January 2017

Between Lock 18 and Fosseway Lane it was not clear from either old maps or from what could be seen on the ground exactly where the edge of the canal and the original towpath was: excavation needed... about 3 tons of earth moved and 33 inches down came the 'Eureka' (and exhaustion) moment for Paul Reeves on 24th. January, and a very significant find for canal restoration. 

So, from Lock 18, near Fosseway Lane, to the steps (about halfway along to Falkland Road) there is now a clear line of the original canal and whenever we can schedule further work the 'heavy brigade' can get machinery in and prepare for restoration.

There was no way the digger could have explored the canal bed at Fosseway until the 8ft high brambles were slashed so that one could, literally, see how the land lies underneath them. We know that this is an important site for birds, several of them both rare and migrants. RSPB advice was that so long as there is similar habitat within 1 square mile it would not cause a problem. The railway embankment and the areas we have not touched provide this. Indeed, resident linnets and migrant chiffchaffs were heard there a few days ago, along with skylarks and a green woodpecker

The cottage can now be seen from the steps.

The Lichfield Canal at Fosseway Heath is a 600m x 100m length of derelict land, being donated to us by Lichfield District Council.  In mid-2017 the Trust received approval of our application for £18,500 to the Postcode Local Trust to develop “Fosseway Heath, Nature Reserve and Wetlands”. This will enable the Trust to develop the Heritage Towpath Trail along the route of the canal by creating a proper surfaced towpath giving improved access to all, especially those from the existing and proposed further housing developments near to this site. A circuit will provide disabled & push-chair friendly access with board-walks through a planned wetland area.

Since 1800 over 80% of the UK's heathland has been lost. Staffordshire has an established plan to recreate rare lowland heathland, providing “stepping stones” for improving biodiversity. Our development at Fosseway will make a valuable contribution to this and also recognises its importance as a site for linnets, some migratory birds and small mammals. The Trust will be working closely with conservation and wildlife experts from a number of organisations. We expect to be able to start work in October and we need to have completed the Postcode Local Trust funded work a year later.

Note, this area had previously been known as the 'Lichfield Haven Nature Reserve'.

September 16th 2017 -  Work begins!

Trust Chairperson Christine Bull used a special golden shovel to cut the first sod in the rejuvenation of the area alongside the disused Lichfield to Walsall railway between Falklands Road and Fossway Lane.

Since 1800 over 80% of the UK's heathland has been lost. Staffordshire has an established plan to recreate rare lowland heathland, providing “stepping stones” for improving biodiversity. Our development at Fosseway will make a valuable contribution to this and also recognises its importance as a site for linnets, some migratory birds and small mammals. The Trust will be working closely with conservation and wildlife experts from a number of organisations. We expect to be able to start work in October and we need to have completed the Postcode Local Trust funded work a year later.

Christine said "The first job is to install a notice board at the Falkland Road entrance, which we must keep updated with initially the outline plan and subsequently how we're progressing. We plan to use WRG camp in October to restore the original canal wall and our Grounds/Green are currently cutting back overgrowth to expose it. There will be help from Queen's Croft students and we may have corporate groups working on the site in the next few months. Because of the important migrant and resident birds we need to be careful not to disturb them in the nesting season. So, a huge pressure to get earthworks done before February! ".

October 2017 -  A flurry of activity

The Trust volunteers activity over the last couple of weeks has been creating a great deal of interest with the regular dog walkers and users of the Fosseway Heath section of the Lichfield Canal.

This all came to a head and flurry of activity over this last weekend with a return visit of a team of 11 volunteers from WRG BITM to progress the restoration of this section. In preparation for the weekend our Trust volunteers, assisted by students from Queens Croft School cleared overgrown vegetation from the south Towpath and canal bed for access to the area.

Once the canal had been cleared we established that a 100 metre section of the historic South Canal Towpath that had been lost and taken into possession by the adjacent farmer. The solution to this problem was to create a board walk structure within the canal round the missing section of Towpath and make this area into a wetland environmental habitat. New Towpath walls would be required wide enough for a full width south Towpath and the Trust volunteers from Tamworth Road constructed the wall bases in heavy rain to be completed for the weekend volunteers.

The Waterway Recovery Group BITM (Bit in the Middle!) volunteers set about building the lower courses of the new South Towpath walls and also selected suitable Gorse plant which were excavated for transplanting into the side slopes of the Valley Nature Trail, being formed by a team of the Trust volunteers with the help of a hired in excavator. The formation of a 130 metre length of bund by the Trust along the side of the Valley Nature Trail will allow this early gorse planting on the side slopes to encourage developement of environmental habitats and wildlife to flourish in this area.

There was no way the digger could have explored the canal bed at Fosseway until the 8ft high brambles were slashed so that one could, literally, see how the land lies underneath them. We know that this is an important site for birds, several of them both rare and migrants. RSPB advice was that so long as there is similar habitat within 1 square mile it would not cause a problem. The railway embankment and the areas we have not touched provide this. Indeed, resident linnets and migrant chiffchaffs were heard there a few days ago, along with skylarks and a green woodpecker.

We had a visit by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust’s (SWT’s) Wetlands Expert, Nick Mott and our very own expert Ecologist, David Haslam to seek their advice on creating the Fosseway Heath Nature Reserve and Wetlands. Their enthusiasm for our plans is immensely reassuring and we thank them hugely for their time and expertise. That Peter and Lin Norbury from the Lichfield Branch of SWT came, too, and added to the enthusiasm is even more gratifying. Nick suggested that in a few years’ time we might have a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).