Fishermen an asset

WHILE Littlehampton Harbour Board is to be congratulated on its progressive measures to establish Littlehampton as a major leisure port, it is unfortunate that this may be at the expense of its traditional uses of fishing and trade, when all three uses should be complementary.
By The Newsroom
Published 15th Nov 2011, 15:00 BST

Our local fishermen, as purveyors of fresh fish, are a major asset to the town’s economy.

They serve its top restaurants, numerous smaller cafés and scores of visitors who enjoy sitting on the harbour wall in summer, eating their fish and chips.

They should be protected.

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I am saddened by your reference to the proposed “redevelopment” of Railway Wharf, whereby the port would cease as a commercial trading entity.

In the next few years, Littlehampton will experience major housing development and strategic road construction. Instead of proceeding with an ill-considered Dr Beeching-style project to destroy Littlehampton as a trading port, the harbour board should be holding discussions both with the housing developers and West Sussex County Council to ensure that the maximum possible amount of the aggregates and building materials that will be needed is brought in via the port, and not on the overcrowded roads.

Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, has initiated sensible policies to safeguard commercial wharves on the Thames, so that their potential for continuing use is not lost. It would be very helpful if our own council, as local planning authority, reciprocated this realistic approach, so that the strategic importance of Littlehampton as a trading port is not lost.

Kenneth W. Grimes

Broadmark Avenue

Rustington

Related topics:Boris JohnsonLondonWest Sussex County Council