At last evening’s Parish Council meeting, the Chairman reported on a meeting held with Mr. Careless and the MD of Horsehay Ltd where an alternative, diverted route, had been tabled. Following discussion, it was RESOLVED to accept the tabled diversion of the footpath from Bridge Road to the Travellers Joy public House as discussed with Mr. Careless, Senior Rights of Way Officer, and the Managing Director of Horsehay Limited at the meeting on Friday 16th January 2015; that the Parish Council was willing to withdraw those claims and evidence, submitted by members of the public on behalf of the Parish Council, for the continuation of the (blocked off) original route of the B.O.A.T.; that the decision was entirely subject to the caveat that Horsehay Limited agreed to whatever conditions the Borough Council required in order to secure the land of the alternative route as a public right of way and that they also agreed to the condition that the route was secured on the definitive map; that subject to their agreement, the Borough Council, through the Senior Rights of Way Officer, would then proceed without undue delay to secure the route and place it on a legal footing as a definitive route to protect it in perpetuity; that once the route has been secured as a definitive route, the Parish Council would have no objection to an immediate time limited suspension of the route to allow necessary works to be carried out on the site.

In agreeing to the resolution, Members hoped that it would then enable the route to be secured as a definitive route without too much further delay and that members of the public would soon be able to resume their practice of walking along this long used route.