111-609: Cotswold Canals may refer to: Stroudwater Navigation Thames and Severn Canal Cotswold Canals Trust Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Cotswold Canals . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cotswold_Canals&oldid=932775631 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
222-520: A hydro-electric installation was built. The scheme is expected to generate over 100 MWh per year, and income from the sale of the electricity to the national grid will help to fund ongoing maintenance of the canal. An evaluation cruise was held on 10 November 2017, when the maintenance boat Wookey Hole carried three assessors from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the chief executive from Stroud District Council and their canal project manager,
333-511: A project bank account , which is the agency's default mechanism for ensuring that payments flow down through the supply chain and prevent payment hold-ups for sub-contractors undertaking work on behalf of a prime contractor . National Highways' operations are split into areas which are loosely based on the regions of England . These regions are subdivided into nine operational areas as well as eleven areas and routes which are managed by DBFO (Design-Build-Finance-Operate) companies. Each area
444-399: A towing path for horses. Some boats sailed along the canal, but most were bow-hauled by men. Framilode Lock at the entrance to the canal was a tide lock, with multiple gates to cope with all states of the tide. When a vessel arrived at the junction, a rope would be taken from it to the shore, and attached to a capstan , which would then be used to haul the boat into the lock. Once the canal
555-439: A boat on one level to another on the other side of the weir. An Act was obtained in 1759 which authorized Kemmett and the others to construct the canal without any locks to avoid loss of water to the mills. The Act allowed two years for completion of the scheme, and although some progress had been made by April 1761, Kemmett was given an extension of six years at that time. After about 5 miles (8 km) of river had been improved,
666-580: A charge of £1 (in 2020: £132.00) for the use of each lock. The main cargo carried was coal. In 1788, a group of shareholders set up a coal committee, and began trading. At first, the product came from the Staffordshire coalfields, travelling via the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal , or from the Shropshire coalfields, but this was later supplemented by coal from the south Gloucestershire mines and then
777-419: A combined sewage overflow (CSO) holding tank, 82 feet (25 m) in diameter and 92 feet (28 m) deep, designed to hold excess flow until it can be pumped to Stanley Downton Sewage Treatment works. The project was largely complete by April 2024, after which Galliford Try, the contractor for the scheme, will remove the sewer pipes and the existing CSO tank at Wallbridge Lock to allow deeper draught boats to use
888-531: A commissioner under the Stroudwater Navigation Act 1729, commissioned the engineer Thomas Yeoman to make a new survey in 1754, and his new plan was published the following year. It was for a navigation from Wallbridge to the Severn, estimated to cost £8,145, which would require 16 locks and four stanks (which were probably half-locks or staunches). In order to placate the millers, water for the operation of
999-435: A government-owned company with the name Highways England on 1 April 2015. In July 2015, Jim O'Sullivan became chief executive, replacing Graham Dalton. In 2020, the agency launched an advertising campaign using the song " Go West " by Village People and covered by Pet Shop Boys . The lyrics changed to "Go Left", encouraging people to stop on the left hand side of the motorway in case of breakdown. On 19 August 2021, it
1110-567: A line from Swindon to Gloucester in 1845, which passed through Stroud, but the effects on the canal were rather less than the effects on the Thames and Severn. However, in 1863 the Stonehouse and Nailsworth Railway Act was passed, allowing the construction of a railway from Stonehouse to Dudbridge and Nailsworth that directly competed with the canal. Dividends fell below 5 per cent after 1880, although they did not cease entirely until 1922. Around
1221-516: A long-distance footpath along the route was rejected, but in 2019 the Heritage Lottery Fund made a further grant of £8.9 million towards the section from Ocean to Saul. Highways England also made a grant of £4 million, to fund the construction of the canal under the A38 roundabout, and it is expected that the Stroud section will be linked to the national waterways network at Saul Junction by 2025. Outside
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#17328582181431332-579: A more direct route in 1810. Despite competition from the railways, the canal continued to pay dividends to shareholders until 1922, and was not finally abandoned until 1954. Even before its closure, there was interest in retaining the canal for its amenity value. The Stroudwater Canal Society, which later became the Cotswold Canals Trust , was formed in 1972. Following initial hostility from the Proprietors, who had not been stripped of their powers when
1443-520: A new Road Period starts, National Highways will provide the Secretary of State for Transport with an SRN Initial Report, including an assessment of the state of the SRN, maintenance and enhancement priorities, and future development needs. Following this, the government produces a draft RIS setting out the high-level outputs that National Highways will need to deliver within the corresponding Road Period, alongside
1554-422: A positive legacy for future generations, and would fund some 90 acres (36 ha) of wildlife habitats to increase bio-diversity, improvements to flood protection in the area, and routes for cycling and walking, in addition to the reinstatement of the canal channel. Progress was rapid, and by late 2020 the channel beneath the roundabout had been constructed and filled with water, with the final stages of reinstating
