The presentations, on 30 April at The Towers Hotel & Spa, will lay out the results of a recent feasibility study into the future of the historic Neath and Tennant Canals.
Neath Port Talbot Council secured £113,850 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Places initiative for the development phase of the Canal Connections project.
The council says the project aims to regenerate the canal system into an accessible community asset for active recreation and travel.
Another of the project’s goals is to establish the canal system as a must-visit heritage destination which connects local communities.
The council says that while it does not own the canals, it is looking to foster the working partnerships needed to facilitate the regeneration of these key heritage and environmental assets for the benefit of our communities, our wildlife ecosystems and the area’s economy.
Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Nature, Tourism and Wellbeing, Cllr Cen Phillips, said: “The canals enable residents to reconnect with nature and the communities along its length, linking the town centre to valley areas.
“There is wide recognition of the importance of these spaces for people’s health and wellbeing as these waterways can be improved to provide clean, green spaces for local leisure activity and to provide a place where rich biodiversity thrives.”
Following a recent community consultation exercise, civil engineering consultants AtkinsRéalis developed a comprehensive feasibility study examining future sustainable uses for the Neath and Tennant Canals, recognising their significance and unique heritage and what they can offer to the people and communities lining their routes.
The study forms part of the Canal Connections project.
The council says that communities and residents can see at first hand the study’s options and recommendations – set out in the Options Appraisal Report – during one of two presentation sessions running at 2.00pm and 4.00pm at the Towers Hotel and Spa.
Neath Port talbot Council says everyone is welcome to attend the presentations and play their part in collectively taking forward a phased sustainable future for these cherished waterways.
(Lead image: Neath Port Talbot Council)
