CE Footpaths – Thank You

Cheshire East Footpaths -- Way to go!!!

With so many issues and complaints rightly being made against many Council services, its refreshing to write about something that is Very Positive:-

Cheshire East Public Rights of Way!!!

Towards the end of 2020 we first contacted CE Footpaths about the state of the Turnpike Field public path down towards Grey's Bridge.

We had an immediate response from their Acting Public Rights of Way Manager who arranged for her Network Management and Enforcement Officer to meet and discuss it with us.

The result was their recommendations to install the boardwalk and the section of gravel path. CE designed it, ecologically approved it, part funded it and also helped us get a significant grant for the rest of the costs from Peaks & Northern Footpaths Society (PNFS).

Since then they have agreed to take full responsibility for the ownership and ongoing maintenance of the boardwalk. Once the ground conditions have improved, their contractors will reposition the boardwalk sections to their right place and install permanent fixings to prevent it floating away again.

At the same time they recommended replacing the difficult stile at the Canal entrance to Turnpike at Lock 11 with a new wooden gate which they supplied.

Every time problems are reported about local footpaths, these people have simply been very responsive and taken action. Whenever I have asked questions, their manager has responded quickly. Their new replacement Officer has been just as pro-active as his predecessor. As soon as he took up the post he contacted us to meet up and introduce himself.

Some other examples of their response to reported problems are:-

• the 2 new kissing gates on the path at Sandy lane down towards the Grammar School
• plans to install another kissing gate on Green Lane where there is a damaged stile
• broken stiles removed and sorted on footpaths off Bagley Lane -- awaiting a new kissing gate once conditions allow.

Thank you and keep up the great work!!