1665-595: A proposed footpath and cycleway between King's Lynn and Fakenham , and in January 2023 King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council demanded that National Highways submit a retrospective planning application. An 1847 skewed masonry arch at Rudgate near Tadcaster , designed by John Cass Birkinshaw for the Harrogate–Church Fenton line , was infilled by National Highways in 2021. The agency had to seek retrospective planning approval from North Yorkshire Council for
1776-485: A towpath bridge was constructed where the water leaves the canal to enter the River Frome, and a set of floodgates was constructed beyond the weir, to protect the canal from high water levels. In November 2007 work started to clear the canal between Ryeford Double Lock and Oil Mills Bridge. Oil Mills Bridge was rebuilt, with the brickwork left after its demolition being incorporated into the new bridge. By mid-2012, when
1887-555: A tunnel boring machine named Florence was set to work to cut the 5-foot (1.5 m) diameter sewer beneath the canal and the Painswick Stream. Having successfully tunnelled under both waterways, it reached the end of its first 935-foot (285 m) run near Lodgemore Lane in August 2022. A second tunnel boring machine named Suzanne was set to work in July 2022. The new sewers terminate at
1998-590: Is a partnership between National Highways, the National Police Chiefs' Council , the breakdown/recovery industry and other road service providers. The Survive Group has been established to improve the safety of those who work on the road network and the travelling public and is also dedicated to the promotion of driving safety. The name Survive comes from Safe Use of Roadside Verges in Vehicular Emergencies. The Survive Group website holds information on
2109-637: Is a private company limited by shares, wholly owned by the Secretary of State for Transport . The National Highways Board is the primary governance arm of the company and is accountable to the Secretary of State for Transport. The Board delegate responsibility of the day-to-day running of the company to the Chief Executive who, as the Accounting Officer, is accountable to the Permanent Secretary of
2220-456: Is a website that gives information about the latest traffic conditions as well as details of any roadworks or events that may cause congestion. By selecting current motorway information users can see the average speed between individual motorway junctions, what is being displayed on all the variable-message signs , and images from traffic cameras . The website is run by National Highways' National Traffic Information Service. The Survive Group
2331-526: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Stroudwater Navigation The Stroudwater Navigation is a canal in Gloucestershire, England which linked Stroud to the River Severn . It was authorised in 1776, although part had already been built, as the proprietors believed that an Act of Parliament ( 3 Geo. 2 . c. 13) obtained in 1730 gave them
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#17328582181432442-608: Is divided into "Areas". They are contracts that are awarded by the Department for Transport . The area teams work alongside the National Highways Traffic Officer Service – providing incident support, emergency traffic management and infrastructure maintenance. They are responsible for the management and operation of the roads in their area. In 2009, fleet tracking has been deployed to assist area teams to manage their specialist winter maintenance vehicles during
2553-716: Is in Bridge House, on a one-way gyratory in Guildford , Surrey . Previously its head office was in Dorking , Surrey. In 2014, the agency signed a ten-year lease with the owner of the Guildford facility. Sopra Steria operates the National Traffic Information Service (NTIS) on behalf of National Highways. NTIS is the information hub of England's strategic road network. The service is based at Quinton , Birmingham and
2664-581: Is managed and maintained by an area team (the Managing Agent; MA) and a contractor (the Managing Agent Contractor; MAC). The M6 Toll is a PFI concession which is also part of the strategic road network. In common with the regulated sectors, National Highways works to fixed funding periods called Road Periods. Each Road Period is currently five years in length, and a particular Road Investment Strategy (RIS) will broadly align with this. Before
2775-488: Is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the performance and efficiency of National Highways, and advising the Secretary of State for Transport on its compliance against the Road Investment Strategy and Licence. The Act also established Transport Focus (previously Passenger Focus) as its watchdog with the purpose of promoting and protecting the interests of users of the strategic road network. Traffic England
2886-444: Is responsible for providing accurate, historical, real-time and predictive traffic and incident information to businesses, the travelling public and National Highways' operations. It collects real-time traffic information from over 10,000 fixed sites on the motorway and all-purpose trunk road network from MIDAS and Traffic Monitoring Unit (TMU) electronic loops in the road surface and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras at
2997-628: The Environment Agency . Water from the Slad Brook , which is culverted beneath Stroud, joins the Thames and Severn Canal a short distance above Lower Wallbridge Lock, the first on that canal, while the Painswick Stream joins above the Dudbridge Locks, and Ruscombe Brook joins between the two locks. The top gates of the locks had been replaced with concrete dams, which maintained the water level at normal flows around 3.3 feet (1.0 m) lower than
3108-470: The Forest of Dean . This profitable business continued until 1833. Boats that worked the canal included Severn Trows, a type of sailing boat which was fitted with ketch , cutter or sloop rigging. Many were later converted for use as dumb barges by removing the masts, but none are known to have survived to the present day. In 1794, a basin was built above Framilode Lock, so that vessels could wait there until
