There are ambitious plans afoot to reinstate the Lagan Navigation, a canal which linked the city of Belfast with Lough Neagh. A number of authorities have a shared vision to restore the canal already.
Feasibility studies have been undertaken and Belfast City Council is keen to press ahead with the project, subject to funding. Click on the map to enlarge it.
Other interested parties include the Inland Waterways Association and the Lagan Canal Trust.
The original navigation ran from Stranmillis in Belfast to Lisburn; Culcavey; Moira; Aghalee; and through to Lough Neagh. The canal passed through 27 Locks. Built in the 18th century, it was one of the most successful commercial navigations in Ireland. The development of road and rail led to the demise of the Lagan Canal and its abandonment in the 1950s.
About eight miles of the line of the navigation (between Lisburn and Moira), was lost in the 1960s when the Northern Ireland M1 motorway was built. However, a study by consultants has shown that re-instating the navigation would be feasible by making more use of the river Lagan itself. Restoration of the navigation is strongly supported by Lisburn City Council, which rebuilt Lock Twelve as the central feature of its civic office development in 2000. There are also plans to build a new Lock One at the weir in Stranmillis, Belfast.
I am slightly unclear as to how they will re-construct the canal where the motorway section is; and it does sound as if it will be costly. Despite this, I'm enthusiastic about the prospect of our canals in Ulster being revived.
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