Please protect Sturt's Lock

There is a serious risk that the second lock chamber at Sturt's Lock could be compromised by landscaping plans under Hackney Planning application 2021/0680.

The second chamber has been re-purposed as a weir, but it must be protected to ensure that it could be brought back into service in the future. This could happen if boat traffic volumes increase or to enable the other lock chamber to undergo repairs without closing the canal.

Here is an image from subsection 7.2 of the Design and Access statement. It shows the proposed landscaping plans minus the trees. Beware: the size of the lock beams are not represented correctly

Here is an aerial view of the lock. Note that the real beams are much wider than the ones illustrated above; they span the width of the lock island.

Here is an adapted version of the landscaping image, showing approximate positions of new lock gates if the second chamber were to return to service. It is important that the public realm does not interfere with the future operation of this equipment. There might even be a need for metal fences around this area similar to the ones opposite Camden Lock Market.

Here is old plan, retrieved from the CRT archives, showing the original configuration of the lock prior to conversion of the second chamber.

Note: some of the above information has been extracted from subsection 7.2 of the Design and Access statement

Note: you will find more context for this planning application on our campaign page