- 16/04/2025
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00:00Good morning, people of Somerset. It's Daniel Mumby, your local democracy reporter.
00:07It's not quite as sunny as we've enjoyed the past few days, but it's still good walking weather.
00:11And you join me today at the heart of the Bridgewater and Taunton Canal.
00:15I'm at the Maltzel Lock Tea Room, as you can see lots of people already currently enjoying a cup of tea and a piece of cake.
00:21And we are currently walking south along the Bridgewater and Taunton Canal towpath, following a section of the Somerset Spacewalk.
00:30We're going to go as far as the Jupiter marker heading Taunton bound, taking us about two kilometres.
00:36And during that time, I'm going to be talking about the future of the canal, including plans for regeneration at either end of this historic structure, a key part of Somerset's industrial heritage.
00:46As per usual with these live streams, if you have any comments or questions, do drop them in and I will respond to as many of them as we can as we go along.
00:55And I don't get round to in the main, we'll do retrospectively.
00:58So, aside from the beautiful weather, like I say, not quite as warm as the other day, why are we out on the canal today?
01:06I'm just going to let these people come past and then we'll answer that question.
01:12No problem.
01:13The towpath of the canal is part of the National Cycle Network.
01:18It is a little narrow in places, but not too overgrown.
01:21So hopefully we will not run into too many obstacles as we go along.
01:26And we always try and be courteous when we're doing these live streams to ensure that everyone can enjoy this route equally and in peace.
01:33So, we are out here on the canal today for two reasons.
01:38Firstly, because of news that broke in the last couple of weeks regarding the Bridgewater end of this route, the Northgate docks, which link the canal to the River Parrot in Bridgewater Town Centre.
01:50And after 18 months of delays, the £5.2 million regeneration of that, which comes from the government-funded Bridgewater Town deal, is finally going to be moving to the next stage.
02:02They've appointed a design contractor in WSP, which is going to look at all the feedback that came from a consultation in December of 2023, along with surveys that have been carried out since that time.
02:14And they are going to be looking at the next phase of delivering regeneration on that site, including repairs to the existing dock gates, lock gates, I should say, allowing possible navigation up and down this section of the canal, leisure use with moorings in the Marina Basin, and a new walking and cycling bridge that will link up with the Celebration Mile, which itself will run all the way to the railway station.
02:40So £5.2 million, of which £1 million will go on walking and cycling improvements, and £4.2 million will be allocated towards the dock itself.
02:50Meanwhile, at the other end of the site, at a meeting held this Tuesday, just gone, April 8th, the Council's Planning and Transport Policy Subcommittee, which is a bit of a mouthful, not to say, approved something called the Taunton Waterway Strategy,
03:07which looks at the future maintenance and enhancement of the River Tone, the various other rivers in Taunton, and the Bridgewater and Taunton Canal.
03:17It's identified a number of areas where funding could be sought to make the waterways safer, more accessible, and boost the town's tourism offer.
03:27And I'll tell you more about that in just a second.
03:30Again, just making sure that we don't get in anybody's way whilst we're live streaming.
03:35Good morning.
03:39So one of the areas that was identified within the Taunton Waterway Strategy as needing a possible update
03:46is the Firepool Lock and Firepool Weir area, which is the southern terminus connecting the canal to the River Tone,
03:53near the Firepool Regeneration site, of course, which is still a hive of activity, with the new boulevard being built, the amphitheatre being constructed,
04:01and very shortly, the new bridge that will link things to Coal Orchard.
04:06Just going past the lock-in public house on our right-hand side.
04:11If it gets any warmer, I might have to wet my whistle and pop in there on the way back through.
04:16So yes, those two projects have been very much identified as priorities by Somerset Council.
04:23The docks in Bridgewater will be taken on by the Town Council there once the work is completed.
04:30That is anticipated to be by the summer of 2026.
04:33All the funding from the Town Deal has to be completed and committed by March of 2026.
04:40And it's a case of keeping an eye on things until then.
04:43Now, we just need to go on the road for the next little section.
04:48Like I said, we are on the National Cycle Network, but this section of the towpath, for land ownership reasons and other matters,
04:56requires us to just take a little excursion on the lane.
04:59And what I will do whilst we're walking on this section is point out a very iconic structure.
05:05And that is the sun at the start of the Somerset Spacewalk.
05:12And if you've never experienced this part of the canal, a scale model of the solar system exists on this stretch with the sun at the centre here near Maunsell.
05:24And the solar system runs out to scale in either direction with markers along the towpath so that you can get an idea of the scale of the galaxy in which we are.
05:38The Pluto markers.
05:41Hello there, Ryan.
05:42Thanks very much for dropping in a comment.
05:44Your company is welcome.
05:45The Pluto markers at the end, because the walk was created before Pluto was declassified as a planet.