3219-656: The Golden Valley , following its opening through the Cotswold hills to Lechlade . A junction between the Stroudwater Navigation and the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal (at Saul ) came later when this new ship canal bypassed the hazardous tidal Severn, and dramatically reduced traffic on the short 'Old Stroudwater' segment from Saul to the river at Framilode, although it was still used by Forest of Dean coal shipments as
3330-722: The Highways Agency and later formerly Highways England , is a government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving motorways and major A roads in England . It also sets highways standards used by all four UK administrations, through the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges . Within England, it operates information services through the provision of on-road signage and its Traffic England website, provides traffic officers to deal with incidents on its network, and manages
3441-537: The Historical Railways Estate (HRE) from BRB (Residuary) Limited . In May and June 2021, the space under the road bridge at Great Musgrave in Cumbria was filled with 1,600 tonnes of aggregate and concrete by Highways England, ostensibly for what HRE managers considered safety reasons. The bridge spanned a 5-mile (8.0 km) section of trackbed which local rail enthusiasts hoped to restore, linking
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3552-649: The River Frome . The lower section starts a little further along the canal, with the gap between the two sections not monitored in 2019. Like most waterways in the UK, the chemical status changed from good to fail in 2019, due to the presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) and mercury compounds, none of which had previously been included in the assessment. [REDACTED] Media related to Stroudwater Navigation at Wikimedia Commons Highways England National Highways (NH), formerly
3663-614: The Thames and Severn Canal , which depended on the Stroudwater for its link to the River Severn. The National Parks Commission declared that it should be retained for its amenity value and beauty in 1954, but it was closed nevertheless. The publication in 1972 of Lost Canals of England and Wales , a book by Ronald Russell, resulted in a number of canal restoration societies being formed, as it gave details of 78 derelict canals, and suggested that
3774-722: The devolved governments of Wales , Scotland and Northern Ireland . The manual is also used in some parts of the Commonwealth . The authority also produces the Manual of Contract Documents for Highway Works (MCHW), and Asset Maintenance and Operation Requirements (AMOR) which supersedes the Network Maintenance Manual and Routine and Winter Service Codes, and its predecessor the Trunk Road Maintenance Manual. Contractors and subcontractors are generally paid via
3885-696: The Cotswold Canals Trust, councils at district and county level, and a number of other interested parties. This provided a suitable structure to drive the restoration forwards. In 2002, the waterway was identified as being of high priority in the Association of Inland Navigation Authorities report entitled Vision for Strategic Enhancement of Britain's Inland Navigation Network , and was one of several new projects highlighted at British Waterways ' Unlocked and Unlimited conference held in March. The estimated cost of
3996-589: The Department for Transport, Sustrans , Railway Paths Ltd, Railway Heritage Trust, the HRE Group, Heritage Railway Association , Natural England , Historic England (also representing Cadw ), Historic Scotland and ADEPT. At Congham in Norfolk , a railway bridge designed by the pioneering M&GNJR engineer William Marriott was infilled by National Highways in 2021. The railway route had been identified as part of
4107-520: The Department for Transport, as the Principal Accounting Officer, for the stewardship of public funds. The Principal Accounting Officer and Secretary of State for Transport are both ultimately accountable to Parliament for the activities and performance of National Highways. The Infrastructure Act 2015 established the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) as the monitor for National Highways. ORR
4218-537: The Eden Valley and Stainmore railways to create an 11-mile (18 km) tourist line between Appleby and Kirkby Stephen . Accused of 'vandalism', Highways England were forced to apply for retrospective planning permission, with Eden District council receiving 913 objections and only two expressions of support, and government intervention to pause National Highways plans to infill dozens of other Victorian bridges across England. Advised by planning officers to reject
4329-479: The Heritage Lottery Fund and funding from other sources, this was initially expected to be carried out during the May bank holiday weekend in 2021. By early 2021, a large compound had been established close to the railway, where concrete components for the underbridge were being cast. However, investigations into the geology of the site revealed that the bridge would require deeper foundations than planned, and its installation
4440-453: The Heritage Lottery Fund to enable them to plan the project, which it was estimated would cost some £23.4 million. The Heritage Lottery Fund were prepared to provide a large part of this, but the award depended on the Trust raising an additional £1 million to cover a gap in the total funding package. The project included reinstatement of the missing mile of canal destroyed by the building of
4551-528: The Highways Agency was closer to central government than other infrastructure operators, resulting in a lack of a strategic vision and certainty of funding due to the wider policy environment in which it operated, as well as the limited pressure to drive efficiencies compared to that faced by regulated sectors. After an announcement on 27 June 2013 by Danny Alexander , Chief Secretary to the Treasury , it became
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4662-461: The Highways Monitor. Development of the SRN is achieved through National Highways' capital investment programme, currently funded entirely by government through grant-in-aid and set out in the first Road Investment Strategy. For Road Period 1 (2015–20), Highways England invested around £15 billion in its network, with additional funding to address other local challenges in proximity of
