Centurion Way Extension Project – Frequently Asked Questions
- What’s happening on the Centurion Way?
The Centurion Way is an 11km (6.8 miles) cycling and walking path between Chichester, Lavant and West Dean. It follows the old, dismantled Chichester to Midhurst railway line, which was fully closed by 1991.
Following the latest path upgrade in 2015 as part of a project led by the National Park Authority, work is currently under way to extend the Centurion Way by 5km (just over 3 miles) from West Dean to Cocking.
- Why are you doing the work?
Once completed the route will provide a fantastic way for walkers and cyclists to travel from Chichester right into the heart of the South Downs National Park, experiencing wonderful views along the way. The route will link with the 100-mile-long South Downs Way at Cocking, providing further opportunities for people to explore the National Park.
The project is in tandem with the National Park’s goal of creating more opportunities for people to access nature, as well as encouraging sustainable transport as a positive step towards climate action.
- Do you have a timeline of the work and when it will be completed?
The construction of the extension from West Dean to Cocking is a challenging undertaking that requires careful ecological planning, considerable resources and co-ordination with many landowners and stakeholders and will take several years to achieve. To manage this complexity, the route is being completed in stages as shown in the map below :
We plan to open the first section of the Centurion Way extension in the Spring of 2025, which we acknowledge is later than previously hoped, and is subject to all the work being on schedule and external factors out of our control, such as weather.
Work commenced on the sections from the former Singleton Railway Station northwards to Cucumber Farm in late 2022. Enabling works on the section through Singleton Railway Station southwards to West Dean have commenced and construction works to make the former station platforms and area safe for the public requiring listed building consent, are hoped to be completed in Spring 2025.
Reinstatement works to improve the footway link on the A286 between the existing Centurion Way adjacent to the school, through the village to the new extension is to be completed in 2024.
Ecological and tree assessments on the next section northwards, through Rooks Wood / Wellhanger Copse to Littlewood Farm are ongoing prior to construction works, which are hoped to be completed in Spring 2025.
Construction will then continue into 2025/26 to extend the route northwards to Cocking Hill and the South Downs Way.The hope is the whole route will be completed in 2026. This schedule is subject to landowner consent, other agencies’ approval and securing the necessary funding.
The future route remains closed to the public. In the interest of public safety, the South Downs National Park Authority, Edward James Foundation, and National Trust urge the public to not trespass onto private land and not place themselves at unnecessary risk until the route is open.
- Do you have before and after shots of the work?
Yes.
Before:
After:
- Will the tunnels along the old railway line be used?
There are three tunnels along the route at West Dean, Singleton, and Cocking. The approved route follows the disused Railway line deviating to avoid the three tunnels on the route. The route around West Dean Tunnel, will involve using a stretch of the A286, where some improvement to the footway is planned. The second deviation take the route around Singleton Tunnel through a scenic woodland to avoid the tunnel. The current plan to avoid Cocking Tunnel requires a ramp to take the path from the cutting over the tunnel to link with the South Downs Way.
There is no consent at present to take the route through any tunnel. The option of the route through West Dean and Cocking Tunnel are subject to ongoing considerations and discussions with agencies and stakeholders. This includes ecological surveys which have been ongoing for several years.
These surveys and other evidence will be used to assess the viability of taking the route through any tunnel. Approval will require local consultation and the consent of external agencies and will be subject to planning approval. If unfeasible, other options will be explored with the landowner, tenants, and stakeholders to connect the existing Centurion Way and the extension.
- Will cyclists and walkers have to use the road at all?
Because of the current restrictions of the West Dean Tunnel, we will be working to reinstate the footway along the A286. This will be an improvement for users and ensure that there is a continuous access link. It is hoped this work will be completed in 2024.
The first stage of this improvement has been the completion of a new access ramp for all, which has been installed next to the school in West Dean. The ramp gives ‘at grade’ access for the first time, for walkers, people with pushchairs, the less abled (including wheelchair and mobility scooter users) and cyclists.
- How has the route been chosen?
The route follows the disused railway line from Chichester to Cocking which provides a liner route suitable for repurposing as a multiuser trail. The route design follows current best practice design principles that networks and routes should be Coherent; Direct; Safe; Comfortable and Attractive. Consent for the route was secured in 2019, following a full consultation and public planning application over a several year period. As required due to the passing of time, time sensitive habitat assessments (in consultation with the Sussex Bat Group), ecological, and arboricultural surveys are being undertaken to assess the current status and changes of each, to inform designs, mitigations, construction and ecological management plans.
Following a nine-month pre-consultation with stakeholders, a potential alternative route through Rooks Wood / Wellhanger Copse will no longer be pursued and the consented route is considered to be the most viable option at this time.
- Have you had to remove trees as part of the construction?
Some trees have had to be removed to enable the path construction. Unfortunately, many additional Ash trees suffering from Ash Dieback have also needed to be removed. All the work has been carefully overseen by professional ecologists to minimise impact and a significant number of new trees are being planted along the route to help nature thrive. The new restocking of the route, which is a condition of planning and felling licences aims to improve the resilience and diversity of the habitat along the route.
- Are there any plans to join the Centurion Way to nearby villages with access tracks?
The SDNPA are actively looking to improve community links to the Centurion Way and support communities wishing to improve Public Rights of Way connections.
- Who is funding the work?
The work is being funded from a number of sources, including Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and Section 106 funding and South Downs National Park Trust donations.
- When the route is completed, who will maintain it?
The SDNPA will be responsible for the ongoing management and maintenance of the extended route. West Sussex County Council remain responsible for adjoining Public Rights of Way.
- How can I be kept updated on progress?
This page will be updated as and when there are updates to share.
