Calls for improved access to River Adur at Shoreham

There is a public right to cross through land owned by Sussex Yacht Club known as Stowes Gap or restricted byway 3157.

This includes being able to take a bike or non-motorized boat, like a kayak or paddle board, through.

But campaigners say the route is cluttered, which makes it difficult to reach for some water users.

This, they say, is part of a wider trend which has seen access to the river become more difficult.

They are calling for a new launching point, known as a slipway, to be provided.

Brendan Whelan is secretary of the Shoreham Slipways Group and a member of the Inland Waterways Association and he raised the issue at the most recent Adur County Local Forum.

He said: “Access to the river is very important for so many people.

“It was very noticeable during lockdown when the use of the river locally and canals and other waterways greatly increased.

“In the case of the River Adur, people have been launching for centuries and gradually, to some extent inevitably, many of the access points have been closed off or rendered useless.”

A walk along the river’s various launching points demonstrated poor signage and some rights of way were cluttered or blocked.

The sign for Stowes Gap pointed in the opposite direction, while others were not clear to see or were partially covered by hedges.

Access via Stowes Gap has been highlighted again due to proposals for a long-awaited flood defence.

An already approved flood wall seeks to ‘prevent risk to a significant number of homes and businesses’ and would see the current vehicle access to the yacht club closed off with the right of way diverted.

Andy McGregor, chairman of Adur District Council, expressed concern that various campaign groups could ‘delay the flood defence’ by pursuing a new slipway at Stowes Gap. He pointed out that the byway allows people access via the yacht club, but not the right to a slipway.

And while he would like to see more on-water activity and better access to the river, he also wants to see the town protected from flooding as priority.

Mr Whelan disputes the idea that campaigners are causing delays and also recognises the importance of protecting properties from flooding.

“Should this location not prove viable then I believe that other possible launching locations should be considered,” he said.

A council spokesman said the right of way at Stowes Gap had been ‘blocked since the late 1990s’.

But this should not have been the case as an attempt to stop the right of way in 1999 was unsuccessful.

With the redevelopment of Sussex Yacht Club, as well as the flood defence wall, a diverted route was necessary. But the council said its initial suggestion was objected to by the Slipways Group and the Inland Waterways Association and it is working with them to find a new route, while also looking at the possibility for a public slipway elsewhere.

When a new route is agreed, a diversion order would be advertised and consulted on.