WORK is underway to build a brand new 147-berth marina in Church Minshull on the Shropshire Union Canal.

The Aqueduct Marina is scheduled to open in November and is already taking bookings from boat owners keen to take advantage of its prime location at the crossroads to the extensive North Western canal network.

It is located on the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal, just outside Nantwich and just two locks from both the Trent and Mersey and the popular Llangollen Canal.

Owner Robert Parton finally swapped dairy farming for the boating community after running Church Minshull Canal Boat Storage on his 100-acre farm for two years.

He said: "It was a British Waterways engineer fixing a local bridge, who pointed out just what a great location this would be for a marina.

"We are on the outside of a bend, with clay ground and in the middle of an extensive network of canals.

"With the popularity of the waterways increasing, it was not a hard decision to make.

"We plan to make this a friendly, welcoming marina designed for today's boaters, with wireless broadband connections to all berths and comfortable, modern facilities including a café and shop.

"The boatyard will be fully equipped with slipway, trailer, hard standing area, chandlery and workshops, along with on site boat repair services, painters, welders and fitters."

Robert has teamed up with Chester-based chartered surveyors Denton Clark to move the project forward.

The firm's Chris Stringer said: "We have worked with Robert through the successful design and planning stages.

"It is great to now move onto the building phase and we look forward to the opening next winter."

Nigel Sheppard, general manager of the British Waterways New Marina Unit, added: "Boat ownership has been growing year on year, and there is a significant shortfall in the number of inland marina berths.

"Despite a recent increase in the number of new marinas being opened, there is still a need for a further 7,000 new marina berths over the next seven years."