4773-486: The Inland Waterways Association held a trailboat festival on the refurbished canal, as part of an event called "Stroud on Water", over 2 miles (3.2 km) of canal from Ocean swingbridge to the bottom of Dudbridge Locks were open for navigation, as was a second section from the top of the locks to the bottom of Wallbridge Locks on the Thames and Severn Canal. As part of the restoration of the Dudbridge Locks,
4884-470: The Institution of Civil Engineers at the 2022 South West Civil Engineering Awards ceremony for the best new build project costing under £8 million. In a separate project, Severn Trent Water started a £25 million upgrade to the sewerage system in Stroud in 2021. One of the driving forces for the project was the fact that the main sewer passed through the canal just below Wallbridge Lock, severely restricting
4995-524: The M5 motorway and the A38 roundabout, which buried Bristol Road Lock. In an unexpected turn of events, Highways England agreed to partially fund this part of the work, which would involve two tunnels, a substantial cutting, and two new locks. Their contribution of £4 million enabled work such as tunnelling, which cannot be done by volunteers, to be brought forward, speeding up the whole project. The money came from their Designated Funds programme, designed to leave
5106-496: The Mayor of Stroud, and the Cotswold Canals Trust chief executive and vice-chair. It travelled from The Ocean at Stonehouse eastwards to Bowbridge Lock, with a stop for lunch at Upper Wallbridge Lock. The cruise enabled the assessors to view the work done and to sign off the Phase 1a project, bringing it to a conclusion. The second phase of the restoration project, initially known as Phase 1b,
5217-515: The Phase 1a project, by Stroud District Council and the Homes and Communities Agency . In early 2016, work began on a £210,000 project to restore Junction Lock on the Old Stroudwater at Saul, after a grant of £75,000 was received from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The lock was not made navigable, as the original canal route to the river at Framilode is infilled beyond the bottom gates and not needed since
5328-411: The Phase 1b section at the beginning of 2017, in advance of any funding package being available. The restoration of the section from Stonehouse to Stroud had, by 2017, attracted some £117 million of private investment into the canal corridor since work started in 2006. Additionally, a further £3 million was to be invested in infrastructure improvements at Brimscombe Port, the original terminus for
5439-569: The Purton site began on 24 August 1970, and the works commenced operation in April 1973, providing a new water supply for Bristol. Interest in maintaining the canal for its amenity value began before the canal closed, with the Inland Waterways Association mounting a campaign to retain it when plans to close it were first announced in 1952. They were already formulating plans for the revival of
5550-624: The SRN relating to the environment; air quality; cycling, safety and integration; and growth and housing. For Road Period 2 (2020-25), National Highways will invest over £27 billion in its network, of which £14 billion is for road enhancements. The rest is for operating, maintaining and renewing its roads, and further funding to address challenges on the environment and wellbeing; users and communities; innovation and modernisation; and safety and congestion. As of this Road Period, National Highways' activities will, at least in part, be funded by vehicle excise duty . The company head office
5661-549: The Stroud Subscription Rooms to the Ballroom, after it appeared that the expected attendance of 20 people might be exceeded. Some 300 people met in the Ballroom, and The Stroudwater Canal Society was formed. This was renamed the Stroudwater, Thames and Severn Canal Trust in April 1975 as the scope of the project expanded, and became the Cotswold Canals Trust in July 1990. Although the Proprietors were initially hostile to
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#17328582181435772-549: The Stroudwater and Thames and Severn Canals should be restored. In 1974 the BBC featured an interview with a local resident, Michael Ayland, who proposed restoration of the waterway, and a chance discussion by him with a reporter for the Bristol Evening Post resulted in the newspaper carrying an article headlined "Exclusive: canal to be reopened to Stroud." Offers to help flooded in, and an initial public meeting had to be moved from
5883-519: The Survive Group membership details and activities being undertaken by the working groups. It also supplies advice on how to drive safely in a wide range of driving conditions, advice on planning journeys. Survive also provides publications and new guidance produced by the Survive members plus news on new initiatives and forthcoming road safety events. In 2013, Highways England took over responsibility for
5994-483: The Trust, this gradually changed, and in 1979 granted them permission to start work on the section from Pike Bridge at Eastington to Ryeford, so that a trip-boat could be used on it. As attitudes softened, the Proprietors re-purchased sections of the waterway which had previously been sold off. In 2001, the Cotswold Canals Partnership was established, drawing together people representing the Proprietors,
6105-456: The application, the council's planning committee unanimously refused retrospective planning permission on 16 June 2022. Restoration of the Musgrave bridge to its former condition would cost an £431,000, in addition to the £124,000 spent on the initial infilling work. In July 2023, National Highways' plans to restore the bridge and remove the infill were criticised by locals as they involved closing
6216-418: The assets for the canals, and its charitable status means that stamp duty land tax does not have to be paid. The company will be responsible for management and maintenance of the canal once it is re-opened. In 2013, the Department for Transport was in the process of reorganising how funding for major transport schemes was managed, and this enabled Stroud District Council to submit a bid for £1.5 million to
