Still no timeline for repair to £250k cycle path one year after damage

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A digger seen at the greenway's embankment in July this year 2024.

By Lauren Monaghan, Junior Local Democracy Reporter

Nottinghamshire County Council says there is still no timeline for repair work on a £250,000 cycle path in Rushcliffe one year after it was closed by unauthorised construction work.

The ‘greenway’ route- used by cyclists, walkers and horse riders- opened in 2019 and links Radcliffe-on-Trent to Cotgrave.

But a section of the path at the Radcliffe end has been closed off since January 2024 after unauthorised work on the embankment destabilised it.

The damage was done at the rear of Cedar Lodge Caravan Park, off the A52, when a section of the embankment appeared to have been removed by a digger.

In July 2024 Nottinghamshire County Council placed a sign on a temporary fence at the section closing it off and giving “no timescales” to repair works.

Public concern grew online this week leading some people to believe further damage had been caused by unauthorised works – but checks showed no further work has been done.

Rushcliffe Borough and County Councillor, Roger Upton (Con) said: “[The County Council] has investigated recent allegations about renewed activity on the embankment.

“Officers have investigated and it has been proved not to be the case- no excavation has been carried out.”

Closure signs from Nottinghamshire County Council in July 2024.

Radcliffe-on-Trent residents have “total frustration” over the pace of works to fix the unstable path, according to the village Parish Council chair Anne McLeod.

She said: “This happened months and months ago and all we’re hearing is that it’s going through the legal processes and [the County Council] can’t comment.

“It was a precious asset, it’s a real treat it’s a nice day out, and overnight it was taken away from us.”

Cllr McLeod spoke of the worries the embankment damage could cause flooding issues in the future.

She said: “I’m one of the village flood wardens and there’s the Lamcote Dyke- that goes directly under the railway embankment – if that gets damaged and water isn’t able to drain from the land, the lower part of Radcliffe is at risk of flooding.”

A Nottinghamshire County Council spokesperson said: “We are aware that this continues to be a cause of concern for local residents, while we work to resolve a difficult and complex situation.

“Specialist contractors have come up with some proposals and we are now working hard to establish how we can move things forward and secure both the long-term stability of the embankment and the re-opening of the multi-user route.

“The assessment of the damage still prevents us from opening the multi-user route due to health and safety reasons and we would urge members of the public not to attempt to access the closed section, as this could put themselves and others at risk.”

The council did not respond to the Local Democracy Reporting Service’s request of a specific expected timeline for work to take place and any projections of cost the council would incur for repairing the path.

James Naish, Labour MP for Rushcliffe, said: “I have been in touch with the County Council several times about this issue and had an online meeting at the end of October.

“I suggested that a decision paper should be added to the cabinet’s forward plan to bring the matter to a head but was told at the end of November that the council wasn’t ready for this.

“I appreciate residents’ frustrations given the time lag between the damage and a decision being taken.

“I recognise that council funding has been decimated over recent years so finding extra money can be challenging, but I would encourage the County Council to improve its proactive communication with residents so there is no misunderstanding about the efforts being undertaken to bring the path back into public use.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service previously attempted to make contact with the owner of Cedar Lodge Caravan Park but received no reply.

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