As I now live in MK I'm an interested party. (I previously lived just down the road from the Lichfield And Hatherton cut, which is being restored even as we write.) Quite a few residents think that the new canal will bring a lot of unwelcome commercial/industrial development along its length, although I don't know how likely his is (whoever heard of factories having access by water...?), and I don't know where I can find out. There are plans to open a new rail link to [somewhere out east] as well. All sounds a bit like Progress to me!

Steve