The Cotswold Canals Connected partnership, which is restoring the Stroudwater Canal and creating new wildlife and wetland habitats along its corridor, has received a prestigious national award for green infrastructure.
The UK's leading standard in green infrastructure, Building with Nature, recognises developments which 'successfully integrate nature, wellbeing, water management and biodiversity into their design, delivery and long-term stewardship'.
Assessed against its rigorous Building with Nature Standards Framework, which has three core themes of wellbeing, water and wildlife, the Cotswold Canals Connected project delivered against all three, earning the project a Building with Nature Full Award in recognition of the outstanding environment it has created, which includes 21 hectares of priority habitat, 4km of new hedgerows, 2km of wildflower-rich towpath verges, a new community orchard, enhanced wetland habitats, and improved ecological connectivity with the wider Severn Vale.
Judges also recognised its 25-year plan to maintain and monitor the environmental enhancements after completion.
Stroud District Council leader and member of the Cotswold Canals Connected project board, councillor Chloe Turner, said: 'Achieving the Building with Nature Full Award is a tremendous endorsement of the vision and hard work that has gone into the Cotswold Canals Connected project.
'Supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we set out to deliver far more than a canal restoration project. We wanted to create a landscape that supports nature recovery, improves access to the countryside, encourages healthier lifestyles and leaves a lasting legacy for future generations.
'This accreditation demonstrates that the project is delivering meaningful benefits for both people and wildlife and provides independent recognition of the high environmental standards that have guided every stage of the scheme.'
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has led the environmental programme in partnership with Cotswolds Canals Trust, Stroud District Council, Stroud Valleys Project and other community organisations.
Its canal environment consultant, Pete Savage, added: 'We're delighted that the Cotswold Canals Connected project has received this award. It shows what can be achieved when organisations, volunteers and local communities work together for nature.
'Not only is the project helping wildlife thrive, it’s also giving more people the chance to connect with the natural world and feel part of its future. Through the ongoing management of canal habitats and the continued transformation of the reserve at Fromebridge, we and our volunteers are creating spaces where both wildlife and people can flourish.'
