 PRESS RELEASE |
IMPORTANT STEP TOWARDS CANAL RESTORATION
 Complete restoration of the Wey & Arun Canal comes one step nearer.
After months of careful planning, Chichester District Council has granted planning permission for the restoration of the canal crossing at Loxwood. After the canal fell into disuse in the 1870s the traditional hump back bridge was removed so that boats could no longer pass underneath the busy road (today the B2133 Guildford Road) next to the Onslow Arms pub. The Canal Trust have consulted local residents at all stages and in order to minimise disruption have decided on a plan that will not involve raising the road. Instead, there is a plan to lower the level of the canal on both sides of the road by building a new lock on the west side. This new lock will be the first completely new lock to be built by the Trust and volunteers from all over southern England will help with the construction. Preparatory work started immediately after the end of the Trust's popular Easter Bunny cruises. The public boat trips on the 2-mile length of the canal will continue on weekend afternoons throughout this summer. The boat "Zachariah Keppel" is also available for charter. Alan Johnson, a Trustee of the Wey &Arun Canal Trust, who prepared the plans for the new crossing
commented "Official approval of our plans for reinstating the canal, where it was severed by Loxwood High Street,
is a major step forward for the Trust. It opens the way for restoration of the waterway northwards into Surrey".
The estimated total cost of the project is £1.2m, and although a challenging fund raising task
remains, generous donations, including a grant from the Inland Waterways Association, have made it possible
for the project to start immediately.
NOTE TO EDITORS
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Further information 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.
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Last updated Apr. 24 2005