Update: East Sussex County Council have said the footpath is a high priority for improvement and has accordingly been allocated funding. They are aiming to improve the footpath during next year’s surfacing programme which begins in April 2018.
The Academy Council at Beacon Academy in Crowborough are supporting a campaign to get a ‘Muddy Alley’ near the school an all-weather surface.
Pat Lockley has put up posters on the side of the alleyway, which runs between Oliver Close and Crowborough Hill, to try and encourage people to lobby East Sussex County Council to get it surfaced. The path is used by many students on their way to and from Beacon and Fermor schools, as a cut-through from the Montargis Estate.
Pat got involved when she pushed for it to be made a Right of Way. She told CrowboroughLife:
What an encouragement to see the Student Council at Beacon have got involved.
My involvement was a retirement project to make a difference and show love for those in my immediate community. I have used the path and live a short distance from it down Crowborough Hill. It has been a long haul taking small steps forward and sometimes a few steps back over the last few years. I was delighted when Natalie had the path inspected for me and then negotiated with one land owner to have the land dedicated for a path, and put a path creation order on the rest of it.
The County Council have told Pat the estimated cost of the work is around £10,000. In due course, Pat would also like to see litter bins at each end of the footpath – but admits to picking her fights one at a time.
In this week’s school Newsletter, it states:
We are also trying to raise awareness of ‘Muddy Alley’, a path that many students walk every day and needs paving. Regularly students traverse the mud and deep puddles, dirtying their uniform. If enough emails are sent to East Sussex County Council they will put some money into the budget specifically for paving the path.
You can contact the Rights of Way Team at East Sussex County Council as follows:
- By email: rightsofway@eastsussex.gov.uk
- By telephone: 01273 482628
- By post: Rights of Way and Countryside, West B, County Hall, Lewes, BN7 1UE
I know i’m not the only person in jarvis brook that chooses to walk along the foot path leading to Tesco at night and not angered by the fact there is no lighting at night along this path., I reported this to E.S. highways department to be told no money in the pot and there is lighting at each end of the path which i might just point out is either covered by trees or round the corner of this path. Who else feels there should be more lights installed for peoples safety and ability to use this stretch of path.
Paul
All three levels of Council are strapped for cash. If you feel strongly about this – which it seems you do – I would do a number of things. Firstly, ask East Sussex Highways to arrange for the foliage blocking the existing lights to be cut back: https://www.eastsussexhighways.com/report-problem
Secondly, ask your County Councillor (https://democracy.eastsussex.gov.uk/mgFindMember.aspx) if more lights can be prioritised.
Thirdly, speak to the Town Council’s Environment Committee to see if they might assist.
Stephan