6327-570: The bridge for three months, necessitating long local diversions for regular users of the B6259 which crosses the bridge. Work began in August 2023 to remove the infill material. After the Great Musgrave outcry, National Highways developed a new way to assess the abandoned rail bridges and tunnels it controls, with decisions reviewed in collaboration with experts from heritage, environmental and active travel sectors. The stakeholder advisory forum includes
6438-484: The canal had closed, agreement was reached and work began on restoration of the waterway. The project gained popularity, and in 2003, a bid was made to the Heritage Lottery Fund for £82 million to restore both the Stroudwater Navigation and the Thames and Severn Canal. The project had to be split into smaller parts, and only the first phase has so far been funded in this way, when a grant of £11.9 million
6549-400: The canal. The whole of Phase 1b was expected to be completed by 2025,. but by 2024 had been pushed back to 2028. The project involves: Most of the cost of restoring Westfield Lock has been given in remembrance of John Robinson by his family, and the lock will be renamed John Robinson Lock when the work is completed. Due to delays, the cost of the restoration has increased, and by mid-2024
6660-417: The cloth industry, but opposition from some of the millers, but it seemed to ignore Hore's recommendations, in that it was again based on making the river navigable. As the millers were given powers that would have effectively shut the navigation for two months each year, and the tolls were set at a level that would have discouraged traffic, no further action was taken. John Dallaway, who had been appointed as
6771-559: The cold snap. National Highways employs uniformed traffic officers; on-road and control room, as well as specialist staff for work in engineering, surveying, accountancy, and administration. There is a graduate entry scheme, with general entry and specialist engineering entry options. For the Traffic Officer Service each team is supervised by a team manager, one of between six and eight such managers generally working together, to ensure 24-hour management cover. National Highways
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#17328582181436882-565: The delivery of improvement schemes to the network. Founded as an executive agency , it was converted into a government-owned company, Highways England, on 1 April 2015. As part of this transition, the UK government set out its vision for the future of the English strategic road network in its Road Investment Strategy. A second Road Investment Strategy was published in March 2020, with the company set to invest £27 billion between 2020 and 2025 to improve
6993-412: The depth of water at that point, and the Proprietors argued that Severn Trent had not obtained permission to put the pipe there. Over 2 miles (3.2 km) of main sewer will be replaced by a larger diameter pipe, which will pass under the canal at a lower level, enabling boats that could not pass over the obstruction to do so. The renewal project was expected to be completed by late 2023, and in May 2022,
7104-505: The finished cloth away to markets, but it was opposed by mill owners, and it came to nothing. The idea was revived in 1728, when John Hore , who had previously succeeded in making the River Kennet navigable, suggested a canal around 8.2 miles (13.2 km) long, with 12 locks, suitable for 60-ton barges. An Act of Parliament , the Stroudwater Navigation Act 1729 ( 3 Geo. 2 . c. 13), was obtained in 1730, with support from those who worked in
7215-471: The lack of investment by partners in the project, was backed by a promise of £3 million from Stroud District Council, £700,000 from Gloucestershire County Council and £675,000 from the Canal & River Trust , who also pledged practical support. In addition, the Cotswold Canals Trust offered financial assistance and volunteer labour. They contribute around 15,000 man hours of labour per year, and started work on channel clearance and investigative surveys on
7326-425: The land around the M5 and the A38 was part of the phase 1 grant by the HLF. Proposals for the A38 involved tunnelling under the Whitminster roundabout; the Bristol Road Lock was buried by the construction of the roundabout, and a new lock would be constructed to the east of it. There were two proposals for passing under the M5 motorway: one was for a new channel alongside the River Frome through an existing culvert, and
7437-424: The link between Saul and the Severn at Framilode was used much less, although coal from the Forest of Dean still used that route. Traffic, receipts and dividends steadily increased. Tolls rose from £1,468 in 1779 to £6,807 in 1821. The first dividend of 3.75 per cent was paid in 1786, and had reached 15.78 per cent by 1821. Figures for tonnage are not available for the early years, but were 79,359 tons in 1821. There
7548-446: The locks would be provided by a reservoir below Wallbridge, which would cover 2 acres (0.8 ha) and be filled on Sundays, when the mills were inactive and would not be needing the water. Tolls were set at a more realistic level. While support and finance for the scheme were being gained, John Kemmett, Arthur Wynde, James Pynock and Thomas Bridge devised a scheme which used cranes at each mill weir to transfer cargo, stored in boxes, from
7659-419: The main restoration, the Cotswold Canals Trust is gradually restoring many of the other structures, with the ultimate goal of re-opening a link between the River Thames and the River Severn . The first plans for making the small River Frome navigable date back to the last three years of the 17th century. The plan was to serve the woollen industry, by carrying coal from the Severn to Stroud and transporting
7770-423: The navigable levels. Below the A419 Dudbridge Road Bridge, the water was discharged into the River Frome. As a consequence of its flood relief function, the channel here is classified as a "main river". Designs for reinstatement of the canal had to accommodate large flows on this section, and included underground bywash culverts, capable of carrying the full flood flow of all three streams. A new weir which carries
