Funding bid to reconnect canal to national network

Work to restore the Stroudwater canal has been happening since 2006

A plan to link a canal in Stonehouse to the rest of the national network is set to move forward tonight.

Stroud District councillors will vote on whether to apply for £6.5m in National Lottery funding and provide an extra £1.5m to finish restoring the canal network on Thursday.

The move would restore the network from Stonehouse to Saul Junction, and reconnect Stroudwater Navigation to the national canal network.

Part of the restoration work would also re-establish the so-called "missing mile", a stretch between the A38 at Whitminster and Eastington which was filled in to make way for the M5.

Applications for the lottery grant have to be made by July, and without this work cannot start.

Stroud District Council has been trying to restore the Stroudwater canal since 2006 when work started on bring the five-mile stretch between Thrupp and Stonehouse back to life.

The money would be used to construct 1.5km of new canal in the River Frome under the M5, a mooring basin, and a new cafe and car park.

The council also proposes to reconnect the towpaths, which would effectively extend all the way from Stroud to Gloucester.

According to a council report, the finished project would provide a boost to local tourism.