A Historic Jewel with Very Real Economic Value

Almost exactly 225 years ago, the first shipment of coal made its way up the newly completed Brecknock & Abergavenny Canal. With the development of the Monmouthshire Canal with which it merged at Pontymoile, eventually a canal connection between Brecon and Newport Docks was made, rising 427 feet through 37 locks.

This phenomenal feat of engineering represented a key chapter in the development of the industrial capacity and might of South Wales.

225 years later, the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal (affectionately known as the Mon & Brec), cared for and maintained by Glandŵr Cymru (Canal and River Trust in Wales) remains as 35 miles of some of the most scenic waterway anywhere in the UK, beloved by countless thousands of annual visitors, canal users and the communities through which it flows.

New licensing on the abstraction of water from the Usk river at Brecon which came into force in 2025, however, posed a real threat to the future of the canal. Our charity was forced to purchase additional ‘support water’ to maintain the water needs of the canal, which, with drought pressures last year, has come at a massive cost- a cost we just could not continue to sustain alone.

In July, a petition raised by Jan Butler of Goytre and supported by almost 14,000 signatories was debated within the Senedd. This debate aired the concerns of the signatories, other members of the public and Senedd Members across parties but also raised the very real and immediate threat to businesses on and along the canal and the potential wider impact on the Welsh economy.

The canal is a place of serenity and biodiversity. It is an asset for promoting individual and community wellbeing and a rich part of our heritage and a home for many. It is also however, a huge economic asset, delivering more than £30 million of value to the Welsh economy and supporting more than 1,000 jobs.

It is key to our tourism offering in South Wales and the most visited attraction in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park and routinely featured in literature and visuals promoting Wales.

All of these reasons, and many more, were why action was needed to secure the future of the canal. And so, in December it was announced that Glandŵr Cymru and Welsh Government had reached an agreement to ensure the supply of crucial support water for the coming five years and thereby securing the future of the canal. This agreement buys the time and certainty necessary to investigate the measures needed to ensure longer-term water supply for the canal and give it the resilience needed for the future.

Under this agreement, Welsh Government will pay up to £400,000 per year for support water as required with an additional £100,000 being paid by Glandŵr Cymru. Alongside this, the Welsh Government-led Task & Finish Group of partners across local, Welsh and UK Governments, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, Natural Resources Wales and of course Glandŵr Cymru will consider those important longer-term solutions.

This agreement, however, represents more than that. It’s a recognition of canals in Wales as a key economic asset.

Only when you get onto a canal like the Mon & Brec do you really appreciate the inter-relationship between the waterway and small businesses. Whether the pubs and shops along its course or the boatyards, marinas, hire boat companies – all depend on and are important to the life of the canal. Canals support jobs, entrepreneurship and supply chains which otherwise might not exist in a rural community. This agreement recognises and defends that and gives immediate certainty to all those businesses.

Glandŵr Cymru has responsibility for much of our canal infrastructure in Wales. From the Llangollen Canal and UNESCO World Heritage Site, including the mighty Pontcysyllte Aquaduct, to the impressive restoration of the Montgomery Canal in mid Wales and the Swansea Canal – all of these represent crucial assets for tourism, economy, environment and industrial heritage. In their restoration, care, maintenance and growth – they support an amazing ecosystem of different businesses, jobs and skills.

However, as essential as they are, these are also assets which are expensive to maintain, requiring significant engineering solutions and management. As the charity with responsibility for some of our greatest waterways, we’re increasingly responding to climate-related pressures on our canals with periods of drought frequently followed by storm and flood damage. Like many other charities, we’re dependent on funding and other support from the public, government, businesses and community.

Serene as they are, there is nothing inevitable about these amazing pieces of engineering. Canals require 24/7 operational care by the dedicated staff and volunteers of Glandŵr Cymru and are live and dynamic environments.

As we celebrate the 225th anniversary of the canal therefore, this announcement securing the future of the Mon & Brec, needs to spark a conversation about what we want from that future and how we develop relationships with businesses and the wider economy to ensure that we capitalise on that security. We might perhaps have a good story to tell in another 225 years about how we ensured the survival of this amazing piece of the South Wales landscape and its contribution to our economy.