7881-411: The necessary powers. Opened in 1779, it was a commercial success, its main cargo being coal. It was 8 miles (13 km) in length and had a rise of 102 ft 5 in (31.22 m) through 12 locks . Following the opening of the Thames and Severn Canal in 1789, it formed part of a through route from Bristol to London , although much of its trade vanished when the Kennet and Avon Canal provided
7992-413: The network as described in the strategy. The current name was adopted on 19 August 2021. The Highways Agency was created as an executive agency of the Department for Transport on 30 March 1994. As part of the Department for Transport's 2010 Spending Review settlement, Alan Cook was appointed to lead an independent review of the government's approach to the strategic road network. It recognised that
8103-482: The newly formed Gloucestershire Local Transport Board to fund the replacement of the Ocean railway culvert with a bridge. A second application for £650,000 was made to enable part of the Thames and Severn Way long-distance footpath to be created, specifically, the section from Saul Junction to Chalford. The bids were not successful, however. The effort to reconnect the restored section to the national network at Saul Junction
8214-667: The opening of the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, but new lock gates were fitted, interpretation signs erected, and access was improved. The structure was on the English Heritage "Buildings at Risk" register prior to work starting. By 2018, Phase 1b had been renamed the Cotswold Canals Connected project, as it would connect the isolated section restored under Phase 1a to the national network at Saul Junction. The Cotswold Canals Trust were given an award of £872,000 in 2018 by
8325-599: The other countries of the UK, particularly in Wales where the use of 'national' has been criticised despite transport being devolved to Wales. National Highways is responsible for operating, maintaining and improving the strategic road network (SRN) – the motorways and major A roads in England. The SRN comprises over 4,000 miles (6,400 km) of road and includes various structures such as bridges, tunnels, drainage systems and technology assets including variable message signs and cabling. The SRN includes only around 2% of
8436-521: The other was for a new wider culvert, nearer to the original line of the canal. Below this, the canal used to cross the Frome at Lockham Aqueduct but this was demolished in the 1970s, when the canal and river channel were combined as part of a flood defence scheme. Bids for Heritage Lottery funding were rejected in May 2012 and November 2015. A revised bid was submitted in November 2017, and following criticism of
8547-524: The passage of a coal barge called the Queen Esther , two of the locks were widened. The first threat from a railway came in 1825, when there was a proposal for a line from Framilode Passage to Brimscombe Port. The canal tolls were reduced as a bargaining tool, but the promoters went ahead with their bill. The Stroudwater Company opposed it and it was defeated in Parliament. The Great Western Railway opened
8658-500: The project to restore both the Stroudwater Navigation and the Thames and Severn Canal was £82 million. Having raised £100,000, the Cotswold Canals Trust lodged the money with the Waterways Trust, in the hope that it could be used as match funding for any grants that might be received. Andy Stumpf became the full-time Regeneration Programme Manager, working on a major bid application to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to finance
8769-410: The project was achievable and that its costings were realistic, a further £9 million would be released in early 2020. The length to be restored in the first phase, known as Phase 1a, was around 6 miles (9.7 km), and presented some of the biggest difficulties to restoration in the whole 36-mile (58 km) route. Through Dudbridge, the channel had been used as part of a flood relief scheme by
8880-621: The proposed funding. National Highways will then respond with a Strategic Business Plan detailing its plans for delivering the RIS. This is reviewed by the Highways Monitor to assess whether the proposed requirements are deliverable with the proposed financial resources and sufficiently challenging. After the Strategic Business Plan and RIS are finalised, National Highways must deliver the agreed outputs and will be monitored on its progress by
8991-693: The public using the 4,600 roadside variable-message signs , the Highways England website (including a mobile version), social media channels such as Twitter and the telephone-based Highways England customer contact centre as well as distributing information to the media and businesses through a number of data feeds. These feeds are widely used by organisations such as the BBC and local newspaper websites for their own traffic information. Services such as Google Maps and sat-nav operators also use National Highways' data for their traffic information. The motorway network
9102-471: The quantity and varieties of invertebrates , angiosperms and fish. Chemical status, which compares the concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations, is rated good or fail. The water quality of the Stroudwater Navigation was as follows in 2019. These two sections are not connected. The upper section ends at Ebley Weir, where most of the water which enters the canal from Slad Brook, Painswick Stream and Ruscombe Brook discharges into
9213-412: The railway embankment could begin. The project was completed on time, and the railway was fully reinstated by 4am on 1 January 2022. The reinstatement of the canal involved constructing a clay lining and realignment of the towpath, followed by a programme of tree planting on the banks. This work was not completed until May, and an official opening took place on 23 May 2022. The new bridge won an award at
9324-451: The restoration, and the canal was visited by Charles, Prince of Wales , in his capacity as Patron of the Waterways Trust. A Heritage Survey, which cost £60,000 and was funded by the Inland Waterways Association , was carried out, as was a Community Development Plan and a Visitor Management Strategy, costing another £30,000, all of which were pre-requisites for the main HLF bid. By the time the bid
