West Berkshire Council, Greenham Trust, Canal and River Trust and Sustrans launch 10-year, £20 million Kennet and Avon Canal towpath improvement project

A new 10-year, £20 million initiative has been launched which aims to make a wide variety of improvements to the Kennet and Avon Canal.

The new programme—dubbed “Reimagining the Kennet and Avon”—aims to deliver six projects centring on making the towpath more accessible across West Berkshire “so that everyone can share and enjoy the waterside environment.”

These projects include linking Newbury Football Club’s ground at Faraday Road to Northcroft Leisure Centre, improving the towpath between Bulls Lock and Thatcham Station which links Newbury and Thatcham, and improving the “poor and inaccessible” towpath from the Monkey Bridge to Marsh Benham.

The other plans include extending the recently completed Aldermaston Wharf Project to Calcot, extending the Brimpton Road resurfacing from Thatcham Station to Aldermaston and upgrading the towpath from Marsh Benham to Kintbury and Hungerford.

The ambitious plans to improve 23 miles of West Berkshire towpath are likely to cost in the region of £20 million and take around a decade to complete.

Key considerations such as the sensitivity of the waterside environment, reducing flooding risks and improving accessibility for anglers, boaters, cyclists and walkers are all being taken into account as part of the wide-ranging project.

The initiative is being developed by a partnership consisting of West Berkshire Council, the Greenham Trust, the Canal and River Trust and Sustrans, the custodian of the National Cycle Network.

West Berks councillor Stuart Gourley (Lib Dem, Newbury Clay Hill) said: “The Kennet and Avon Canal runs through West Berkshire and plays a part in uniting communities along its path.

“It is an important feature for many of our residents and provides sustainable access for leisure and work.

“Transforming the canal is essential to our future infrastructure network and West Berkshire Council wants to ensure it remains so for many years to come.”

The partnership is currently seeking funding for “sensitive design and delivery of improvements” along the waterside corridor.

Last month, Sustrans hosted a meeting at Padworth Village Hall during which a range of stakeholders from the local area and wider, including potential funders, were briefed on the “Reimagining the Kennet and Avon” programme.

Stakeholders were shown a recently upgraded, accessible section of towpath and were invited to participate in the programme’s evolution and delivery.

The first phase of improvements—which will cost £382,000—is currently underway, and it will result in a “safe, traffic free, high-quality walking and cycling route along the Kennet and Avon Canal, between Hambridge Road to Bulls Lock.”

The Canal and River Trust and Sustrans have already carried out improvements to nearly 6.5km of the Kennet and Avon Canal towpaths across the district.

With the new “Reimagining the Kennet and Avon” programme, the partnership “wants to build on the success of already completed upgrades and reimagine the canalside throughout West Berkshire, improving health and wellbeing, the environment and ecology, leisure, active travel and boosting the local economy giving equal access to the canal for everyone to enjoy.”

To find out more about the project, visit the Greenham Trust website: https://greenhamtrust.com/canal/

Greenham Trust CEO Chris Boulton said: “We’re very proud to support the “Reimagining the Kennet and Avon” project, which has the potential to transform this historic space for the entire community.

“By enhancing the towpath and surrounding areas, we’re not only creating a lasting environmental legacy but also providing health and wellbeing benefits for all who use it.

“The collaborative effort between the Canal and River Trust, Sustrans and West Berkshire Council, and other local partners makes this project particularly special, and we look forward to seeing it develop and thrive in the years to come.”