Plans for Chichester Ship Canal

ONCE again there are plans to reconnect the Chichester Ship Canal with the sea, and to develop the canal basin.

But in 2009 narrowboatworld reported that work on the ship canal was halted completely by the city council after it was discovered water voles were nesting in the banks, Alan Tilbury reveals.

New lock and bridge

The Chichester Ship Canal Trust wants to build a new lock that will allow boats to enter the canal from the sea, and at the same time install a new swing bridge.

It is admitted by the Trust however that there are no concrete plans as yet as local residents have to be consulted on both the creation of the lock and the bridge.

Shop

The Trust recently acquired an old stable block at the canal basin, and hopes to convert the block into offices and facilities for boaters, and for those waiting for canal boat trips.
As is now normal, housing development is tied in with the proposed opening-up of the waterway.