News
No Path to Bosworth (01-01-12)The PC has been lobbying for a path between Carlton and Market Bosworth along the side of the road for many years, and the idea was strongly supported by the Carlton Parish Appraisal, published in 2002. The problem has always been the cost, when set against the projected level of use and the absence of any serious traffic accidents. The County Council maintains a list of new road schemes, but only builds 5-10 each year. This project was ranked at around 200 in the list, so stood little chance of being built without outside funding.
There was once a track in the highway verge along the east side of the road, but this fell into disuse after the war and was not maintained. The initial approach was to request that this path be reinstated, but this did not work because the path had been lost for such a long time. The next line of attack was to ask for a new footway to be built, but the adopted standards for construction would have required a tarmac path with concrete kerbs and edgings. Not only would this have been prohibitively expensive at around £130k, but would have looked totally out of place along this country lane.
The PC's next tack was to get the route recognised as part of the local Cycling Network Plan, and a potential walking to school route in the Local Transport Plan. Parents will know that High School pupils living in Carlton and Barton in the Beans are deemed to be within walking distance of the school, and are therefore not entitled to free places on the school buses. In practice, the buses are usually full, so there are no spare places available for payment, and most local children are driven to school. Consultants acting for the County Council investigated safety concerns, and we have it in writing that it is safe for 11-year old children from Barton in the Beans to walk to the High School along Barton Road.
In late 2002 the Countryside Commission had a grant scheme for building rural cycleways, so we formed a partnership with Market Bosworth PC and the County Council to lobby for funding. This was not successful, but led to the idea that a very basic stoned track might be built in the verge by volunteers with materials costing about £10k and funded partly by grants. This was a very attractive idea, and for the first time the project began to look feasible. The immediate problem was that the very simple method of construction proposed did not meet current standards, and the Highway Authority would therefore not allow the path to be built on highway land and would not agree to maintain it.
By 2003, discussions were taking place about the Local Development Framework (LDF), and it soon became clear that improved access to services and green infrastructure would be a major issue for the rural parts of the Borough. With Market Bosworth designated a Key Rural Centre, and Carlton a Rural Hamlet, the policy framework had shifted in our favour. Paths are also needed from Market Bosworth to Cadeby and to the Water Park, and to begin with the three PCs began working together on a links project. However, each of the three path proposals was different, and eligible for different funds, so it was agreed that the projects would be developed independently. After much lobbying and many meetings, it was finally agreed that a new specification would be prepared for rural footways, and that the Carlton-Bosworth Path Project would be built and evaluated as a pilot scheme. Market Bosworth PC was awarded a grant of £1k for site investigations, and the County Council agreed to produce specifications, designs and costings as its contribution to the project.
A site survey and other investigations were carried out in 2009 - there are services, including an optical cable, in the verges - but the path could be built with only minor changes to electric poles. The Dixie Grammar School was supportive and prepared to consider allowing the existing school path to be adopted. The project was offered a grant of £6k by the Bosworth Community Forum, the scheme appeared eligible for further grants of £20k, and Carlton PC agreed to contribute £14k, so detailed design work was begun.
The final design was agreed in January 2010, and from the Carlton end comprised six sections, in order -
1) tarmac footway along existing kerbs to Park View Farm on W side of Bosworth Road;
2) rural footway on W side of road to drive to Bosworth Mill;
3) tarmac footway to south of first bridge, including signed road crossing;
4) rural footway on E side of road, then footpath in roadside spinney to drive to Dixie Grammar School playing fields;
5) use of existing Dixie School path, with this section upgraded to rural footway;
6) tarmac link to existing tarmac footway at drive to Far Lea, Barton Rd, Market Bosworth.
The rural footway would be 1.2m wide and consist of 100mm of recycled and graded roadstone, topped with rolled Breedon gravel and edged with 100mm boards. The tarmac footway would be 1.1-1.2m wide like the existing pavements.
The total cost of these works was estimated to be £57,022.73, of which £3,419.75 was design costs already incurred by the County Council. There were ways of reducing this cost to around £45k, but other problems became apparent.
The first was a legal problem in that Carlton PC has powers to build footpaths but not footways, and that although the necessary function could be devolved by the County Council it was not clear whether this could include the power to incur expenditure. It is not generally appreciated that the powers of Parish Councils are strictly limited, and that Parish Councillors can be held personally liable for unauthorised spending, so this was a serious matter.
The second problem was that potential sources of funding had been investigated, and the maximum grant available to both PCs from all sources would be only £16k. Looking at the state of the verges following hedge cutting, muck carting, horse riding and meetings of the hunt, it was also pretty obvious that maintenance was going to be much more difficult and expensive than envisaged. Market Bosworth PC had declined to contribute to this expense, so the liability would fall on Carlton PC for ten years.
The Dixie Grammar School supported the project, but was understandably concerned about public liability and increased maintenance if the existing private path was going to be used as a link. The County Council was not prepared to adopt this path, so these costs would also have fallen to Carlton PC. In view of the high cost of construction, the limited financial support available, and the other uncertainties, Carlton PC decided not to proceed any further with this project.
As far as planning policies are concerned, this link is still a priority scheme in various local plan documents, and creating improved access to services is a key element of the Core Strategy of the LDF. Hope is not dead, but it is hard to see how the aspirations of the LDF can be realised without substantial external funding. In terms of Carlton parishioners wishing to walk safely to Market Bosworth, it might be possible - and would certainly be much cheaper - to work with local landowners to improve the public footpaths across the fields.
In this short piece I have tried to explain how the project evolved and how different options were explored. More details can be found in the minutes of the PC since 2002, and I am happy to discuss the latest project design with anyone interested. Working closely with the Highway Engineers has been eye-opening, and has certainly made me appreciate the work that goes into looking after the County's roads. I would like to thank the local landowners who offered to help in various ways, the County Council, Dixie Grammar School, and Market Bosworth PC for working in partnership, and lastly County Councillor Ivan Ould for his unstinting support and sound advice.
Chris Peat Parish Clerk