Lock is reopened after completion of £3.6m revamp
The new and improved East Farleigh Lock has officially reopened after a multimillion-pound refurbishment.
Residents and officials turned out for the ceremony marking the end of the delayed 10-month £3.6 million project.
The first boats were able to use the key access route on Friday, July 21 and should be able to continue to do so for the next 100 years, according to the Environment Agency (EA), which commissioned the works
The opening of the new lock, on Saturday, September 2, coincided with the annual Court of Survey Cruise led by the town’s mayor, Cllr Malcolm Greer.
The procession, organised by Hamstead and Yalding Cruising Club (HYCC), was greeted by the Maidstone Sea Cadets and Mark Smurthwaite, commodore of HYCC and chairman of the Medway River Users Association (MRUA).
The practice dates back to 1559, when Queen Elizabeth I granted the town – then a tidal fishing port – the right to inspect the waterway. In 1619 King James I extended these privileges to cover the keeping of swans and cygnets, meaning Maidstone is the only borough in England where the swans belong to the mayor rather than the monarch.
New features at the lock include improved mooring systems, new access steps, and new rubbing timbers and fendering to reduce the risk of damage to visiting vessels.
Wildlife will also benefit. A new fish pass has been installed alongside the weir, providing climbable slopes for fish wanting to travel upstream, mean- ing freshwater fish, such as barbel, roach, perch, dace, chub and pike, will be able to pass the site freely.
Julie Foley, area manager at the EA, said: “With a newly refurbished lock and weir we will be able to continue to maintain the upstream water levels for boaters, anglers, cyclists and walkers to enjoy.
“The lock is essential for a number of commercial river operators.
“It’s great for the river that nine of the 10 locks on the River Medway now have fish passes in place.”