River Nar - Proposals

Proposals

There were plans to make the final part of the river navigable again, as part of a scheme to create a non-tidal route from Kings Lynn to the Great Ouse, which included a marina at Boal Quay and a sea lock near the final sluice. It would have been part of a much larger regeneration project for the south of the town, and the river would have been linked to the Great Ouse Flood Relief Channel, which currently terminates at a sluice a little to the south of the A47 road. Various routes for the connecting link were considered, but the preferred route was to utilise the flood diversion channel, constructed in 2001. This would have been enlarged, and the two bridges, located on Thiefgate Lane and the bank of the Flood Relief Channel, would have been rebuilt to provide more headroom. However, the non-tidal link was eventually abandoned, as there were concerns over environmental issues, the channel was thought to be too narrow to accommodate boats travelling in opposite directions, and some of the bridges would not have provided sufficient headroom. The scheme was modified to include a lock from the end of the flood relief channel back into the Ouse, with the sea lock and marina being retained. These plans have since been deferred, due to the change in the financial situation and the collapse of land values.