Report of the Head of Public Rights of Way and Country Parks (DCC) informing Members of the work that has taken place to date.
Minutes:
Consideration was given to a report * of the Public Rights of Way and Country Parks Manager.
Arising thereon:
Weed management
The Ranger team had been clearing water soldier since March with the new weedboat. It had been a difficult task given that the water becomes brown very quickly making it difficult to see. However, they had managed to stop it from completely covering the canal. A great deal of the team’s time was spent doing this but they were getting good results by starting earlier and finishing later in the year.
Discussion took place regarding:
· The Tiverton Canal Company had been unable to operate the motorised boat side of their business this year because of the worsening problem with weed. This needed to be dealt with for the long term future of the canal.
· The Mid Devon Mooring company stated that their customers were suffering as a result of the weed which was underneath the landing stages and they had lost one of their regular boats. Blanket weed was a particular problem on this stretch of the canal. Boat propellers needed to be strong enough to cut through.
· More movement by resident boats or visiting boats was needed to dislodge the weed.
· Less weed was found in the shady areas, increased light levels exacerbated the problem.
· Large inputs of silt washed off adjacent roads containing nutrients was helping the weeds to grow. This was very difficult to control.
· Recent mild winters had not helped, a cold winter might lead to a lessening of the problem.
· A large number of farm field beside the canal have land drains that drain to the canal. A reed bed project to reduce nutrient inputs would be undertaken as part of the stage two works, however, the installation of the tilting weirs was a priority at the moment in order to ensure the future safety of the canal. The engineer leading on this was tied up with other projects meaning that there would be some delay.
· Climate change was also a factor in the increased growth of weed.
· A well researched answer needed to be found.
·
Further discussion took place regarding capacity of the Ranger Service to spend the majority of their time clearing weed. The question was asked as to whether there was any opportunity for volunteers to operate the weedboat. Checks would have to be made with the Devon County Council Health and Safety team. Operating the boat would require skilled training in order to avoid damage and breakage. It was suggested that there were individuals in the Friends Group who, having had the appropriate training, would give up their time freely for the good of the canal. This was something that needed to be explored.
The Canal Manager also stated that he would ask Jeremy Ison, an expert botanist and member of the Committee whether anything could be done in addition to the current works to address the problem. He also stated that he would ask him if anybody at Exeter University could offer a solution.
Depot embankment tree project
The Ranger team were thanked for dealing with some fallen trees in the spring so promptly. Over the winter a lot of cutting back of overarching branches would take place and a chipper would help reduce the manual handling and speed up progress.
Canal basin play area / wall
The Canal Manager thanked Phil Brind for providing the ideas and art work for the ‘Play Barge’.
Funding looked likely to become available to move back the wall between the play area site and Canal Hill by approximately 1.5m. This would make the Canal Basin much safer both for drivers and pedestrians. However, the wall project would take many months to design, tender and execute before the play area could then be installed.
There was general agreement that this was a good decision but it was requested that, if possible, any works take place outside of the summer months so that businesses were not adversely affected.
Ranger Service Training
The Ranger team had performed very well in a Health and Safety review which the County Council took very seriously.
Green Flag Award
The Country Park has, once again, been successful in retaining its Green Flag Award.
Tilting Weirs
The project had been delayed due to the bridges and structures engineers having to be involved with major works in Exeter necessitating their efforts elsewhere. The Committee felt very strongly however, that work should commence on the tilting weirs prior to Christmas. The County Councillors present stated that they would be happy to bring some political pressure to bear if necessary in order to avoid the smallest chance of another breach occurring. The consensus of feeling was that there needed to be change of priority and that the works should take place before the next Committee meeting in March 2017.
Tiverton Road bridge car park works / issues
A number of the planks decking the Dudley Weatherley Jubilee Bridge were cracking or becoming uneven and the Canal Ranger Service planned to fit new decking this autumn.
Towpath mowing
Rangers and volunteers had done another good job this year in keeping the towpath clear.
Land beside William Authers Footbridge
The Committee were reminded that planning permission had been granted for a new bungalow to be built beside 41 Spurway Road. It was explained that some of the land adjacent to the canal would be rented under a garden agreement and the landowner had been made aware that if ever the land was needed for dredging this land would be needed. This had been explicitly stated in the Terms and Conditions signed with the landowner. However, a view was expressed that once a landowner had planted in the area next to the canal they were often very reluctant to give it up. Realistically it could be difficult.
Discussion took place regarding the amount being charged per year as rental income for this land. This led to a wider discussion about the current rental rate for garden Agreements and the fact that they had not been increased in a number of years. The Canal manager said that this was not planned at present due to the amount of work it would take to renegotiate each agreement.
Events
The Committee were encouraged and delighted by the number of children visiting the canal. They were the future and this was a move in the right direction.
Future programme
There would be a sharing and testing of the Emergency Response Plan and a desk based scenario would be used as a training exercise.
There would be interpretation panel improvements in Canal Basin and Lowdwells.
The revamped Visitor Guide would be in a glossier format. A request was made that when the guide was reprinted the voucher for The Globe public house in Sampford Panel not be printed on the back of the canal map.
Supporting documents: