Residents welcome improved access at Canley woods but 'more needs to be done'

[dutchman]

Paths at two popular woodlands have been blocked, overgrown, unsafe and difficult to use - and are still not fully accessible, campaigners argue



Residents have welcomed city council moves to improve access at popular woodlands in Canley that had become blocked, overgrown, unsafe and difficult to use. But they say more work still needs to be done.

A petition handed to Coventry City Council asked for an inspection of the paths in Ten Shillings Wood and Park Wood to clear any obstructions including fallen trees and overgrown bushes, restore routes to a safe and usable condition and put in place a clear maintenance plan to keep them accessible for residents.

Ten Shillings Wood spans 12 acres while Park Wood covers a much larger area of 48 acres. The ancient woodlands have survived unchanged for at least the last 200 years and are both local nature reserves.

Local campaigner Alexander Clinton-Carter, who started the petition to get access fully restored at the ancient woodlands, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he has now spotted that some work had been done by the city council to open up the pathways.

He said: "It's really positive to see that the trees have now been cleared because obviously that's what we've been asking for and it shows that local voices can achieve something.

"But I first reported this around six months ago. So it is frustrating that it's taken this long just to get partial action, especially when the woodland was described to me as regularly maintained and passable for pedestrians."

He added: "There's still more to do yet with the broken bridges and other areas of neglect. But the focus needs to be now on restoring these paths to full accessibility and not just making them passable. The council might say that it's regularly maintained but this is clearly not the case."

Mr Clinton-Carter said one path had been blocked by three large fallen trees. These have now been moved but other problems remain.

He said: "Ultimately it's about accessibility, and right now that standard isn't being met. The council admitted to being aware of overgrown vegetation but also said that they find that the paths are mostly passable.

"We're questioning accessibility, which was originally done in 1995 and then extended in 2002, with a main path through the woods and bridges over brooks. It means people with accessibility issues like wheelchairs and pushchairs are supposed to be able to easily access and move through these woods. For the council to reply saying it's passable for pedestrians was really missing the point.

"If someone in a wheelchair or pushchair can't use the route, then it's not truly accessible. And that response actually highlights that these routes haven't been maintained to the standard that they were originally intended for."