Work starts to improve canal towpaths across Rowley Regis
THE Canal & River Trust, working in partnership with Sandwell Council, has started improvements to the towpath and access points on several canals which will enable people in Rowley Regis tohave easier year-round access.
Thanks to £ 2.3 million funding secured as part of the government- funded Towns Fund Programme, the Canal Network Connectivity Project will deliver fourand-a-half miles of towpath improvements along the Netherton Tunnel Branch, the Gower Branch, the Old Main Line and the DudleyNo 2 canals in theWestMidlands.
Work is expectedto lastuntil spring 2023 and will involve a combination of resurfacing and refurbishing sections of towpaths, including widening narrow stretches where possible. The project will enable boaters and the community to use their local towpathwhatever the weather as part of their commute to work or school, their leisurely daily stroll or bike ride.
Access to the canalwill also be improved, making it easier for mobility users to have access to this important green space in the town.
Coun Peter Hughes, Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and growth, said: “This is the first Rowley Regis Town Deal schemetocommencefollowing government approval in July andIwould like to thank Canal & River Trust for delivering this project which will help promote active travel and improve connectivity within and between communities.
“The Rowley Regis Town Deal investment of £ 19 million formspart of the £67.5 millionSandwell Towns Fund Programme. All Towns Fund projects are included in the £ 1.8 billion Regeneration Pipeline, where a number of transport and active travel improvements are planned to be delivered by 2027.”
James Dennison of CRT added: “To protect and preserve these special places and ensure they don’t fall back into the dark days of dereliction and decline that was the story of the early and mid-20th century, we need Government, partners, funders and the community to join us and raise the money and resources required to care for this amazing historic network.”