Emailing to Swindon Councillors 


Here is the core message that we have sent to all 57 elected members of Swindon Borough Council to make them better informed about the Wilts & Berks and aware that Swindon is well on the way to being a Canal City.

I would like to engage your interest in the following facts about the Wilts & Berks Canal in Swindon:
  • Swindon Borough Council has wisely invested millions in restoring the canal in Wichelstowe for the benefit of the townspeople and to attract developers.
  • At Westleaze, Wichelstowe and East Wichel (see map below) there is a total of 2.4 km of navigable water
  • Forthcoming works at Canalside under a Section 106 obligation will add another 1.8 km and take the canal to the M4’s northern boundary through East Wichel
  • With a total of 4.2 km of navigable canal and towpath the Borough will have built a tranquil linear park for the benefit of all its residents, whether walkers, cyclists, anglers, paddleboarders or boaters 
  •  Highways England has begun the process to construct a bespoke canal crossing under the M4, enabling Swindon to connect by water to the Kennet & Avon canal at Semington via Royal Wootton Bassett.  This will increase the total length of canal in this part of the Borough to 5.5 km, taking it halfway to Templars Firs in Royal Wootton Bassett; much of the second half of this route is already in water and navigable.

This map shows the extent of Swindon’s current canals (dark blue), the Section 106 funded new additions and the M4 crossing (both light blue) that will take it to Hay Lane, by Butterfly World.

Wichelstowe Canals

Further canal restoration will connect Swindon by water to the Thames near Cricklade and the Thames again at Abingdon.  This creates two ‘cruising rings’ (see second map), Swindon forming the hub of both.  Cruising rings are very popular for boating holidays, so they will bring tourism to the Town with all its attendant benefits   It is estimated that restoration of the Kennet & Avon canal has benefited the Wiltshire economy by some £20 million annually despite not yet being on a cruising ring; our own Melksham Link is projected to bring £7.5 million annually to Melksham.  Swindon will benefit similarly once these rings are in place, but meanwhile, the canal offers significant environmental, social, leisure & health benefits for local people.

The second map illustrates the cruising rings mentioned above

Wilts & Berks Canal Map

This is the first of regular briefings that will keep you posted on the works to which the Council has already committed and on later phases in the Borough, now in Planning, that have the potential to make Swindon the canal capital of Southern England.

Meanwhile, if you would like to learn more about the benefits of canal restoration in general and our own Melksham Link in particular, you will find three short YouTube clips on our website here  https://www.wbct.org.uk/canals-in-swindon 

Yours sincerely

Chris Barry