The History of Chichester Canal goes back to the 18 century, when Chichester was one of the main wool handling ports in England. With the vast swathes of the South Downs being farmed with Sheep, and the centuries old wool trade with Europe in the frame, merchants took the opportunity to develop Chichester as a wool trading centre for the Industry.

Chichester Canal was a part of that development, allowing quantities to be shipped to the deeper water at Birdham and allow transfer onto vessels taking the product off to other parts of the country as well as Europe. In fact, what is now Arundel Street in Portsmouth (hence the name), was the route of the old Canal as it traversed a route from Langstone Harbour over to the Portsmouth Harbour. The diminishing trade eventually meant that Arundel Street was built over as a road, and Chichester became a much less important tradind and wool merchant port – the canal becoming less used as a result.

Yet, it is a feature and an ammenity unique to the City. Many efforts have been made to improve it, and develop it into the leisure facility that it is so readily able to be. Motivation and enthusiasm outside of committed residents from nearby and people interested in establishing The Canal on the Chichester landscape has always however been patchy. As it comes right in to the south of Chichester at Basin Road, before heading off South – west toward the Harbour, it is a valuable resource.

Yet when Chichester Council were given £250,000 toward maintaining and improving the Canal, and other projects – through a lack of focus, and with no agreement either established within the council or with parties connected to the Canal, the money has had to be returned unspent. The Canal remains prety much where it was.

The idea was to draw together various suggestions, communities, and schemes to present detailed plans for various developments of the canal. The Southern Gateway Forum, set up to advise, discuss, and organise ways to allocate the Funds across a range of projects as well as on The Canal only met once.

It has been agreed at the behest of Councillor Alan Chaplin that a much better and co-ordinated way of discussing and planning as well as implementing such opportunities must be set in place for the future. If there is – which there clearly is – a community interest which receives Grant support, then The Council is duty bound surely to establish procedures which will effectively allocate such resources towards projects, ammenties, and in a way that considers such provision not only within Budget in the current climate, but takes the opportunity when presented. And is responsive to local need.

Any parties who feel that it is this aspect of accountable Local representation that is the “point of sale” issue with The Council will now have a great example to refer to and use to identify and resolve this.

Relevance to The Big Society can make up their own mind as to whether this demonstrates that indeed there are community issues, it a case of the management of them.