The developers behind plans for 137 houses off Foldgate Lane have applied to divert the footpath that current leads to the site from Steventon Road, across the railway. The right of way will be diverted to follow the rail line from the railway bridge on Foldgate Lane. Heading south, it crosses a new footbridge and swings east before returning to the rail line. The new route then heads south east again to join the Tinkers Hill road close to the road bridge over the A49.
This curious route makes sense when it is superimposed on the development plan for the site.
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This looks good to me. It creates a south north route which will form a loop with Steventon Road. From the south, it uses the existing footpath passing the oak to the edge of the railway. It then swings back to follow a planned hedge. After a short distance on the road, it turns across the aqueduct to follow the railway alongside an area of SuDS (drainage) and wetlands. It will join Foldgate Lane at the existing fence access into the field by the railway bridge.
I think this will be an enjoyable route to walk.
Closing the pedestrian access over the railway is a condition of the planning permission awarded by the planning inspectorate last November.
28) The development hereby approved shall not be occupied until the Public Right of Way crossing the railway line using the Ludford 1 pedestrian level crossing has been formally diverted. The Ludford 1 pedestrian level crossing shall be permanently closed thereafter.
There have been some recent rumours that this housing development will not go ahead. An application for full planning permission (reserved matters) has yet to be submitted to Shropshire Council, so we remain somewhat in the dark on the details. But the rerouting of the footpath and its alignment suggests that the development is to go ahead pretty much as planned.
In April, Warwickshire Archaeology dug ten trial trenches above the enclosure discovered during the 2014 geophysical survey. This revealed that the enclosure ditch contained Iron Age pottery. The Iron Age enclosure is not included in the development area and will be preserved in-situ. A watching brief is planned on the rest of the site once development commences (17/02749/DIS).