Stewart
calls for action on Blackhead Path
Ulster Unionist
MLA for East Antrim John Stewart has called for Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to
clarify its position on the reopening of the Blackhead Path in Whitehead.
John Stewart
MLA said:
“I have been
campaigning to get Blackhead Path restored to its full and former glory since I
was first elected onto Carrickfergus Borough Council in 2011.
“The apparent
lack of action from Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to get the closed part
of the Blackhead Path reopened to the public again is causing extreme
frustration to the general public who recognise what a great recreational asset
the path is.
“What I cannot
understand is that at the start of the year, the Council agreed a course of
action which we were told would lead to the reopening of the closed
section. I was still a Councillor in January when we voted to approve
major expenditure of around £370,000 for remedial works to allow the reopening
of the full path. At the meeting in question one of my colleagues asked
when work would begin, and was told it would be the late summer.
“Now, as we
approach the end of the year, there does not seem to have been any substantial
work done and little, if any, progress on the Blackhead Path. People are
understandably asking whether there is any will in the Council to get things
moving. There is more talk of consultants reports, site surveys, economic
appraisals and spiralling costs. But we have had reports and surveys
about this issue many times in the past. In fact, there were clear
recommendations as set out in the report “Rockface Survey Report” commissioned
by
Carrickfergus Borough Council and published in February 2015.
Recommendations included scaling (clearing), pinning and netting to the
highlighted areas, followed by clearing the path and reinstatement of any
damaged railings.
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