05:53One of those old internet memes of I remember when Pluto was a planet.
05:56But the Pluto markers at the end of the route are outside the Brewhouse Theatre in Taunton and near the Morrison supermarket in Bridgewater.
06:03I've not walked the entire length of the canal as yet, but it does remain an ambition.
06:07And we'll point out some of the markers as we go along.
06:11So in addition to the improvements that are planned at either end of this wonderful structure,
06:20which is being joined by so many people walking and cycling and even on boating,
06:26you can even hear trains in the background just skirting near here.
06:28One of the ambitions for the site is, for this entire area, is looking at ways to increase
06:38the well-being of the small businesses that operate on here as we pass Mercury.
06:44All these little markers along the way.
06:46This is where the towpaths get a little more rivuleted.
06:49So have your wits about you if you're not in hiking boots.
06:53And we'll also just keep quiet while we pass these anglers.
06:56There we go.
07:11It's good to see so many people out and about enjoying the weather.
07:14So as part of the discussion that happened on Tuesday,
07:17Council Leader Bill Revens,
07:19who represents the North Petherton Division,
07:23through which much of the canal flows,
07:26he was one of the people looking at ways in which this whole area could be enhanced
07:31in terms of support for local businesses.
07:34And he actually gave some support to the tea rooms where we started,
07:39which is always encouraging.
07:40And as we pass Venus on the towpath, nice to know that you're a taunting boy, Ryan.
07:50Here's what Mr. Revens had to say.
07:52It would be great to see some kind of linkage between the Bridgewater Docks regeneration and the firepool lock.
08:00I'd be interested to understand the technical challenges at the firepool end.
08:04Those of us who were around long enough will remember when we were promised that Somerset would be the new Norfolk Broads.
08:10That obviously didn't materialise, and we need to manage people's expectations.
08:15The Canal Boat Centre at Maunsell Lock has been one business that has been able to operate successfully.
08:20And if the Bridgewater Docks project is to be successful, it needs to harness that.
08:26That's Council Leader Bill Revens speaking on Tuesday at that committee meeting where the Waterway Strategy for Taunton was approved,
08:32talking also about the Bridgewater Docks revitalisation, which will start finally seeing the lighter day in the coming months.
08:42We pass our next marker, which is Earth.
08:47And again, we'll just keep the volume down slightly for this gentleman's fishing.
08:52It's worth pointing out at this stage that this canal, like so many of Britain's historic waterways,
09:07is managed by a body called the Canal and River Trust.
09:10It's a registered charity.
09:12It does receive funding from central government, albeit not as much as it would like.
09:15And the Canal and River Trust has been consulted at length about the Bridgewater Docks project.
09:24As we see another train go past, that's how close we are to the railway line.
09:30We are heading south in a pretty steady pace.
09:35We'll eventually pass under the 361 near Durston, because we'll be getting as far as the Jupiter marker.
09:41Here you can see a hollowed out, what I'm assuming is a World War II pillbox there.
09:47One of the nice things about exploring rural Somerset like this is there's such a rich crisscross of our county's history.
09:54You have the canal of the early Industrial Revolution, the railway line passing through with steam that eventually superseded the canals.
10:02You have the little World War II reminders here and there.
10:05It's just so rich.
10:07Good morning.
10:09And it's good to see so many people out enjoying it.
10:12We've made it as far as Mars.
10:15And the larger planets are marked by bigger stone lumps on the top, rather than tiny little metal ones,
10:23because the planets are done to scale as well.
10:25There isn't a marker for the asteroid belt.
10:27So, between now and Jupiter, it's just a case of finding out how long we're going to go.
10:34And we're just going to slow the pace a little bit, because of that party in front of us that's got lots of dogs,
10:39and we don't want to ruin their day.
10:42So, along the whole stretch of the canal, which runs for about, I want to say at least 14 miles,
10:49I may be wrong about that, there are numerous businesses, including pubs like the boat and anchor towards Bridgewater,
10:56who benefit from the leisure uses that are already on here,
11:02whether it's people mooring their barges, or people just out for a kayak,
11:08or enjoying picnics at the various benches.
11:11You can see all these lovely old farmhouses around here as well.
11:19And it would be fantastic if we could see more sections of the canal just opened up
11:25for that kind of leisure use.
11:32Great to see people paddleboarding along here like they do in Exeter.
11:52Just pass through this company of people, and then we will carry on.
12:01Well, if we come through, thank you very much.
12:05Like we said at the top of the stream, this is a shared-use path.
12:15Part of National Cycle Network Route 3.
12:17We try not to get in anybody's way when we're live streaming.
12:20Thank you for bearing with us.
12:23So, it would be really interesting to know in the comments,
12:26particularly if you live near the canal,
12:28which sections you would like to see particularly enhanced.
