Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Land that route passes through is up for sale Threat to future of popular cycle path
Exclusive hoping for an agreement
gwarren@thekmgroup.co.uk The future of the cycle path between Canterbury and Chartham has been thrown into doubt after the land it passes through was put up for sale.
It has emerged there are no covenants protecting the £700,000 Great Stour Way, which opened in 2011 and the cycling charity Sustrans only has an annual agreement to use it.
Every week, thousands of cyclists and walkers enjoy the three-mile shared path through Hambrook Marshes. But now the land, to the north of Thanington and Wincheap, is being sold by the Kent Enterprise Trust – a Herne Bay charity which helps disadvantaged people prepare for the workplace.
It says the 50-acre site no longer meets its remit and it is obliged by Charity Commission rules to sell it for the market price, valued by land agents as about £150,000. At the moment it is only used to graze Highland cattle.
But the sale brochure indicates that a small percentage of the land may be retained by the charity because it could have some future development value.
Director Philip Lennard said: “We are being completely open about the process and there is no hidden agenda.
“The fact is that we are not a conservation charity and from our perspective the land now has no use for us but is sitting on our books as an asset, the value of which we could put to better use.
“We bought the land with the idea of using it for our clients to learn land management skills but we wanted to keep a degree of flexibility, which is why we have an annual arrangement with Sustrans.
“But, given our obligations to the Charity Commission, I don’t think we can sell it with conditions protecting the cycle route.
“We would welcome a consortium pooling resources to buy it as long as we achieve around its market value. We did have one offer, but it was derisory and we couldn’t accept it.”
The concerns about the future of the land have been raised by the Friends of Hambrook Marshes and the cycling group Spokes East Kent.
Chairman of the Friends Chris Bailes said: “There are no real safeguards in place that will ensure access to the Sustrans route or that the site will continue to be managed for its wildlife interest.
“Sustrans only has licence agreements with the owners of the land the path passes over, and these can be terminated at twelve months’ notice.
“Natural England funding to support the wildlife habitat will end in less than three years, leaving the future appearance of the site uncertain.
“Large-scale development on this floodplain is unlikely but a new owner could well decide to generate income from the land by developing recreational activities on a commercial scale, which would be to the great detriment of the quiet, relaxing atmosphere and the rural views.”
Chairman of the cycling group Spokes East Kent, Steve Fawke, said: “We spent 20 years campaigning for this route so it is very worrying – all the more so that it now links to a new route from Chartham to Wye.
“It is hard to believe the route has no protection, but the county council, city council and Sustrans need to thrash out a solution because it would be unthinkable for any new land owner to be able to refuse access to the path.”
What do you think? Email kentishgazette@thekmgroup. co.uk or write to Gazette House, 5-8 Boorman Way, Wraik Hill, Whitstable CT5 3SE. Canterbury City Council’s head of planning Ian Brown said: “The Great Stour Way is a popular cycle route and, having invested in its creation, we would very much like to see it protected.
“In the current financial climate our options are likely to be limited. There are potential sources of funding available to voluntary groups and there may be options through this.”
David Hall, deputy director of highways and transportation at Kent County Council, said: “Discussions have taken place with the Kentish Stour Countryside Partnership. The Countryside Management Partnerships are expert at attracting grants and sources of funding for community projects.”
The KCC is also thought to be considering whether the route can by protected through the Cycle Tracks Act.
David Young, of Sustrans, said: “Once the land has been purchased, we hope to secure an agreement with the new owner. If they plan to develop the site, we would seek to work with them to ensure that a cycle path is retained.”