Canal set for £1.6million refurb

Rochdale Canal

A £1.6million project to improve towpaths running the length of the Rochdale canal is a step closer as sustainable transport charity Sustrans and its Connect2 partner at Rochdale Council have signed the paperwork that will guide the development for the coming years.

This agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding, confirms partners' continued commitment to the project and pledges £450,000 from Sustrans' Connect2 lottery award to complete the network of paths along the Rochdale canal and links into the community across the Borough.

More than 300,000 people live within a mile of the network, and when open, it will offer a pleasant waterside route along the canal, in contrast to the busy A627.

Howard Gott, at Rochdale Council said: "We are delighted that funding from the Big Lottery Fund is now in place to regenerate Rochdale's canal for everyday journeys by foot and by bike. We anticipate that work will begin in summer 2010 and I look forward to the grand opening in summer 2012."

Peter Foster, Sustrans' regional director, said: "We are really excited about this new route to connect communities along the entire length of the borough. There's already an extensive walking and cycling network, but once open, this greenway will link them all up to offer people a more enjoyable way to get to where they need to go."