Fallowfield Loop Severed

The Friends of the Fallowfield Loop (The Friends) regret to have to inform us that the western access to the Fallowfield Loop greenway at St Werburgh's Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, has been removed. Approximately 80 metres of the tarmac surface, laid mistakenly by Sustrans on private land, was removed by them as a measure to prevent action by the owner of the land which could have resulted in a greater financial penalty to the cycle network charity.

The Friends were very disappointed to learn in mid-May that Sustrans would be taking this action. Despite last minute action by both Friends and Manchester City Council officers, in contacting the owner of the land and Sustrans, circumstances were such that Sustrans felt that they had no other option in the short term.

The Friends were under the impression, when the ownership issue was first raised shortly after construction of the first stage of the Loop in April 2002, that the landowner, Sustrans and the City Council would be in negotiations to resolve the issue to everyone's satisfaction, but it seems this was not the case. The Friends have been unable to establish exactly why negotiations failed, or failed to take place. The Friends have, in the past, expressed in writing their concern at the lack of communication between parties and with the Friends and they are particularly upset that the apparent impasse was not brought to their attention sooner to enable them to act as mediators, in the interests of the actual users of this pioneering urban cycle and walking route. The Friends hope that this sad result will encourage both Sustrans and the City Council to be more open with the Friends in the future - now is the time to put policies on community consultation into action. The Friends have also written to the landowner offering to help resolve possible problems at the east end of the route.

Where Now?

For users of the route, this means that the remaining legal access routes at the Chorlton end of the route are from the new housing estate, at the far end of Chelsfield Grove, and the south west corner of the Withington Road bridge. Both involve a longer and more hazardous journey on busy roads. It seems there are tentative plans for a temporary link further to the west of St Werburgh's Road, but no detailed plans are available yet.

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Dick Venes (0161 224 3843, richard.venes@which.net) or Costel Harnasz (0161 283 7548)


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