Footpath Officer
Since the last monthly report of 2017, there has been some positive action on Footpaths to report. Firstly, I have been officially appointed as the Parish Path Officer (PPO) at the Parish Council Meeting on January 8th. There were no other candidates. So I can now get on with checking some more of our 22 miles of footpaths in the Parish.
MY34 –There is good news in that this footpath is now fully delineated and cleared (including by a new fence through the private garden of the bungalow known as “Sunstone”) and can be walked with no problem from the Shenmore end to the B4352 (and vice versa).
MY41 – The barbed wire has been removed from the top of the footpath fence which is adjacent to Blenheim Farm. The finger post at the Brampton Road access which was damaged by hedge-flailing equipment still needs repair.
MY13/MY14B – Following last month’s report, it is good to see that the remaining roofing sheets from the burnt-out barn are now being removed.
MY52 – Archenfield to Forty Farm. – Members of the Parish Council have made a close inspection and recommended that the drainage ditch from the moat to the culvert leading underground to Tinglebrook be dredged of a large accumulation of leaf mould and twigs which is causing blockage at the footbridge culvert. The low-lying section of footpath (about 30 metres) running alongside this water course could be stabilised/raised by a combination of hard-core topped off with a large quantity of wood chippings. A secondary grid could be fixed to stop debris entering the bridge culvert. Apart from the natural debris, a large sack of bottles, cans etc was removed from the watercourse.
In conclusion, better weather will enable all footpath inspections and remedial actions to be undertaken where necessary. Your new Footpath Officer would appreciate reports of any problems noticed by local walkers and my contact details will be made widely available. Following Parish Council meetings, the regular Footpath reports will be posted on the Footpath Notice Board at Madley Cross and ultimately on a new Parish Council website!
Joan Williamson – 29.1.2018