Lack of cash shelves canal revamp scheme

The transformation of a stagnant canal in the heart of Bilston into a haven for anglers and narrowboats has been shelved due to lack of cash, it emerged today.

The clean-up of Bradley Arm Canal was announced back in 2006, sparking hopes it could be brought back to its best as a bustling tourist spot.

The first phase of the project cost £250,000 and included clearing away overgrown trees from pathways, installing new security fencing and tidying up litter. But the long-term plan never got under way.

Backers hoped the canal would once again be at the heart of the community, bustling with barges.

Today it was revealed they could not progress with the second phase of work, which was to include the creation of a barbecue area and showers for narrowboat users.

Cheryl Welsh, Bilston town manager, admitted: "We are still looking for funding opportunities but at the moment nothing more is happening because we do not have the money.

"There is European money to apply for and we will be looking into the mechanisms of getting it."

The clean-up phase finished in 2007 and won second place in the Bura Waterways Renaissance Awards, beating off competition from multi-million pound schemes in the UK.

It was carried out by the Bilston Development Project in partnership with British Waterways to improve access to the canal at Ladymoor Road.

New steps were installed as well as a footpath, which it was hoped would become part of a network of pathways and cycle routes.