Barrowby Neighbourhood Plan

Comment

Representation ID: 4784

Received: 11/03/2026

Respondent: Canal and River Trust

Please find attached the response of the Canal & River Trust to the above plan.

We are the charity who look after and bring to life 2000 miles of canals & rivers. Our waterways contribute to the health and wellbeing of local communities and economies, creating attractive and connected places to live, work, volunteer and spend leisure time. These historic, natural and cultural assets form part of the strategic and local green-blue infrastructure network, linking urban and rural communities as well as habitats. By caring for our waterways and promoting their use we believe we can improve the wellbeing of our nation. The Canal & River Trust (the Trust) is a statutory consultee in the Development Management process, and as such we welcome the opportunity to input into planning policy related matters to ensure that our waterways are protected, safeguarded and enhanced within an appropriate policy framework.

Our waterways should be acknowledged within the policy document, as significant blue/green infrastructure, which can serve as a catalyst for regeneration; a sustainable travel resource for commuting and leisure; a natural health service acting as blue gyms and supporting physical and healthy outdoor activity; an ecological and biodiversity resource; a tourism, cultural, sport, leisure and recreation resource; a heritage landscape; a contributor to water supply and transfer, drainage and flood management. The waterway network forms part of the historic environment, the character, cultural and social focus of the plan area. The plan area is bounded to the southeast by approximately 1.75km of the Grantham Canal.
Based on the documents and information available the Trust has the following general advice, and the Trust considers that the Grantham Canal could make a greater contribution to achieving the objectives of the plan if the plan were amended as suggested below.

We hope that the comments provided are clear and helpful and that your next revision will address these points.

We are willing to continue to work with you, to meet and discuss these points for clarity and to seek to work together towards a high-quality plan area that relates positively with the waterway network.

Whilst we appreciate that the canal does not pass through the village it does contribute to the history and character of the area whilst also providing publicly accessible green/blue space that is enjoyed by the local community. By including reference to the canal within your plan, as you do on your website Parish Walks page, the history and future opportunities presented by the canal will be more visible to achieving your plan objectives.
The above comments do not prejudice any further matters that might be raised at a later stage as the plan/document emerges.