Residents in Melksham are to be consulted next month on multi-million pound plans to restore the Wilts & Berks Canal.

The ambitious scheme to restore the former Wiltshire canal have centred on a 3.5km stretch, where a new link would be created from Semington, passing through the Berryfield estate, and joining the River Avon in Melksham.

The partnership is hoping to get the go-ahead for the £10million project but must first consult residents and have discussions with landowners.

Funding sources will have to be secured and an environmental survey carried out before a final consultation is submitted ahead of a planning application, which is expected later this year.

The Melksham Community Area Partnership is heading up the consultation exercise in May, and Colin Goodhind, chairman of the partnership’s waterways group, said: “Consultation on the proposed Melksham Link will be held throughout May and is intended to inform and consult with as many people as possible living in the new Melksham Community Area to determine the degree of support for the project, answer questions, consider suggestions and address issues raised.”

It is expected that a number of public meetings will be held, and town councillors were given an update on the plans at a meeting on Monday.

The radical proposal would create a new accessible towpath and a new route for narrowboats and canoes.

There would be a new Lock Park featuring a woodland area, visitor café, kayaking opportunities, and cycle hire facilities, as well as a riverside park which would sit on the banks of the River Avon.

There would be wheelchair-friendly access to a river beach, while Melksham’s town bridge area would have a new pub or restaurant.

A report for British Waterways in 2006 found that an estimated £20million of extra business has been brought into Wiltshire following improvements to the canal network.

Ken Oliver, canal officer at Wiltshire Council, said: “The aim has always been to have it completed by 2014 and it is hoped that at least a part of the scheme will reach the planning stage by the end of the year.”

The plans received a mixed reaction from Melksham town councillors, and Cllr Sarah Cardy said: “I think while it is nice, the route is not realistic. There are too many problems as it will cut through Berryfield. I walk the canal all the time and apart from Bradford on Avon it has not brought massive job creation.

“You can develop the river by itself without the canal, not to mention the cost. Where are we going to find money like that from in a time of economic downturn?

“It sounds very nice and romantic but I do not think we will reap the benefits like they say. I hope we will have a say on it as part of this consultation.”

However Melksham mayor Cllr Richard Wiltshire said: “It is a bold project and will do a lot for Melksham.

“The majority of councillors support it because it is a big investment for the area. We are looking at what benefits can flow from it.”

There will be open days and presentations, an online and offline survey, while displays will be shown in key venues including Melksham Town Hall from May 3, and Melksham Library and Berryfield Village Hall.

A public meeting in June will present the results of the consultation exercise.