This in from the council, in their own words. Ed
A section of a footpath in Gurnard that has been closed for nearly two years following land slippage, has been re-opened thanks to the generosity of a local landowner.
The council was forced to close the section of the coastal path between Gurnard Luck and Thorness in early 2014 for safety reasons following a period of adverse weather.
Since then, council officers have been working with a nearby landowner who has agreed that a permissive path can be set up over his land to enable the route to re-open.
Re-opened this week
Once this was agreed, new fencing and signage has been installed and the footpath re-opened this week. The new path diverts walkers away from the damaged section, before re-joining the existing path.
Councillor Paul Fuller, Executive Member with responsibility for the public realm, said:
“I wish to thank the landowner whose kindness to allow a permissive path to cross his land has allowed us to open this section of the coastal path. I also want to recognise the hard work of the council’s Rights of Way team for their work to get the path re-opened.
“Being an Island, we suffer from coastal erosion which impacts on existing public rights of way, and I fully recognise how frustrating this is for walkers and local residents. In light of this, the council’s rights of way team has developed a reputation to work positively with landowners to re-open any areas that it is necessary to close.
“We have many areas of outstanding natural beauty and the re-opening of this section of path means walkers can enjoy the stunning views between Gurnard Luck and Thorness once more.”
Image: © Isle of Wight Council
