Recent canal re-lining works by Caerphilly County Borough Council at Pontywaun required the removal of a slipway at Hall’s Road Terrace, Pontywaun. The slipway, built by MBACT volunteers in 2001, allowed boats to be launched into the canal and has been used extensively in the past for popular boat rallies. Since its removal, MBACT has been actively involved in discussions with officers at the Council to explore options for its … Read more

We recently shared the news that Newport City Council have allocated £1.9m in funding from the Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund to tackle problems on the Mon & Brec Canal Crumlin Arm above the Fourteen Locks Centre at Newport. This week our Chair the Revd. John Collier welcomed Julie Sharman from Glandwr Cymru, (the Canal & River Trust (CRT) in Wales) to the canal and Centre at Fourteen Locks. CRT is … Read more

We are delighted with the news that Newport City Council has secured £1.9m in funding from the Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund to tackle the very long-standing problems on the Mon & Brec Canal Crumlin Arm above the Fourteen Locks Centre at Newport. The canal is a valued asset for our local community, providing an attractive ecologically diverse linear park. This section of canal has for many years suffered from severe … Read more

Torfaen County Borough Council recently published their Draft Strategy and Action Plan for the Mon & Brec canal through Cwmbran. We posted about the Council’s consultation earlier in May 2023. As the Monmouthshire, Brecon and Abergavenny Canals restoration charity we warmly welcome the initiative that Torfaen County Borough Council (“TCBC”) has started. The appointment of a full-time Canal Officer and now this 10 year Strategic document provides a template for … Read more

Torfaen County Borough Council have recently published their Draft Strategy and Action Plan for the Mon & Brec canal through Cwmbran. Read more here – https://getinvolved.torfaen.gov.uk/draft-canal-strategy We would strongly encourage you to read the PDF Document that is linked to on that page, and then complete the Survey. This Strategy and Survey will influence everything that Torfaen CBC does around the canal for the next 10 years. The PDF document … Read more

This winter has seen a substantial amount of maintenance and inspection work done by Glandwr Cymru, (the Canal & River Trust in Wales, CRT). This has included repairs to bridges, repairs to leaking culverts, leak repairs to the canal bank, towpath maintenance, and repairs to the canal lining in several places. This has included a repair to a substantial leak at Brynich. We are pleased to see that this work … Read more

Caerphilly County Borough Council engineers set about tackling some water flow problems The lack of water in the Crumlin Arm has been an ongoing problem for some time. MBACT has been having regular discussions with the canal owners, Newport City Council and Caerphilly County Borough Council, about this issue. The main water-feed for the whole Crumlin Arm section of canal is at the very end of the canal at Cwmcarn, … Read more

Current ash dieback works – December 2022 to March 2023 Newport City Council (NCC) will be carrying out work along the Crumlin Arm of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal to remove trees which have been infected by ash dieback. They will be working between December 2022 and March 2023. Contractors are currently working on the canal between Pontymason Lane, and the path that connects Risca Road to Pontymason Lane. However, there … Read more

Torfaen Council has recently refused a planning application for a car hardstanding which was planned to be located within a disused canal lock chamber adjacent to Greenhill Road in Cwmbran. The canal here was culverted many years ago, with the lock chamber itself partially filled with earth. MBACT had submitted a detailed policy objection to the granting of the application. We argued that the proposal, if allowed, would prejudice the … Read more

We are pleased to see that Wales Online have highlighted the water problems and poor condition of the Crumlin Arm canal adjacent to the Fourteen Locks Canal Centre as documented in our recent post on our MBACT website, and complaints by residents and canal users. We would encourage local people to raise their concerns with their local Councillors directly. This has the biggest impact. Thanks for your support. You can … Read more