The Development Committee has now had the opportunity to meet with Heritage Lottery Fund Officers to receive the feedback on our recent funding application to restore a section of the Derby Canal at Sandiacre. Our application was in this instance unsuccessful, although it does seem that it is very rare for a first time applicant to succeed.
The key part of the feedback was that we had not shown sufficient evidence from the wider Sandiacre and Long Eaton communities that border the section of the canal route that they supported restoration.
The Committee also asked that we provide more independent verification to prove the costs and basic assumptions included in the application.
We can submit a fresh application at any time, however HLF have suggested that we consider an alternative tack that could allow us to obtain a small amount of funding to undertake detailed studies of the two lock chambers in Sandiacre that would then remove some of the uncertainty of what we might find when those lock chambers are opened up during restoration. This funding could also be used to increase community engagement in Sandiacre and Long Eaton.
The Development Committee has a “what next” planning session in the middle of August that will consider how we move this forward as part of the strategy for the whole route of the canal.