New Wrenbury Marina gets go ahead despite objections

A 200 berth marina will be built at Wrenbury on the Llangollen Canal despite plans being turned down last year by local Cheshire East Council.

The marina will occupy fields behind the Cotton Arms pub and campsite and have a basin 2.37 hectares in area linked to the canal under a new towpath footbridge, roughly alongside where the photo above was taken from. It would be served by a single-storey facilities building, containing offices and a café, as well as amenities for boaters.

There was considerable local opposition to the plans when first submitted a year ago on the grounds of its effect on the village environment and the village church, and because of the extra boating traffic increasing the disruption caused to road traffic when the adjacent electric lift bridge is operated. See our Wrenbury and Ellesmere Marina Plans Questioned report from July 2014.

The developer’s appeal to the Department of Communities and Local Government was upheld by their inspector. Whilst accepting that the village environment would be harmed and there would be increased road traffic disruption he believed that the benefits to the economy and to outdoor recreation outweighed them.

The Council had to drop some of the reasons they had originally cited for refusing planning permission at the appeal hearing because satisfactory information on flood risk and highway safety were now available. That left just 2 Council objections, harm to the character and appearance of a conservation area, and the increased delay caused to road traffic at the lift bridge.

On the issue of harm to the village’s character the Inspector wrote ‘I find that the harm would be outweighed by the public benefits of the contribution to the local and regional economy and to the opportunity for outdoor recreation of a type of development that is supported by the development plan.’ ‘Similarly, I consider that the modest inevitable impact on landscape character would not be inconsistent with the development plan, and would be outweighed by the proposal’s other benefits.’

As far as traffic delays go his opinion was that ‘The increase in delays at the lifting bridge, while regrettable, would not be so severe that the proposal would have to be rejected ……’. Worryingly for boaters he also hinted in a roundabout way at regulation of boat traffic, ‘It is beyond the scope of this appeal decision to make recommendations about the case for greater regulation of the operation of the bridge ……’. One suggestion made by the developers at the original hearing was that boat traffic be restricted during peak road traffic times.

A separate proposal for a 178 berth marina at Wrenbury Heath Bridge, some 2 km to the north of this appeal site, is also currently under appeal. The inspector considered that ‘Were both proposals to go ahead, there would be a corresponding adverse effect on the operation of the bridge. But based on the CRT data, the cumulative effect would not be so severe that planning permission should be withheld.’

Whether the Llangollen Canal needs more Marinas when there are plenty of spaces on nearby marinas like Whixhall Marina, and the desirabilty of yet more boats on this busy length where locks can have queues of three hours at peak times, were issues not considered of course.

As we wrote when we first reported on these plans exactly a year ago, ‘Surely it is time that the Canal and River Trust, with its tagline – ‘Our canals and rivers are national treasures, rich in history and wildlife. We’re here to protect them for future generations’, must take a more proactive stance in guiding developments on our waterways.

You can read the Inspector’s Appeal Decision Letter in full here.
Images courtesy Harry Arnold and Waterway Images.