Footpath problem raised one year ago

Editorial Department • Published 27 Aug 2009 09:00 0 Comments

Share this

Dear Sir, - In last week's Impartial Reporter I read of the plight faced by residents in the Cloughcor Crescent area of Lisbellaw due to the desperate state of the footpath at the front of their dwellings. As a Councillor for the area, I am only too aware of this issue. It is now almost a year since I first highlighted this matter to Roads Service.

While I now welcome the interest of other elected representatives, It would appear that even with their added support we are no closer to getting Roads Service to act. Following my initial letter to Roads Service, and subsequent correspondence over a period of months, I was assured that work would be undertaken when money was made available. The exact same assurance has been given to my fellow Councillors a year after I first raised the matter. I also note that resurfacing of this footpath is not scheduled in the Roads Service 2009-2010 programme of works, but I welcome the fact that Cloughcor Road is in the programme for surface dressing.

It is unacceptable that Roads Service continue to delay while residents, particularly those who are elderly, have to negotiate these dangerous footpaths. I along with my party colleague, Arlene Foster MLA, will continue to work towards resolving this problem. We have written a joint letter to the Roads Minister, asking for urgent reconsideration of this area for inclusion into the upcoming programme of works. This matter will also be raised in the Northern Ireland Assembly following the summer recess.

The residents of Cloughcor area can be assured of my continuing work on this matter. Roads Service has a duty to ensure that road surfaces are safe to use. It is time that duty was carried out in the Cloughcor area of Lisbellaw.

Yours faithfully,

Cllr. Cyril Brownlee

This letter appeared in Impartial Reporter 27 Aug 09

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our Opinion archives.