Story Homes have a legal responsibility to reinstate and maintain diverted footpaths (No. 33 and 35) beside Fairfields Manor development, but have not done so. We call on Gateshead Council and Story homes to ensure the diverted footpaths 33 and 35 are usable and accessible to all, and to remove the fence blocking the trodden path between Kepier Chare and St Agnes School and Hill 60.

Story Homes were given planning approval to build a housing development on land next to Hill 60 in March 2016. The permission was conditional on the diversion and re-instatement of footpaths 33 and 35. The Defra Rights of Way Circular 1/09 provides valuable background and makes clear that rerouting rights of way should not take them through housing developments, and that the needs of the local community take precedence over the actions of the developer.

These paths have now been diverted and there remain ongoing concerns about their maintenance and suitability for many groups of local people for the following reasons:

Path 33, to the East of the housing, following the destruction of ancient walls and hedgerows which were originally to be preserved, the surface remains largely unmade with sections that are uneven and muddy so that residents are avoiding it, especially in bad weather. This section of the path is currently unviable as a non-vehicular route between the centre of Crawcrook and the new estate. A succession of six-monthly orders by the council for this work to be done, have been posted and expired going back several years, since work on the estate began.

Path 35 South and West of the housing has been rerouted around the edge of Hill 60. Here local residents’ access to Hill 60 has been adversely affected by the addition of poorly positioned and designed stiles and some remaining unmade surfaces which are steep, muddy and rocky in places, making them unsuitable and unsafe for many walkers, especially people with young children, some older people, dog walkers and sledgers which is a particular value of Hill 60. In addition, in December 2020 a fence was erected, blocking the well-trodden path between Hill 60 and Kepier Chare, which is marked on the original plan for the development. This path had been used by residents for around over 40 years. This blockage now means residents accessing Hill 60 from St. Agnes School and the centre of the village, are forced to walk through the new housing estate.

These matters have been raised with Councillors and Gateshead Council officers but remain unresolved after a period of some years. Residents are asking Gateshead Council to recognise their deeply held concerns about the erosion of access to local green spaces.  This petition demands action by the council and its partners to demonstrate support for walking for all in Crawcrook with all the attention to the safety, physical and mental health of residents and care and conservation of wildlife that this implies. It is time to reinstate the footpaths!

Gateshead Green Party are hosting this petition on behalf of a number of concerned local residents, and in the petition is not owned by the Green Party.