WATER TO WENDOVER

摘要

On the face of it, reopening the abandoned Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal might look like not too difficult a job - and a lot easier than some of the longer-term reopening projects that we've featured in these pages. It's just six-and-three-quarter miles long (and the first mile and a half were never abandoned); most of it's still in water; there aren't any locks to rebuild; there aren't any serious blockages such as railway or major road crossings to be reinstated; no lengths built on or obliterated; no mining subsidence causing havoc with the levels; no delicate negotiations needed with dozens of private landowners, in fact it's still part of the Canal & River Trust's system; and no big conflicts of interest between canal restorers and other groups such as nature conservationists.