Villagers angry as walking trail near caravan site is dug up
PUBLIC PATH CLOSED FOR SAFETY REASONS
PEOPLE in Radcliffe are up in arms after a walking trail was shut because it was dug up.
The path, between Holme Lane and Stragglethorpe Road, was created from an old railway line about three years ago.
But in January, caravan owners on a permitted site next to the trail allegedly took an excavator to the embankment and dug it out.
Nottinghamshire County Council has since fenced off the route, with signs at the site saying: “Keep out for your safety”.
Peter Lord, who walks his dog on the route, said: “It feels a bit like an attack on the village and the villagers. It’s a real amenity and there’s not a great alternative.
“You have to wonder whether someone is trying to stop us using it on purpose.
“Either way, there doesn’t seem to be any recourse for the culprits. We don’t want it to escalate, but we want the law to work as it’s supposed to work and deal with the situation in a proper, responsible manner.”
Plans to convert the disused former mineral railway line into a “multi-user path” were submitted in
July 2017 by the county council to Rushcliffe Borough Council. The work was completed around 2021 at a cost of about £125,000.
There were no written objections to the application at the time.
The trail has been used by horse riders, cyclists and walkers.
But in January, the underside of the embankment, next to the path, was dug up. The embankment is accessible from Cedar Lodge Caravan Park, next to the A52.
Two caravans, said to be unoccupied, were then seen parked on the newly levelled surface.
Nottinghamshire County Council closed the path for safety reasons, and it has been shut since. Villager Louise Smith says the path is the only safe place to ride her horses in the area. Before the closure, she would ride them with her friends and family from Radcliffe to Cotgrave Country Park and back.
She says she saw an excavator on the site pulling mud off the bank as early as October last year and wonders why there wasn’t any intervention. She said: “It’s really sad. We saw a lot of walkers and cyclists on there out and now we don’t. “We don’t have many other options. It doesn’t feel as safe to be out riding horses on the road.
“At the first signs of work starting there should have been a reaction. We’re told they’re going to be testing and doing something, but it feels like it’s slow and like it could have easily been prevented.”
The only other potential route for horses and dog walkers is on the other side of the A52, which would mean crossing the dual carriageway and risking “life and limb”, said Mr Lord.
Some villagers are still using the path by pushing the barriers out of the way, but Ms Smith says this is “worrying” for people’s safety.
Villager Andrew Keen often takes the dog for a walk on the path at weekends with his family.
He said: “Somebody’s made a very uneducated decision by digging into the side of the bank and not realising the consequences.
“It sounds like it’s a very complicated situation that the council are going through to try to remedy the situation but it just seems to be dragging on and it’s frustrating a lot of people in the village.”
A conservation manager at Nottinghamshire County Council said: “We understand the concerns and frustrations of the local community regarding the closure of the multi-user route between Holme Lane and Stragglethorpe.
“The closure is necessary following issues with the embankment in January. The county council has commissioned geotechnical specialists to carry out surveys and tests.
“We ask that the public refrain from attempting to circumvent or move the barriers that have been put in place for their safety.
“While we are unable to provide a specific timeline for the reopening of the route, we are working hard to ensure that it can be opened as soon as it is safe to do so.”
The residents on the caravan site were approached for comment but had not responded by the time of publication.
You have to wonder whether someone is trying to stop us using it on purpose.
Peter Lord, of Radcliffe