IT SOUNDS from the press release from Powys County Council that many of the biodiversity concerns raised about the proposed Montgomery Canal restoration have been addressed or at least been recognised. 

There is an obligation in Wales not to destroy biodiversity. Boat movements on the canal will be restricted and monitored and only increased if an expert panel of botanists gives the green light.

Powys County Council received this money from the levelling up fund to enable the Canal and Rivers Trust to restore part of the canal in October 2021, before the last council elections. 

The incoming administration has worked hard to ensure that biodiversity is paramount. 

This is mainly, but not entirely, about very rare pond weeds that are severely impacted by propeller driven motor boats. The pondweeds such as Luronium natans require clear water not muddy water stirred up by propellers.

The canal is an SSSI and an Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

However, if boat movements are going to be restricted for some time at least, why bother with the bridges just for a few boat movements. 

A major part of the £14 million project is to raise two bridges near Llanymynech to enable boats to go as far as Arddleen. As few as 500 movements a year may be damaging to the biodiversity. 

The economic prosperity promised by this levelling up fund project is increased tourism to Welshpool. To achieve any significant benefit the boats would need to get to Welshpool. This would require very expensive bridges on the A483 over the canal, either side of Arddleen.

If you cost in the disruption to traffic when the bridges are built, the economic gain is probably massively negative. It would be a huge waste of public money.

Even with unrestricted access for motor boats to Welshpool you need a huge increase in turnover to justify spending millions.

Maintaining the fabric of the canal so it doesn’t leak is really useful. Doing a bit of dredging to maintain a clear channel for canoes and pondweeds is a good idea. Canoes can land and be carried across the roads. There appears to be no benefit at all in opening the canal for navigation by motor boats. 

The canal is used daily by hundreds of people: walkers, runners, cyclists, and fishermen. 

The rich wildlife attracts many visitors. They come to see otters, kingfishers, dragonflies and swimming grass snakes. 

Why not spend the money improving the tow path all the way to Newtown or providing a bus service at weekends linking the canal with the stations, so people can come by train, walk part of it and catch a bus to another station that integrates with the train service? Extra parking in places would help.
Simon Spencer
Iolo Williams