Alistair Hardaker
Image: Westfield Bridge and the start of the Missing Mile © Lee Grant
Stroudwater Canal to be reconnected to UK network with canal passing beneath M5 motorway and creating new accessible towpath to Gloucester.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded £6.46m to restore vital sections of the Stroudwater Canal, including reinstating the ‘missing mile’ which will take the canal beneath the M5 motorway. The funding will reconnect the currently landlocked Stroudwater Navigation with the national inland waterways network.
The project is led by Stroud District Council in partnership with the Cotswold Canals Trust and will create a new fully accessible towpath connecting Stroud to Gloucester and Sharpness, as well as creating a wildlife corridor linking habitats from the east to the west.
A programme of community activity will broaden participation and improve physical access to the canal, including new canal-side spaces for communities to gather. Canal heritage will be taken into community settings to extend its reach beyond the waterway. The Stroudwater Navigation Archive, thought to be the oldest canal archive in the world, will offer possibilities to tell the story of the canal in new ways.
Young people will contribute through volunteering opportunities, engaging with canal heritage in the classroom and active involvement in decision-making on the future of the canal. The investment will support tourism, unlock economic opportunities and enhance the natural environment through conservation and biodiversity initiatives, reconnecting local communities in the Stroud Valleys, Stonehouse, Gloucester, and Severn Vale with one of England’s important industrial mill areas.
The Environment Programme, led by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, has already delivered major improvements to the canal’s natural surroundings. These include creating a wildlife corridor along the canal with new wetlands areas, the restoration of a traditional orchard and four kilometres of new hedgerows.
Over the last four years, over 750 volunteers have worked on the restoration of the canal, supported biodiversity and wildlife improvements and facilitated community activities, providing a total of 93,600 volunteer hours.
The announcement follows the launch of the recent Canal & River Trust report, The Vital Connector for Nature and People, which demonstrates how the UK’s canal network serves as a vital urban connector, supporting nature and offering free open access for communities.
Taryn Nixon OBE, Trustee and Chair of the England, London & South Committee, Heritage Fund said the restoration is “a powerful example of heritage literally connecting places, people and nature for the benefit of the future.”
Chloe Turner, Stroud District Council Leader called the restoration”a key project in our Council Plan, with cross-party support for the many benefits for Stroud district’s communities, heritage, nature and local economy that the restored canal will bring.”
The canal will celebrate its 250th opening anniversary in 2029. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has to date awarded £9,799,000 to the Cotswold Canals Connected project. Today’s announcement is a further grant of £6.4m which brings total funding to over £16m. The Cotswold Canals Connected Project is being delivered by a partnership of organisations, including Stroud District Council, Cotswold Canals Trust, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, Gloucestershire County Council, and the Stroud Valleys Canal Company.
