Cardiff’s City Centre East and Churchill Way Canal Scheme has been awarded a major civil engineering award.
Cardiff Council, Atkins Realis and Knights Brown were awarded the Bill Ward Sustainability Award at the Ice Wales Cymru Civil Engineering Awards 2024.
The Civil Engineering Awards recognise individuals and organisations for innovation, smart engineering, and sustainability in the industry in Wales.
The uncovering of the Dock Feeder which has been buried under Churchill Way for the last 70 years is the first phase of a wider regeneration project, with plans to extend the canal along Churchill Way to connect to the canal south of Tyndall Street.
This new development could open the potential to deliver a new urban district including the regeneration of Bridge Street, David Street, Charles Street, Tredegar Street, Guildford Crescent, and Barrack Lane.
The Dock Feeder’s primary purpose is to manage surface water, allowing rainwater to pass through purpose-built rain gardens, so the water can be cleaned before eventually passing into the canal.
The design ensures that 3,500m2 of water can be diverted from the sewer reducing the cost and energy of treating this water through the sewage pumping station at Cardiff Bay.
The re-emergence of the Dock Feeder also delivers a new water habitat in the city centre, creating a new public space, outdoor seating, an amphitheatre-style performance area and two foot bridges to cross the water. Floating water habitats have also been installed, with recent sightings of an otter taking a rest on the platform before continuing with their day.
In the 1830s, the dock feeder ran from the River Taff in Blackweir down to Cardiff Docks to maintain the water levels in Cardiff’s Bute Dock. This allowed the dock to operate 24 hours a day, even at low tide, servicing a 25-mile-long Glamorganshire Canal from Merthyr Tydfill to Cardiff to bring steel and iron down to the city.
The Glamorganshire Canal was covered up between 1948 and 1950 and the Dock Feeder on Churchill Way was covered over with concrete beams and the carriageway built over the top of it.
Cllr Dan De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport said:
“I would like to thank the project team and our contractors for delivering this scheme, which will act as a catalyst for further investment into this part of the city. The council has set out our future aspirations for the Canal Quarter and in time, and through future funding opportunities this vision could transform this part of the city centre, creating a vibrant new district for residents and visitors to enjoy.”
