Chichester District Council is to give Donnington Parish Council another £40,560 for footpath improvements alongside the canal.
The money was approved during a meeting of the cabinet on Tuesday (June 11) and will be taken from S106 funds specifically set aside for sport and leisure projects.
It follows the previous approval of £49,695 for the scheme.
Adrian Moss, leader of the council, said: “This makes the canal tow-path – the footpath – much more accessible and safer.
“It is really a busy route from Donnington into Chichester.
“It does open up the Manhood Peninsula to people accessing Chichester and it is also taking into account the need to support the wildlife living in that area.”
The improvement work along 1.4km of the footpath will include the creation of two passing bays to make things easier for people with pushchairs, in wheelchairs and on mobility scooters.
There will also be a managed vegetation clearance and re-surfacing and timber-edging of the path, with attention being paid to the needs of the many water voles which live along the length of the path.
Responsibility for its upkeep will fall to the county council.
It was stressed that the cost of the project had not increased. The original money was given as a ‘commitment to delivery of the scheme’ – not a declaration of how much it would cost.
