The Wey & Arun Canal Trust held an exhibition in Bramley Village Hall on the 8^th and 9^th October. Bramley is on the original route of the canal (London's lost route to the sea) but in the 20^th century houses were built on the canal bed. This means that the Trust needs to identify alternative route options. The exhibition showed the results of preliminary studies by engineering consultants Halcrow Group Ltd.

Speaking immediately after the exhibition, Bramley Link Project Manager, Chris Harrison, said he was delighted with the results. There were over 700 visitors, including the Mayor of Waverley, Councillor Victor Duckett, the Mayoress of Waverley, Guildford MP Sue Doughty and representatives of local authorities. The exhibition was supported by Waverley Borough Council, Surrey County Council, the Environment Agency and SEEDA.

Chris Harrison emphasised that the exhibition was just the first stage of a long-term consultation and planning process. All visitors were invited to complete a questionnaire. The summary results showed that 66% were in favour of restoring the canal through Bramley. A large majority of those in favour preferred a route following the river rather than the old railway. Independent auditors appointed by the Canal Trust will now analyse the questionnaire results in detail.

Further information and photographs in the form of JPEG files can be obtained from the Wey & Arun Trust's Public Relations Officer: Sally Schupke (01483 560543): email: press@wact.org.uk If you would like to receive future press releases by email or fax, please let Sally know.