A project to re-create the plane commenced in the 2000s because the narrowbeam locks remain a bottleneck for leisure boat traffic.

By 1897, the Grand Junction Canal Company had acquired several of the canals comprising the Leicester line, and was keen to meet demand from carriers seeking to use wider beam (14 ft) craft, rather than the traditional narrow beam boats, which were the only type the locks could accommodate.

[2] The plane was designed by Gordon Cale Thomas, after a large-scale prototype was built at the company's Bulbourne yard and he had assessed the 75 ft (23 m) climb.

[3] The inclined plane had a journey time of 12 minutes for two boats up and two down, compared with 1¼ hours through the lock system,[2] thereby improving the speed of passage up the hill tremendously.

[2] There was a plan to build a similar inclined plane at the Watford Locks at the southern end of the canal's summit level.

The need to continually maintain a supply of steam for the plane's engine – in expectation of traffic – also proved to be a drain on finances.

[6] This recognition, together with the steady increase in leisure boating on British canals, means its restoration is now considered a key project in the development of the national waterway network.