In early March, a brick wall was built at the top of Glenacres (off Acrefield Road) preventing people from walking through to Woolton Park. This means long detours for people living in Glenacres, Hollytree Road, etc., who want to visit Reynolds Park on foot, and similar detours for people in the Woolton Park area who want to reach the bus stops in Acrefield Road. For many years we have campaigned for the protection of local public rights of way, and this path was on a list of 21 that we submitted to the City Council in 2002. Unfortunately, it seems that our list was lost, because the highways and planning officers' advice to the owners of Byron Court - the private block of apartments adjacent to Glenacres - was that they did not need permission to block off the access.

We have pointed out that, under the Highways Act 1980, a Public Right of Way exists if people have been able to walk along a route for 20 or more years - which they have in this case - without hindrance. Also, when planning permission was given to build Byron Court (on the site of the Council-owned Acrefield Bank care home) in 1999, it was subject to a condition that "Prior to the commencement of development, full details of the means and method of closure (to vehicular traffic) of the access between Woolton Park and Acrefield Road … shall be submitted to and approved by the local planning authority. For the avoidance of all doubt, the agreed method of closure shall be designed to safely and conveniently accommodate pedestrian and cycle access".

If you have used the path in question for any or all of the past 20 years, and would like to support our claim, then please get in touch with our Environment Secretary Mike Chitty (email). Copies of 'Form E' - the Evidence Claim Form that has to be completed - can be downloaded using this link (see below for further guidance).