Canal improvements will create 'vibrant spaces'

A stretch of the Trent and Mersey Canal is being restored to allow residents to experience the health benefits of the city's waterways.

Stoke-on Trent City Council and the Canal & River Trust are working together to improve the three-mile (5km) section of the canal.

The work will include cutting back overgrown hedges and trees in order open up and improve visibility of the towpaths.

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker said the changes would make the canal "safer and more attractive" as well as providing "traffic-free walking and cycling routes in the city".

The improvements, which run from the city's train station to Longton Road in Trentham, also include the installation of new solar lighting and repairs to the towpath where tree roots have cracked or lifted the cobbles.

Despite the canal serving the city for more than two centuries and being an important of its heritage, McCusker said it had been "neglected", with parts of the towpath now "inaccessible".

"By modernising and enhancing the canal network, we're opening up these beautiful spaces for more people to enjoy and make use of the natural environment on our doorsteps", he added.

The scheme, which is funded by part of the council's £20m investment from the Levelling Up Partentership, is one of 10 transformation projects to regenerate the city.

Peter Obor, project manager for Canal & River Trust, said the project would help transform the canal from an "historical asset" into "vibrant spaces that enhance local communities".

"We're proud to play a role in breathing new life into this vital part of the city's canal network", Mr Obor added.

It is estimated that the work should be completed by the end of June.

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