The path is the only formal entrance to the North End Play Area from the Amberley Close side. Residents and other play area users who needed to access it via prams, mobility scooters, scooters, etc., had problems managing the rough surface of the path that had not been tarmacked. This path had deteriorated significantly over the past few years. During and after periods of rain, it became a series of puddles, leading users to avoid it and use the grass instead. For some, this entrance to our facility was not accessible at all.
This path experienced high usage in the mornings and afternoons during term times, as parents and guardians took their children to Fynamore School.
Now that the work on the path is complete, I would like to share some background information on why this project took a while to reach its conclusion.
I first began working on this project about a year ago when I submitted a Highways Improvement Request. It was at this point that I discovered that from a Highways perspective, Wiltshire Council would not be taking this footpath into Highway Maintainable at Public Expense – even though this path is owned by Wiltshire Council. This was quite a surprise, as Google Maps showed the path in 2016 with the gravel in reasonable condition (at this point, I still don’t know who financed or installed this path).
I began working with Cllr MacNaughton on this issue, raising it with Streetscene Engineer Andrea Begent. Andrea put in a lot of work to see how this issue could be progressed, but unfortunately, Wiltshire Council would not accept this path as a highway and therefore would not release any funding for its improvement. Unfortunately, Streetscene was not able to fund this project either, as it was beyond the level of funding they could access, and no money was available from Facilities Management at Wiltshire Council.
During this period, I kept Calne Town Council Officers updated regarding this ongoing issue. I am grateful that our Director of Council Services took an interest and put it on the Amenities and Facilities Committee agenda for December 2024, with an options report from our Amenities, Conservation & Sustainability Manager. During that discussion, as a committee, we unanimously resolved to delegate this project to our Amenities, Conservation & Sustainability Manager, who wished to request Wiltshire Council to use any overspill from works at High Street for this project. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and funds were immediately released for this project from the Housing Income community benefit budget line.
It is wonderful to see this path completed. 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝, particularly my fellow Calne Town Councillors who agreed to release the funds for this path knowing that while it is Wiltshire Council land, it is our residents in Calne who will benefit from this more accessible path, which is a vital link to our play area at North End.