12:31whether there are any sections of the towpath that we're walking out at the moment
12:34that you feel could be improved, maybe widened in areas, maybe resurfaced a little.
12:39I'm not sure that everyone would want to see tarmac in this part of the West Country,
12:43but anything that they can do to make this more accessible for individuals, for tourists,
12:50and in doing so, boost businesses.
12:51I'd especially be interested if you actually run a business on the canal
12:56and what your experience has been in the last few years of making a living off this area.
13:04If you've only just joined me, it's Daniel Munby, your local democracy reporter here.
13:10We're out on a glorious day in Somerset.
13:13It's not quite as sunny as we've enjoyed this past week,
13:15but it is just peeking through the clouds, some fastidial blue sky,
13:19and it is getting quite warm here.
13:21We're out on the Bridgewater and Taunton Canal.
13:24We started our journey at Montsell Lock by the tea rooms.
13:27We've passed the sun central point of the Somerset Spacewalk,
13:31which is going to be refurbished in the coming years.
13:34They're going to give the sun a new lick of paint
13:36and upgrade some of the markers that we've encountered so far,
13:39all the way to both Termini at Taunton and Bridgewater.
13:44And like I say, we've been talking about the future of this historic structure,
13:49which dates way back to the 19th century.
13:53And with the enhancement projects underway at both ends,
13:57with the Bridgewater docks
13:58and the new commitment to the Taunton Waterway Strategy
14:02to look at the future of Firepool Lock as well.
14:04In terms of the Firepool site in general,
14:08there is work going on at the moment
14:10to deliver the boulevard through the site,
14:14which will link the railway station
14:16and the former GWR building
14:19and the Firepool Centre for Digital Innovation.
14:21It will link all of those.
14:23Hello, Jackie.
14:24We're not far from Creek St. Michael.
14:25Lovely part of the world.
14:28So it will link all of those to the River Tone
14:32and then a new pedestrian and cycling bridge
14:35will be set up in place of the current one,
14:38which stretches between Cole Orchard and the Morrison Store.
14:42We suspect that that's going to be built
14:44between July and November.
14:46We don't have a specific start date,
14:48but we'll keep a close eye on that.
14:50In terms of the future of Firepool going forward,
14:52once all of that pump priming, so to speak, is done,
14:56and that's being funded
14:57through the government's Future High Streets Fund,
15:00after that, it's a case of the council...
15:04Well, luring is the wrong word,
15:06but persuading and cajoling a commercial developer
15:08to come in and deliver the rest.
15:11We are expecting some kind of announcement
15:13about the future of the site,
15:14possibly involving the cricket club,
15:15which is just over the way in the coming months.
15:18But something so commercially sensitive,
15:22it's not easy to get the full picture,
15:24and we don't want to put out anything misleading
15:26that could jeopardise its future.
15:33We're just running along...
15:35I was going to say the main road here.
15:38It's maybe a little misleading to call it a main road,
15:40but the main road through the village.
15:43And again, you can see the towpath.
15:45It's a little undulating and cracked,
15:46but even someone like me
15:49who is nursing an ankle injury
15:51can get along here pretty easy.
15:57And the canal itself looks pretty high.
16:01I would have thought that a lot more water
16:02would have evaporated off,
16:03but clearly it's at a pretty steady level.
16:10Worth pointing out as well that
16:11during times of heavy rain,
16:15the canal is used as a flood defence channel.
16:19And to prevent Taunton from flooding,
16:23certain amounts of water are allowed into the canal
16:25via firepool lock
16:26and discharged into the parrot
16:29at the edge of Bridgewater.
16:31And that is going to continue
16:33even once the regeneration
16:34of the Northgate docks is finished.
16:36So they will have to factor that in
16:38in terms of the well-being of
16:39people who end up mooring on there.
16:44But like I say,
16:45we await the new designs from WSP.
16:48There will be some further public consultation
16:50we expect by the early summer.
16:52And then construction can begin,
16:54hopefully,
16:55once planning permission is secured
16:56before Christmas
16:57and then all the contracts
16:58can be sorted out.
17:00It's one of these things
17:03with regeneration projects
17:04that the money is announced
17:05and then lots,
17:07very little can seem to happen
17:08for the next two or three years.
17:09But Somerset Council
17:10has been juggling a lot of different
17:12government funding pots,
17:15all of which are ring-fenced,
17:16many of which had inherited
17:17from the former district councils.
17:19They have very tight deadlines on them.
17:20So they have been pushing for extensions
17:22on the Tondale Mill project
17:24in Wellington.
17:25We reported on that the other week.
17:29So it's not the case
17:30that only Bridgewater and Glastonbury
17:32are being seen as important priorities,
17:34and Taunton for that matter.
17:37We were also at the Glover's Walk site
17:39in Yeovil not so long ago.
