Relaunch plan for disused Burnley dry dock
3:00pm Tuesday 29th January 2013 in News
By Peter Magill, Chief reporter
The dock could be resurrected for repairs on the increasing number of boats using the canal
A DRY dock in Burnley which has not seen active service for at least 40 years could be brought back into use.
Plans have been unveiled for a boat repair business, using a berth which once belonged to the former Bank Hall colliery.
In the pit’s heyday, before its closure in 1971, boatloads of coal left the dock every day, to power the factories of East Lancashire and beyond.
Les White, from Accrington, is now proposing to cover the dock so it can be used to repair and service the increasing number of craft using the Leeds Liverpool Canal.
Agent Alan Cross said: “The nearest facility of this nature is in Wigan and, considering the inc-rease in popularity of boat use, my clients feels that this project has the potential to be a successful venture.”
Mr Cross has told planners that the company would operate for around eight months of the year and employ up to four people.
A steel prefab building, measuring around 20 metres long, will be built to house the repair business, with a small covered entry from the canal.
The old colliery, which is also home to an auction business, is reached by an access route off Colne Road.
Recently the owners of Reedley Marina unveiled proposals to construct a 76-berth extension to their sprawling site.
And the borough council was behind a canal heritage festival celebrating the contribution of the waterway to the area’s development.