9435-405: The river and hence the mills, was put at £16,750, and soon £20,000 had been raised. Deciding that they did not need a new Act of Parliament, since the powers of the Stroudwater Navigation Act 1729 were still valid, Yeoman, who had carried out the 1754 survey, was asked to survey the route again, and a route was selected, which would require 12 locks. Work started, with Samuel Jones as engineer, but he
9546-544: The roadside. Additionally it uses anonymous floating vehicle traffic data (FVD) from vehicles to supplement the fixed traffic monitoring sites. NTIS also has access to nearly 2,000 CCTV cameras, 300 weather stations, 4,600 roadside electronic signs, 16,000 roadside electronic matrix signals and incident data from over 250 operational partners including the police and local authorities . It processes this data to create useful intelligence for operational decision making and dissemination of current and predictive information to
9657-511: The roundabout well underway. At the Institution of Civil Engineers South West Awards Ceremony 2021, the work was awarded the prize for the best new build project costing under £8 million, and also picked up the People's Choice Award, after an on-line vote. The next major project was for Network Rail to create a passage through the railway embankment at Ocean. With an £8.9 million grant from
9768-440: The sale of water and some monies produced by property holdings. In the early 1970s, the weirs at Whitminster were modified, so that much of the water flowing down the River Frome could be diverted into the remains of the navigation, below Whitminster Lock, and from there into the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal . This water is abstracted from the canal near Sharpness, and treated by Bristol Water 's Purton Treatment Works. Work on
9879-461: The same time the connection to the Severn at Framilode became blocked, leaving the connection to the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal as the only link between the canal and the River Severn. The last toll was paid in 1941, and most of the canal was formally abandoned by an Act of Parliament granted in 1954. Although this removed the need to maintain the waterway for navigation, the Company of Proprietors
9990-477: The scheme in 2008, due to financial difficulties, and the role of project leader was taken over by Stroud District Council . Following the reorganisation, the Stroud Valleys Canal Company was established in March 2009. It is a limited company, with two independent directors and three directors representing Stroud District Council, the Proprietors, and the Cotswold Canals Trust. Its purpose is to hold
10101-417: The shareholders, by running up debts, and by using the tolls from the parts of the canal which were already open. Traffic was around 16,000 tons per year, which enabled the company to repay the debts and to declare a first dividend of five per cent in 1786. The locks were suitably sized for Severn Trows , which were 72 by 15.5 feet (21.9 by 4.7 m), and could carry 60 tons. The canal was not provided with
10212-523: The shortest journey. In the modern restoration era, the Old Stroudwater is now permanently abandoned, and very unlikely to be restored as the ship canal offers a safer route in both directions. Download coordinates as: The Environment Agency measure the water quality of the waterways in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at
10323-421: The tide in the Severn was at a suitable level. This had been requested by the Thames and Severn Canal company, but requests for a horse towing path in 1799 and 1812 were dismissed as too expensive. They eventually provided one after the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal had been built, and the canal was the only part of the waterway from Shrewsbury on the Severn to Teddington on the Thames that did not have one. It
10434-479: The total road length in England, but it carries around a third of all its motor vehicle traffic. National Highways is responsible for the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) providing the standards, advice notes and other documents relating to the design, assessment and operation of trunk roads , including motorways in the United Kingdom . The manual is produced by National Highways in conjunction with
10545-593: The whole of the UK, through the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, even though decisions on the building and maintenance of roads outside of England are devolved to the Scottish Government , Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive . The renaming has met with some criticism, being the third name for the agency in six years, and with reports that 'Highways Agency' is colloquially used more than either newer name. The name has also attracted criticism from
10656-473: The works were abandoned as being too costly. By 1774, canal building was much better understood, and a new attempt was made. The plan was led by Dallaway's son William, who asked Thomas Dadford Jr. (the engineer on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal ) and John Priddy (who had been the engineer on the Droitwich Canal during its construction) to carry out a survey. The cost of a canal which avoided
10767-598: The writing of poems to support their causes. Work resumed under the supervision of Priddy, but he was soon replaced by Edmund Lingard, who had been the engineer for the Coventry Canal . The canal was opened in stages as it was completed. It reached Chippenham Platt at the end of 1777, Ryeford in January 1779, and it was open throughout to the Wallbridge terminus on 21 July 1779. It had cost £40,930, which had been raised by calling £150 on each £100 share, by borrowing money from
10878-686: Was a dip in the carriage of merchandise in 1810, when the Kennet and Avon Canal opened and provided a more convenient route from Bristol to London, but it picked up again after 1819, when the North Wilts Canal opened, providing a link from Latton near Cricklade to Abingdon via Swindon and the Wilts and Berks Canal , which was easier than using the Thames. The highest dividend paid was in 1833, when shareholders received 26.33 per cent, after which receipts and dividends steadily dropped. In 1859, in order to allow
