Campaigners win battle to re-open Wirral riverside walkway (From Wirral Globe)
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Campaigners win battle to re-open Wirral riverside walkway
1:41pm Thursday 6th September 2012 in News
A cyclist on the riverside footpath this afternoon
CAMPAIGNERS have won a 12-year battle to re-open a historic Wirral riverside walkway.
The route linking the Woodside and Seacombe Ferry terminals has been officially added to the definitive map of Wirral and will re-open on September 21.
It follows negotiations between the Wirral Ramblers and Wirral Footpaths and Open Spaces Preservation Society with Port Authority and Wirral Council.
The campaign was founded by Wirral resident Graham Handley in 2000, when he discovered - on taking his six-year-old niece Rachel Handley to see the QE2 sail into the River Mersey - that the waterfront at Twelve Quays had been closed to the public.
This not only blocked off wonderful views of the river, but also the best view of the world famous vista, the ‘Three Graces’ – the three buildings that form the centrepiece of Liverpool’s World Heritage Site.
Campaigners fought to get the historic section of embankment re-opened and the campaign was soon supported by more than 40 local and national organisations.
This included the Ramblers, who Graham Handley approached for help in getting the route shown on the Definitive Map, having discovered strong evidence that the walkway should remain open to the public.
An initial joint application by the Wirral Ramblers and the Wirral Footpaths and Open Spaces Society to the Council for the route to be recognised as a public right of way was rejected, but they made an appeal to the Secretary of State and the council was directed to open up the path.
In 2005 the joint applicants worked with the council and Peel Holdings, the new owners of Port Authority, and came to an agreement to avoid the cost and delay of a public inquiry.
Mr Handley said: "The successful outcome shows what can be achieved when people and organisations come together as a community and find a way to work together."
Performing the opening ceremony on September 21 will be Wirral mayor, Cllr Gerry Ellis.
He said: “We are happy to see the successful resolution of this to the satisfaction of all concerned.
“I am looking forward to officially opening the official walkway and seeing for myself its fine views across the Mersey.”
Comments(14)
Jack Boot
says...
6:10pm Thu 6 Sep 12
To have this addition to the already wonderful coastal path is great news, well done to those activists.
Wirral is a wonderful place, you have to leave it to appreciate that.
antisthenes
says...
6:34pm Thu 6 Sep 12
Like JackBoot I have often run the gauntlet of traffic across the Four Bridges on my bike and its great to now be able to cycle safely along this spectacular off road path.
steady cyclist
says...
10:03pm Thu 6 Sep 12
Strange.
Also how is one going to cross from the tank farm to the stenna ferry terminal and onto the woodsuide dock or old lairiges, there is a dock full of water in between and a lot of lorries and some really poor driving motorists to negotiate.
red401
says...
5:39am Fri 7 Sep 12
Us cyclists will still have to run the gauntlet of the bridges, the route the article is talking about is the path at the side of Alfred Dock which been there for years and cycled plenty of times. Its just that it has never been recognised on the Definitive map. So its not really new news for me.
The photo on the article is showing the route and I am sure we will all know where it is. Just a pity most of the time it has glass covering the cycle path :-(
Jack Boot
says...
8:18am Fri 7 Sep 12
Why battle for 12 years to re-open a historic riverside walkway if its already open?
johnbrace
says...
9:57am Fri 7 Sep 12
However legislation was brought in I think under the last Labour government years ago that stopped people wandering round dock areas (which I presume is what's being referred to). I presume at this point, whatever right of way had been previously there was blocked off. The whole docks area was prevoiusly owned by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, but now owned by Peel, who have commercial interests in restricting access to that area. Certainly Wirral Council and Peel seem to prefer to come to amicable solutions, see Hoylake lifeboat station and this story as an example of that.
Leigh Marles
says...
11:37am Fri 7 Sep 12
I can categorically assure you journalists do not sit around making up hopeless names for local landmarks; we're far too busy conspiring with shadowy figures from the town hall for that.
Ben Beaconsfield
says...
11:48am Fri 7 Sep 12
Leigh Marles wrote:Well Leigh, you haven't disappointed me, though your response was not exactly immediate !!
Dear Ben
I can categorically assure you journalists do not sit around making up hopeless names for local landmarks; we're far too busy conspiring with shadowy figures from the town hall for that.
Our discussion was a genuine one, and we came to the conclusion that journalists made up these names because closing time was nearer than any conclusion we could reach on the subject.
So if anybody out there knows why we have the Three Graces, the Dome from Home or the Black Finger, please let us know, as Leigh is sticking to the time-honoured tradition of journalists not revealing their sources ;-)
Great website, by the way, and much worthy of its North-West Media Website of the Year Award. Will this get me a regular job as a columnist???
sancam39
says...
8:38pm Fri 7 Sep 12
I was told that when the ancient mariners saw the famous Liverpool Warterfront,they were heard to say "Three Hail Marys" this eventually became the three graces.
Thats about as good an answer as any.
No Idea about the rest, not sure if the Black Finger should be that colour, maybe it needs cleaning.
Ben Beaconsfield
says...
7:55am Sat 8 Sep 12
If the Black Finger is in need of cleaning, that suggests its nickname is of fairly modern vintage. I've only ever seen it used in the local press (sorry, Leigh) and I've lived here for 60 years.
That leaves the Dome of Home. I can understand the romantic connotation, but can't believe that hardened sailors would have used that expression. Again, I've only ever read it in the press, and have never heard it used verbally.
sancam39
says...
1:36pm Sat 8 Sep 12
As for arriving or leaving Liverpool being the greatest hardship, the words of the song "Maggie May" come to mind
Those well used Sea Shanty songs contain many truths.
The other song is "its not the leaving of Liverpool that grieves me, but my darlin when I think of thee, perhaps depends if the chap actually met "Maggie May" or not.
Cheers
David Scott
says...
5:05pm Mon 10 Sep 12
fenix uk
says...
9:54am Wed 12 Sep 12
And it must have been open when the photo was taken ?
Ben Beaconsfield says...
5:43pm Thu 6 Sep 12
A group of us recently had a long discussion on the subject of nicknames for local buildings (and before anybody suggests that I should get out more, I might just add that I was 'out' when the discussion took place). As well as 'The Three Graces', we talked about 'The Dome of Home' (aka Ss Peter and Paul in New Brighton) and 'The Black Finger' (aka the pumping station at the Four Bridges).
Our conclusion: these were not real nicknames, but were simply made up by - wait for it - JOURNALISTS !!