Glandŵr Cymru, the Canal & River Trust in Wales, is celebrating after the Montgomery Canal and Llangollen Canal secured over £20 million in funding from the Government’s UK Levelling Up Fund.
The funding, which will restore a stretch of the Montgomery Canal in Wales, and deliver visitor improvements along the Llangollen Canal, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site, is the largest single investment made in improving and securing the long-term future of canals in Wales.
The projects will be delivered in partnership with Powys County Council, Wrexham County Borough Council, Denbighshire County Council and a range of partners and volunteers. The investment will benefit local people and the thousands of boaters and visitors who come to visit Wales each year, as well as economic benefit to shops and restaurants in neighbouring towns and villages.
The funding will restore a four mile stretch of the Montgomery Canal from the Wales England border at Llanymynech to Arddleen. The project will involve dredging the canal and the replacement of Walls and Williams bridges to once again allow boats to navigate. Two new nature reserves will be created to protect the important wildlife along the canal.
Along the Llangollen Canal, access to the 11-mile UNESCO World Heritage Site will be improved to allow greater movement of visitors to the area encouraging cross border tourism. The project will include improvements to Trevor Basin and the footpaths around the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, a new footbridge over the River Dee, improving the footpath to the village of Cefn Mawr and installing new interpretation signs.
Richard Parry, chief executive at Canal River Trust, said: “This funding is wonderful news and is a huge boost for our Welsh canals. The Montgomery and Llangollen canals are visited by thousands of boaters and tourists from across the world who visit to experience how beautiful the canals are and to spend time along these historic waterways.
“We’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us and we’ll be working with our partners and volunteers to deliver these two huge projects which will further transform the canals, bring economic benefits and boost tourism for Wales – we can’t wait to get started.”
The Government’s £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund contributes to the levelling up agenda by investing in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centre and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets.
For more information about the work of Canal & River Trust including how you can volunteer or donate money to support our work visit www.canalrivertrust.org.uk
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