River and canals to be focal point for revamp

The river and canals running through Stourbridge could be lined with shops, green spaces and visitor facilities under plans to revamp the town, it has been revealed.

Land around Mill Race Lane would be opened up for development – with the River Stour being used as a focal point.

New walkways would be created along the Stourbridge Branch Canal, with plans for new homes nearby. The Stourbridge Wharf area has been included in the Stourbridge Area Action Plan, which sets out the ambitions for the town in the coming decades.

The council hopes a hotel and homes can be built around Mill Race Lane to stand alongside existing industrial units.

Footpaths and cycle lanes would run alongside the Stour, which flows through the patch of land earmarked for the revamp, while the banks would be cleared and greenery planted.

New seats and information signs would line the canals, with improved facilities for barges, and more green spaces for wildlife.

Regeneration bosses hope that having buildings overlooking the canal would increase people's safety and encourage them to use it.

The council is looking for potential investors for the plans – and will draw up bids for European and Government funding. It comes as a Save our Stour group is set up by residents hoping to clean up the river.

The plan states: "Parts of the River Stour and Stourbridge Branch Canal corridors currently suffer from a poor quality environment.

"Parts of the River Stour are culverted under some industrial development, and parts of the water course embankments are heavily urbanised with hard impermeable and over-engineered surfaces, with a shortage of soft green space alongside the river embankments.

"The river is often referred to as the 'lost River Stour' as this area currently remains hidden and severed from the town centre due to urban encroachment alongside its embankments, poor quality public access and the severance effect caused by the ring road."