authority is preparing to use the Harborne Wharf section of the Lapal Canal in Selly Oak as a site for test borings which will confirm the integrity (or otherwise) of the Elan Valley Aqueduct pipe-work. Please do not be unnecessarily alarmed by these minor works - they're not permanent ! - and the LCT is entirely content for this investigation was to commence on July 19 & 20. However, due to exceptionally dry period, these tests have been delayed.