7th January 2011
A British Waterways project to repair an 18th Century wall, which forms a cutting on the Chesterfield Canal, has been recognised for its commitment to environmental quality.
Work on the Kiveton Retaining Wall (Cutting 8) near Kiveton Park Station on the Chesterfield Canal has received an ‘Excellent’ award from CEEQUAL, an assessment and awards scheme celebrating sustainability in civil engineering and public realm projects.
The work was carried out in 2009 and focused on repairs to the limestone canal cutting – where soil or rock material from a hill or mountain is cut out to make way for a canal – which had begun to deteriorate.
Following investigations into the wall’s stability the decision was taken to partially rebuild it, and a local source of matching sandstone was found. The work required the removal of selected trees and vegetation.
Benefits for anglers
Supplementary works included providing new angling pegs to benefit the many anglers who use the canal.
Throughout the project, resources were chosen and used carefully, such as obtaining timber for fencing and scaffold boards from FSC-approved sources, minimising waste and taking actions in accordance with appropriate sustainability, biodiversity and heritage guidance.
As the guardians of a 200-year-old network British Waterways works to preserve, restore and protect some of the country’s most historic and attractive features – in this case repairing a structure dating back to 1777. Such work occasionally presents surprises and on this project a patch of wall was found to be the blocked-up entrance to a tunnel, likely to have been linked to a nearby quarry used to supply stone for the canal’s construction.
Ecological considerations during the project included planning vegetation works for early spring when water voles are least affected, and reusing canal silt to improve their habitat.
Bat roosts identified
Potential bat roosts were identified and retained. Careful consideration was given to keeping canal users and neighbours informed and satisfied.
British Waterways’ Ecologist Deanne Gow said: “We are delighted the project has received this recognition. The ‘Excellent’ standard of the CEEQUAL award is the highest we have achieved and reflects the improvements made in British Waterways’ environmental management system in recent years. Receiving this award is a real accolade and a great testament to those who worked on the project.”
The CEEQUAL scheme rigorously assesses performance across 12 areas and rewards projects on which clients, designers and constructors go beyond the legal and environmental minima to achieve distinctive environmental standards in their work.
The work in progress in February 2009.
The photo below shows the same view in the 1960s.