Historic canal to be restored with £6.4m

The so-called "missing mile" canal was filled in the 1960s to build the M5 motorway

A project to reconnect a historic canal to the UK's national waterways network has received £6.4m in funding.

The money will be used to reinstate the "missing mile" of the Stroudwater Navigation, which was originally filled during the 1960s to allow for the M5 motorway to be built.

Stroud District Council and the Cotswold Canals Trust (CCT) want to create an accessible towpath from Stroud to Gloucester, which will act as a a "wildlife corridor".

The project has now received £6.4m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and should take two to three years to complete, according to Chris Mithford Slade, project director for the Cotswold Canals Connected Project.

The council submitted its bid for funding in July, but restoration work on the canal has been underway since 2006.

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust (GWT) started environmental improvements along the route, including work on new wetland habitats, hedgerow planting and restoring a traditional orchard.

Chloe Turner, leader of Stroud District Council, said the local authority had contributed an additional £1.5m to the project to show residents its commitment to it.

More than 750 volunteers have taken part in the restoration so far, working a combined 93,600 hours on construction, biodiversity improvements and community engagement.

More than 700 volunteers have worked on the project so far

Volunteer Andy Pickersgill said GWT wanted to preserve the waterway's heritage by keeping some original features.

This latest grant brings the total of National Lottery investment into the Cotswold Canals Connected project to more than £16m.

Taryn Nixon OBE, chair of the fund's England, London and South Committee, said she was pleased the project was enabling people to connect with their heritage.

A council report says the finished project is expected to provide a boost to local tourism

"We have a vision which is that heritage is going to be valued and cared for by people, for themselves, for the future and this project ticks absolutely all those boxes," she added.

The revived canal is expected to boost local tourism, biodiversity and the regional economy, with main work on the project set to start at the beginning of next year.