Cotswold Canals – HistoryHope for the Future |
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| In 1996 Gloucestershire County Council commissioned British Waterways to make a corridor study. The resulting report examined the cost benefit of full or partial restoration and concluded that in either case the benefits to the local community were extremely good both in terms of payback and number of jobs created.
Ownership of most of the Stroudwater Navigation still remains with the original company with whom the Cotswold Canals Trust enjoys close cooperation. Most of the Stroudwater Navigation from is now leased to Stroud Valleys Canal Company (SVCC) which now also owns the T&S canal as far east as Brimscombe including the site of the Port. SVCC will manage the canal once the current restoration program is completed. The Trust leases a section of canal in the Golden Valley above Chalford and itself owns a section near Frampton Mansell, at Puck Mill. The Trust recently took on ownership of Inglesham Lock where the Thames and Severn Canal enters the River Thames. The Cotswold Canals Trust has promoted a reversal of the destructive processes and has undertaken specific restoration works using volunteer labour. Volunteers come from Trust members, the Waterways Recovery Group and Dig Deep. The result of all this effort has been that the canal corridor through the Stroud area has been declared a Conservation Area. Restoration is Gathering PaceThe restoration of the Cotswold Canals is gathering pace. In the west, a £25 million project led by Stroud District Council commenced in 2010. This section centred on Stroud, known as Phase 1A - Stonehouse to Brimscombe, will comprise of 6 miles of the most difficult section to restore. It is funded with £12 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, £7.5 million from the South West Regional Development Agency and contributions from other sources. The Cotswold Canals Trust has committed £800,000 and over £lm of volunteer effort. The pictures below show work in progress on Merrywalks Bridge in November 2010 and in July 2011. |
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Phase 1B, the critical length needed to link Phase 1A to the rest of the inland waterway network at Saul is the next big challenge. Decline << |
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