Proposal to sell ‘vital’ Tiverton canal building delayed

Taken off DCC list to sell

A controversial proposal to sell a “vital” building on Tiverton’s Grand Western Canal has been delayed amid widespread opposition.

The building, known locally as The Moorings but officially named Canal House, hosts the ‘ranger service’ that manages the canal, with a staff office and training space as well as an education area.

Devon County Council, which owns the building, has put it on a list of properties it has deemed surplus to requirement because it says a large amount of money is needed to improve it.

The council believes alternative nearby buildings could be used to house the ranger service, and that a visitor centre could be used for educational visits.

It is amongst 14 sites, comprising property and land, being discussed by the council’s land and property committee.

Cllr Colin Slade (Conservative, Tiverton East) said the situation is “more complex” than the council seemed to understand, and he was “hoping to persuade [the committee] it was not surplus to requirements”.

He said he been lobbied on the issue by some constituents. “The canal manager feels most of the work required on the property is purely cosmetic and that it is fit for purpose as an office and educational facility,” he said.

He added it was “not fit for residential use”, meaning it makes little sense to try and sell it for such purposes.

The building dates back to the early 1800s, and while it is not listed, it is part of the Grand Western canal conservation area.

Cllr Slade added that even though the council believed it could relocate the ranger service, doing so would raise a host of issues.

“Other office accommodation in Tiverton is some distance from the canal basin and it is vital to the operation of the rangers that they have immediate access to their vehicles, tools and workshops as they have to react to incidents,” he said.

“I contacted them recently about a fallen tree and it was cleared in a couple of hours, but that immediate response would not have been possible if they were in the middle of Tiverton town centre.”

Cllr Slade believed funding provided by Mid Devon District Council towards the upkeep of The Moorings was partly conditional on the property being used in some way for educational use and if it isn’t, financial support could be at risk.

The committee agreed to take the property off the ‘surplus-to-requirements’ list, and suggested that a site visit could take place to help it make a decision.