> In message bt.com>, at 11:58:19 on Fri, 5 Sep
> 2008, Brimstone yahoo.co.uk> remarked:
>

>>> Why would the public fund a hugely expensive canal just to ship sugar
>>> once a week to a brewery?

>>
>>If a company wants a new road into its site then there's nothing to stop the
>>company building it subject to planning permission etc. Is there any reason
>>that a company couldn't build a new canal arm?

>
> Where would the "other end" of this arm be? I expect they could build it
> if they wanted to, but the expense would be prohibitive. The proposition
> to ship sugar to the brewery was only ever viable when the brewery was
> in the town centre and the boatman was under-quoting (he apparently
> needed ad-hoc return loads to make it economic).
>

>>(IIRC Worton Grange is on a trading estate.)

>
> It is now, although when it was built it was pretty much on its own.
>

>>If the new arm went into a trading estate then the arm could carry traffic
>>for the other companys using the site.

>
> The big building next door used to be DEC (the minicomputer people) head
> office. I think it may now be a telecoms company. They probably don't
> need much delivered.