Editing Chesterfield Canal (section)

===Closing the gap===
With the canal open from West Stockwith to the eastern portal of Norwood Tunnel, and from Chesterfield to Staveley, there were less than {{convert|9|mi|km}} left to be restored by 2017. Whereas most of the work so far had involved restoration of the existing channel, this section includes some significant engineering challenges, with completely new construction needed to bypass the housing estate in Killamarsh, built over the original line in the 1970s, and the replacement of Norwood Tunnel with an alternative route. The Chesterfield Canal Partnership, an association of local and regional authorities, including the Chesterfield Canal Trust and other interested parties, have produced detailed plans for all of the work required to reinstate the missing section.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk/ |title=Home page |publisher=Chesterfield Canal Trust |access-date=9 January 2018}}</ref>

In 2004, the engineers Jacobs-Babtie examined six possible routes for the canal through Killamarsh. Of these, two were reasonably feasible, and were named Central Line East and Central Line West.{{sfn |Killamarsh |2017 |pp=6–8}} At the time, the eastern route was felt to be the best option, and consultation with residents resulted in that route being included in the North East Derbyshire Local Plan. However, subsequent detailed design suggests that this may no longer be the best route.{{sfn |Killamarsh |2017 |p=10}} Redevelopment of the Tarran Bungalows site to the west of the village provided opportunities to reassess the western route, and it has gained support, as it would be more attractive for boaters, allowing them to access the village more readily. This route would also be considerably cheaper to construct that the eastern route.{{sfn |Killamarsh |2017 |pp=22–23,25}} Both routes drop down into Nethermoor Lake, part of the [[Rother Valley Country Park]] and will ascend from the far side to regain the original course.{{sfn |Killamarsh |2017 |p=10}}

It will not be possible to reopen the Norwood Tunnel, as several sections have collapsed, the National Coal Board filled in some sections to stabilise the land above it, and when the [[M1 motorway]] was built, the tunnel below it was injection grouted, to ensure there would not be a subsequent collapse. The engineers Arup considered options for this section in 2007, proposing a route running largely on the surface, and crossing the site of the Kiveton Park Colliery, which closed in 1994. It involved an extra six locks at the top of the Norwood flight of 13 locks, passing under the motorway by using a farm underpass, and then descending through another six new locks, to enter the final {{convert|460|yd|m}} of the tunnel.{{sfn |Coles |2010 |p=1}} In 2012 the UK Government's announcement of the preferred route for the [[High Speed 2|HS2]] rail line extension to Leeds indicated that the line would conflict with the planned restoration of the Canal in several places. The Chesterfield Canal Trust campaigned to have the needs of the Canal taken into account during the consultation process. The July 2017 announcement on the phase 2b route to be developed removed blight from the canal route.<ref>{{cite web|title=HS2 route announcement – Chesterfield Canal line is safe|url=http://www.chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk/wp-canalsite/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/HS2-route-announcement-Chesterfield-Canal-line-is-safe.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201033317/http://www.chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk/wp-canalsite/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/HS2-route-announcement-Chesterfield-Canal-line-is-safe.pdf |archive-date=1 December 2017 |publisher=Chesterfield Canal Trust |access-date=24 November 2017}}</ref> This revised route for the HS2 railway resulted in other options being considered for the tunnel replacement route. One is for a short tunnel at the western end, starting at the existing western portal, but heading in a different direction. The tunnel would be some {{convert|660|yd|m}} long, passing under the route of HS2 and the M1 motorway, allowing HS2 to be constructed without interfering with navigation. The scheme would save the need to construct six locks, and engineers were assessing the cost of such a scheme in late 2017.{{sfn |Auton |2017 |pp=16–17}}

[[file:Trans Pennine Trail bridge installed.jpg|thumb|right|The Trans Pennine Trail bridge crossing the route of the canal at Staveley was installed in October 2024]]
In 2020, the Trust submitted a planning application covering reinstatement of the remaining {{convert|1.6|mi|km|adj=on}} section that lies within the borough of Chesterfield. HS2 opposed the application, on the basis that the two projects were incompatible, but in February 2021, an agreement was reached between the Trust and HS2 to allow both to be constructed.{{sfn |Broomhead |2021}} Planning permission was then granted for the reinstatement from Staveley to Renishaw, including Brindley's Puddle Bank which carries the canal across the valley of the [[River Doe Lea]]. The canal was breached after closure to prevent flooding by the river, which passed under the canal in a culvert, and the new crossing will feature a {{convert|120|ft|m|adj=on}} aqueduct. At Renishaw, {{convert|0.5|mi|km|1}} of canal were restored in 2010 but have since become derelict again, due to a failure to reach agreement with the Environment Agency over water supplies. That issue should be resolved as part of the development. Meanwhile, Staveley Town Basin has been renamed Staveley Waterside, as plans for a new village with a hotel and marina have been announced by Derbyshire County Council.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=A leap ahead for next stage of Chesterfield restoration |magazine=Waterways World |date=July 2021 |issn=0309-1422 |page=25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/developments/staveley/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331074027/https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/developments/staveley/ |archive-date=31 March 2021 |url-status=live |title=Staveley Regeneration |publisher=Chesterfield Borough Council |year=2021}}</ref>

In 2023, the canal trust received a grant of £5.3&nbsp;million from the Staveley Town Deal, part of the £25.2&nbsp;million awarded to Staveley in 2021 from the government's [[Levelling Up Fund|Towns Fund]]. The grant was expected to cover restoration of the canal from Staveley to the River Doe Lea crossing at the end of Staveley puddle bank. Some 160,000 cubic metres of clay were also donated by a local developer called Suon, with royalties for its extraction waived by the [[Chatsworth House|Chatsworth Estate]]. The clay will be used to rebuild the puddle bank, parts of which were removed in 1972 when it was bulldozed.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Clay donation to restore Chesterfield Canal embankment |magazine=Waterways World |date=July 2023 |issn=0309-1422 |p=20}}</ref> Delays and escalating costs mean that the Staveley Town Deal award will no longer cover the full restoration of the puddle bank, but on 25 October 2024, a new bridge carrying the [[Trans Pennine Trail]] over the route of the canal was installed. This will allow the canal to be restored beneath it, as far as Bellhouse Lane, where the entrance basin to the former Lowgates Arm will provide winding space.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=New bridge for Chesterfield restoration |magazine=Waterways World |date=January 2025 |issn=0309-1422 |p=25}}</ref>