Agenda item

Concerns, comments and suggestions raised by petitioners at the meeting included the following:

• Petitioners had recently visited Hinkley Close and Sedley Close where they found that both pathways has been gated up.
• The pathway was notorious for anti-social activity.
• Petitioners were happy to work with the Council in undertaking a full consultation of the area.

Councillor Keith Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised stating that a full consultation would give the Council a foundation of evidence on which they could decide the course of action regarding the pathway. Officers said the evidence they had at the moment was from a consultation which was undertaken 14 years ago, and Officers could not be sure who was consulted. Therefore, Officers felt it was necessary to undertake a fresh consultation with Airdrie Close, West Quay Drive and the surrounding vicinity.

Resolved That the Cabinet Member;-

1. Meets and discusses with petitioners their request for the adopted public footpath to be ‘stopped up’.

2. Considered the Petitioners request together with the advice given in the report by Officers and the Councils Legal Team and instructed Officers to carry out an informal consultation with residents to establish a wider residential view and report the results to the Cabinet Member.

Reasons for recommendation

To allow the Cabinet Member the opportunity to discuss with the petitioner the concerns over the Council’s legal obligation as the Highway Authority to protect the rights of the public to use the adopted public highway.

Alternative options considered

There are no alternatives to consider as the Council will have taken all appropriate steps to ensure that the views of all persons who may be affected by a decision have been consulted before taking the appropriate action.