I take my hat off to Shropshire Council’s Outdoor Recreation Team for some excellent repairs to footpaths that cross the A49, Ludlow’s bypass.
Back in July, Tracey Huffer and I joined council planners and a footpath officer to discuss retaining an informal footpath through the proposed housing development off Cold West Drive. At that site meeting the developer agreed to establish a right of way across the site and I am pleased to say that this has now been agreed formally. Once the legal niceties are complete, planning permission will be issued incorporating the right of way. This footpath will link Parys Road with Downton View and the Rocks Green roundabout, saving a lengthy diversion for walkers.
Also at that meeting, the rights of way officer, Lucy Mcfarlane and I discussed the state of the steps down to the A49. These were probably installed when the bypass was built in 1979. It didn’t seem that much, if any, repair work had taken place since 1979 and the steps were clearly getting dangerous.
Now the crumbling steps have been replaced with a fine ladder of steps with a handrail. This provides a really useful walking route across the fields to the A4117 and then back to Rocks Green, although it involves crossing the A49. Walkers will be able return to Parys Road and Clee View along the new right of way.
Further south on Parys Road, a footpath crosses the A49 behind the biodigester. This was formerly the route of the Shropshire Way (and is still marked as such on OS maps). Here the Outdoor Recreation Team have installed new steps and handrails on both sides of the A49, and a new footbridge on the biodigester side. This route leads to Ledwyche and good quality walking routes to Henley, Snitton, Caynham and onwards to Clee Hill.
Again these steps are a huge improvement compared to the slippery and crumbling steps that were there before.
Our thanks to the Outdoor Recreation Team for all their work.
And to think that someone has already abandoned a dog on the new steps!
Can you actually cross the field the steps lead you to, on the other side of the A49. If it’s the one I think it is it was a ploughed field/crops. I’m sure it is a right of way but it needs ‘enforcing’, if it’s the one I think it is.