Improving canal 'key to boosting trade in Newport'
An improved canal will bring more people into Newport's shops and restaurants, the head of the town's chamber of commerce has said.
Patrick Beech said that improvements to the canal will increase the tourism value of the area, and get more people visiting.
His comments come after a £98,000 grant was given to carry out vital conservation work on the canal.
The money will be spent on restoring the site's ecological condition and work will involve public consultation, ecological surveys, conservation dredging, water quality protection and access improvements.
Mr Beech said: "I have always been in favour of the canal – it's going to create a lot more tourism.
"Newport doesn't have a castle or a river like some other places.
Wander
"People don't realise how nice the canal is. People have a wander down the canal, they tend to come up the High Street as well. Anything that increases footfall is good."
The canal is an important habitat for some of the UK's rarest aquatic plant species and was designated a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) in 1986.
A natural build up of soil and plant matter on the canal bed over the last 30 years has meant a lower water depth and poorer conditions, resulting in a decline in variety of rare water plants and aquatic creatures.
Telford & Wrekin Council officers along with Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Natural England have been working to raise much-needed funds to restore the canal’s original conditions to encourage the return of the areas wildlife.
