Am I alone in having the feeling that Chichester Harbour is the most cosseted anchorage in the UK? It has an army of eco-warriors counting redshanks, moving tide-shifted sand from one bank to another and counting stools from leaky sewer pipes.

The harbourmaster doubles as a conservationist, and the area is dubbed one of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Yet it is one of the busiest waterways in the UK. In the high season on the weekend you cannot move for boats.

Now in spite of this the authorities have decided more boats can be crammed in. And by dredging Birdham Pool it is hoped bigger boats will be lured to lovely Chichester.

Personally I’m all for this. It’s just that it seems to my jaundiced eye that when it comes to hard cash the ‘habitats’ of sandworm, mussel and crab – which we are continually hectored over at other times – can be redeveloped at will.