10989-467: Was announced that Highways England would be rebranding to National Highways, thus removing any reference to England from its name. This move coincided with the permanent appointment of Nick Harris as CEO, after taking over as interim CEO from Jim O’Sullivan in February 2021. It was suggested that the 'national' in the new name refers to the fact that the company is responsible for setting highways standards for
11100-480: Was branded as Stroudwater Navigation Connected , and another bid was put before the Heritage Lottery Fund. This was partially successful, when £842,800 was awarded to finance the development phase of the project. This paid for surveys, so that the future impact of the project could be measured, for detailed planning and investigative work, and for gaining approval for the project from the Environment Agency and Natural England . Providing that this work demonstrated that
11211-400: Was completed in August 1827. The opening of the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal in 1825 required a slight diversion where they crossed at Saul, and the levels were adjusted by building a new lock on the Stroudwater below the junction, to ensure neither company lost water to the other; the new company paid for its construction. After the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal opened to Sharpness in 1827,
11322-412: Was confirmed in 2006. With match funding, this enabled the section from 'The Ocean' at Stonehouse to Wallbridge to be reopened, together with the Wallbridge to Hope Mill section of the Thames and Severn. A second bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the connection from Stonehouse to the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal at Saul was rejected in 2007. This section presented some engineering challenges, as it
11433-567: Was expected to be £30 million. Money is in hand for all of the work between the Ocean railway bridge and John Robinson lock, but there is a shortfall of around £10 million for the section between the lock and Walk Bridge. The canal linked directly to the Severn Estuary (at Framilode) as originally constructed, and terminated in the east at Wallbridge Basin near Stroud town centre. The Thames and Severn Canal bypassed Wallbridge Basin around ten years after this, and continued across Stroud to climb
11544-656: Was for the section from Stonehouse to the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal at Saul Junction , which had been blocked by the M5 motorway and the A38 road . A bid for £16 million was submitted to the Living Landmarks Fund (part of the Big Lottery Fund ) in August 2006. An interim award of £250,000 was made to allow the bid to be developed, but the application was rejected in November 2007. Despite this setback, money for purchasing
11655-437: Was not disbanded, and retained most of its other powers. It consists of those who now own the original shares, although over half of the shares were transferred to a Trust in the 1950s, which prevents hostile takeovers and ensures that the company will always be run for the benefit of the communities through which the canal passes. After the closure of the canal, the canal company continued to generate income for many years through
11766-461: Was open, the Proprietors worked hard to improve the facilities, and a number of warehouses were built. Many of the shareholders were also involved with the Thames and Severn Canal scheme, which was completed in 1789 and provided a through route between Wallbridge and the River Thames at Lechlade . The navigation was seen as a commercial waterway; pleasure boats were discouraged by the imposition of
11877-545: Was put back to the period between Christmas 2021 and New Year. Work began on 24 December 2021 after 250 yards (230 m) of the canal had been drained and fish moved to another part of the canal. Using the largest mobile crane available in Britain, to ensure that the operation was unlikely to be interrupted by high winds, the eight concrete box sections forming the bridge, with their associated wing walls and parapets, had been craned into position by 29 December so that rebuilding of
11988-482: Was ready for submission, the HLF were under pressure for the funds they had, and asked British Waterways, who were heading up the application, to break the bid and the project into smaller phases. At the end of 2003, a provisional grant of £11.3 million was awarded by the HLF, to enable the restoration of the Stroudwater Navigation between Stonehouse and Wallbridge, and the Thames and Severn Canal between Wallbridge and Brimscombe Port. An additional £2.9 million
12099-540: Was received from the European Inter-Regional budget for this first phase. By the time the grant was awarded in January 2006, it had risen to £11.9 million, and a further £6 million of match funding was received from the South West of England Regional Development Agency . As part of the process, the Proprietors leased the canal to British Waterways in 2005. However, British Waterways had to withdraw from
12210-527: Was replaced by Priddy within a month. A challenge to the legality of building a canal under the Stroudwater Navigation Act 1729 was mounted by landowners and millers in 1775. An injunction was obtained, and the Gloucestershire Assizes ruled that the Act did not cover the work. A new Act was obtained on 25 March 1776, authorising the raising of £20,000 and an extra £10,000 if required. Both sides commissioned
12321-543: Was severed by the construction of the M5 motorway and the A38 road . The roundabout where the A38 joins the A419 road was built over Bristol Road Lock, and part of the route was destroyed by flood relief work for the River Frome , while at Stonehouse, the bridge carrying the Bristol and Gloucester Railway had been replaced by a culvert. A bid to the newly formed Gloucestershire Local Transport Board for its reinstatement, and to create
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