17:42And the demolition of that
17:43is being funded by the government as well.
17:46So there are various little pots
17:47that are all ring-fenced
17:49for certain purposes.
17:52And it's just a case
17:54of keeping the council on its toes
17:55to ensure that all of that
17:56can be spent in good time.
18:02Now, we are going to continue on our way.
18:06This is reinforcing
18:07how far it is in practice
18:10between Mars and Jupiter
18:11because it's been a long time
18:12since we saw
18:13anything Martian.
18:17And we are continuing
18:19along the towpath
18:20past this little mooring area.
18:23And I can't imagine
18:24we're too much further
18:25from the A361
18:26and Jupiter.
18:28Thank you for all of your comments
18:29and company so far.
18:30And it's delightful
18:32to hear so much birdsong
18:33in the air.
18:36Hopefully their warbling
18:37is made up
18:38for any waffling on my part.
18:40And apologies
18:41if you're having issues
18:42with the slow connection.
18:444G is still at a premium
18:45in this part of Somerset,
18:46never mind 5G.
18:48But we seem to be doing okay.
18:51If you have only just
18:52joined the live stream,
18:53you're very welcome.
18:55It's Daniel Mumby here,
18:56your local democracy reporter.
18:58We're on the beautiful
18:59Bridgewater and Taunton Canal.
19:02We are, I would say,
19:04around a mile south
19:06of the Mauncel Tea Rooms
19:07by now,
19:09where we started our journey.
19:10We're heading south
19:11following the Somerset Space Walk.
19:13We've passed Mars.
19:14We're a certain distance
19:16away from Jupiter.
19:17I would venture,
19:18so we're heading into
19:18the outer solar system.
19:21I'll just let this couple
19:22go past.
19:23And then I'll recap
19:24what we've talked about.
19:26Hello.
19:28So we started our stream
19:33at the centre point
19:35of the canal,
19:36talking about
19:37the regeneration projects
19:38planned at either end of it
19:40with the Taunton Waterway
19:41strategy that will safeguard
19:43Firepool Lock
19:44and Firepool Weir.
19:44and the Northgate Docks
19:48regeneration scheme
19:49in Bridgewater Town Centre
19:50where £5.2 million
19:52and the Bridgewater Town deal
19:53has been committed.
19:55And
19:56new design team
19:57has been appointed
19:58to take that on
19:59and move it forward
20:00over the next 12 to 18 months.
20:03We are now just
20:04enjoying a stroll
20:05on the towpath,
20:07showing you the infrastructure
20:08that's currently in place,
20:09hopefully
20:11inspiring you
20:12to come and check it out
20:13for yourself.
20:15And I think
20:16I just saw
20:19a large trailer
20:20moving over it,
20:21which leads me to think
20:22that that's the A361
20:23in Durston,
20:25meaning Jupiter
20:25is not far away.
20:27If you enjoyed this so far
20:29and you'd like to see me
20:30explore the whole towpath,
20:33maybe for a charity walk
20:34or something like that,
20:35do drop that in the comments.
20:36It's something we would
20:37consider doing.
20:40I'm not sure
20:41that I could do
20:41all 14 miles
20:43on a single stream,
20:44but I'll give it a go.
20:46Maybe I'll just do that
20:46as a Twitter thread
20:47or something like that.
20:48I refuse to call it X.
20:54And
20:54the towpath here,
20:55like I say,
20:56it's a different surface
20:57to where we were before.
20:58It's a bit stonier
20:59kettle of fish.
21:01A stonier kettle of fish.
21:02How edible.
21:03And
21:06sufficiently far back
21:09from the canal
21:09that
21:09if your balance
21:11was a little uncertain,
21:12you could still get through
21:13very easily.
21:17Now,
21:18we are just coming
21:18towards the bridge.
21:21There is no
21:21avenue up it.
21:25So,
21:25what we may do
21:26is just finish up here.
21:27Jupiter,
21:30I'm reliably told,
21:32is just beyond
21:32bridge 21,
21:34as we'll call it.
21:38And I think we will
21:39call a halt
21:40to proceedings here.
21:42Anyway,
21:42I hope that's given you
21:43a really good picture
21:44of what this stretch
21:45of the Katao
21:46has to offer
21:46and
21:48what the future holds.
21:50If you missed
21:50any part of this
21:51live stream,
21:52it will be available
21:53for the next 30 days.
21:54And I shall be back
21:55for another live stream,
21:56possibly on Monday,
21:57when we'll be talking
21:58about sea block
21:59at County Hall
22:00and what the future
22:01holds for that.
22:03In the meantime,
22:04this is Daniel Mumby
22:05wishing you
22:06a very pleasant
22:07rest of the weekend.
22:08Hope you make
22:08the most of the sun
22:09and goodbye for now.
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