The Rossendale Rambler

The last year has been significant only in the dearth of complaints I have received from members of the public in regard to footpaths. The total received, to be exact, has been nil! Having said that, problems have been reported by local members and as I write, I am in the process of contacting John Dwyer about the state of one particular path, recently visited during one of my local walks and reported as being in a dreadful state by a member within the last week. I too have brought several blockages/obstructions to the notice of Mr Dwyer and have to say that my letters received prompt attention with promises to attend to the matters raised. The perennial matter of Windy Harbour has received no attention this year and I am hoping that things are progressing.

As far as footpath diversions are concerned, it has been a very busy year with some of the site visits I have made being concerned with developments by building firms. There have also been cases, probably a sign of the times, where local firms have applied to divert footpaths running through their property, where such paths have meant they have been unable to secure the perimeter of the site by the installation of a security fence. In most of these cases I have been able to negotiate the best possible alternative by face-to-face contact with managers of the firms concerned. One site, just below the Holden Arms on Holcombe Road, led to me not only being able to negotiate a well-appointed diversion of a path that had lain unused for some time but also to being offered a new, definitive path which had, in fact, been used by local people for a good while. This particular site was the first where direct negotiations with the builders were involved after what seemed to be a case of Rossendale Borough dragging their heels. I also invoked professional assistance from HQ in the tricky area of who to contact in a case where procedures were not adhered to. I am hoping that the borough will comply with my request to have the still-unusable part of the path brought up to the standard of the diversion.

One thing that also seems to follow on once you have done this job for a while, is that you begin to develop a relationship with the footpath officer of the borough and whilst I have only ever met John Dwyer on one occasion, we exchange letters and phone calls on a regular basis. This in turn has led to people approaching me before they actually put in a diversion application as a consultative measure. I am then able to visit the site and discuss the pending application with the land owner. This has happened on two occasions where I have been called in, have discussed the site with the owner and the application has then gone ahead with little in the way of difficulty. It certainly beats getting a proposed plan of a diversion to find that it has already been made by the owner, presenting me with a fait-accompli - this makes me very cross!

For those with horses, it is nice to see that a number a footpaths between Lumb and Hurst Lane in Rawtenstall, are to be upgraded to byway status though as far as I am concerned the welcome is a cautious one in that byways can be used by motorbikes and four-wheel-drive vehicles and this usually means erosion and noise.

Lastly, as I write, I have just received a proposal to regularise definitive paths in and around Whitworth, Lee and Facit Quarries where confusion has reigned for some time. The proposals seem reasonable and generally follow the line of the extraction limit. Paths within the quarry are to be extinguished with new path being created to the north and south of the Quarry. I intend to accept these proposals and will do so unless I hear anything from the membership. Anyone wishing to inspect the map, should contact me and a meeting can take place.

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