BW objects to marina

FAR away from the honey-pot sites, a developer wants to build a marina at Todmorden on the Rochdale Canal, but British Waterways objects.

The site in question was to be a Sainsbury's store, but with planning permission refused, a developer wants it as a marina as a centre piece for a mix-use development.

Objections

But British Waterways have raised objections and rejected the application as there is a six feet difference in water levels, the entrance would be on a bend in the waterway and that it would be near residential moorings.

The plan was for a 52 berth marina, and local objector Darren Midgley wrote that 'it is widely appreciated within the narrowboat community that there is a glut of empty berths in the North of England, and you only have to look at the Hebden Bridge marina, which holds a mere fraction of the boats proposed for the Hope Street site (and is seldom full) to see that such a large proposal for Todmorden seems overly-ambitious'.

There is strong feeling that the Sainsbury's plans should not have been rejected by the council as it would have provided 150 jobs, whereas a marina, if built, would only provide 'about two'.