The incredible £9m plan to transform the Cotswolds

One of the prettiest UK regions is working on an incredible £9 million plan to change a key part of it completely. The Cotswold Canals restoration project is an ambitious initiative to revive the historic Stroudwater Navigation and the Thames & Severn Canal, covering a total of 36 miles.

In 1975 the Cotswold Canals Trust was registered as a charity to protect and restore the Cotswold Canals. In 2001, the newly established Cotswold Canals Partnership pledged to restore the Cotswold Canals to full navigability, aiming to enhance conservation, biodiversity, and local quality of life.

The project aims to reconnect these waterways to the national canal network, creating a vibrant corridor for wildlife, recreation, and tourism.

Significant progress has been made with the restoration of six miles completed, and another four miles currently underway, including overcoming engineering challenges such as routing the canal under the M5 motorway.

The next phase, known as “Cotswold Canals Connected,” focuses on linking the restored sections with the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal at Saul Junction.

This project, supported by organisations like the Cotswold Canals Trust, Stroud District Council, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, aims to enhance local biodiversity, promote cultural heritage, and provide economic benefits to the region.

The project involves extensive volunteer efforts, including maintaining towpaths, operating boats, and participating in conservation initiatives.

Recently, leading engineering consultancy Rodgers Leask contributed its multi-disciplinary expertise to the Cotswold Canals Connected project, playing a pivotal role in the restoration of the ‘missing mile’ of the Stroudwater Navigation.

Dave Bathurst, regional director for Rodgers Leask in Bristol told Building Design & Construction magazine: “The solutions being developed are a blend of technicality and practicality, which wouldn’t be possible without determined coordination and collaboration with Cotswold Canal Connected and enthusiasm for design excellence within our team.

“At the heart of this project is a sense of social value that will be returned to an impressive but long forgotten connection to our industrial past. Once restored the canal will take on a new, but no less important purpose, as an amenity for local people. Trading its initial use for transporting coal and other important goods, for one that will facilitate leisure and tourism.

“For Rodgers Leask, this project represents another successful example of our growing portfolio of canals and waterways projects that also includes recent involvement in the restoration of Chesterfield Canal.”

Chris Mitford-Slade, project manager at Cotswold Canals Connected, added: “The restoration of this section of the canal is an exciting step forward for both the local community and the environment. It will create a space that blends heritage and habitat for the benefit of all.”