Why we need to treasure public footpaths

Short cuts are things we just use. We rarely, if ever, think about them. Do they belong to anyone? How long have they been there? Can they be closed? Lenton is full of short cuts and cut-throughs, as this collection of photographs shows.

Perhaps I am more aware of them because Susan and I have an established right-of-way across the land that we own in front of our house.

Recently I have written an article on a national project called Discovering Lost Ways, which has been abandoned. At first it seemed like a shame but, on reflection, I came to the conclusion that local walkers and communities have to be the guardians of their own short cuts and public rights-of-way.

Little did I realise that a Lenton right-of-way is about to become a hot issue, some nine years after The Park Estate fired the first shots in a campaign to close off the long established right-of-way between Lenton and Nottingham City Centre.

News of this has prompted me to compose this page and I will be returning to the topic in more detail over the next few months.

Devonshire Promenade, linking Derby Road and Lenton Boulevard.

Old Leenside, linking Grove Road, Hoyland Avenue and Gregory Street.

The Park Estate gate at the junction of Lenton and Park roads, installed to block an established right-of-way.

Footpath between Lois Avenue and Lenton Boulevard.

Footpath between Old Church Street and Church Street.

Footpath between Park Street and Allington Avenue.

Footpath between Sandpiper Way and Johnson Road.

Link between Park Street and Welby Avenue.

Footpath between Willow Road and Nottingham canal.

Castle Bridge Road to Alderney Street beside Nottingham Canal..

Gregory Street to Swenson Avenue footpath.

Gregory Street to Forsythia Gardens cut-through.

Lenton Lodge, Derby Road – Charnock Avenue footpath along line of the old Nottingham Canal.

Harlaxton Drive – Pelham Crescent. Gated at the Park Estate end. Notice the Bulwell stone wall on both sides.

John Lee

Public Rights of Way Officer

Traffic Management

Nottingham City Council

Lawrence House

Talbot Street

Nottingham NG1 5NT

Dear Mr Lee

The City of Nottingham (Park Road, Lenton Footpath No.344) Modification Order 2009, dated 27 January 2009.

I have been using the footpath along Lenton Road, through The Park Estate, which links Lenton, via Park Road with Friar Lane in the city centre, regularly since 19xx. It provides a quieter, safer, more direct and traffic-free pedestrian route, which is much more preferable to walking along the noisy and polluted alternatives of Derby Road or Castle Boulevard.  It also avoids the steep climb to Canning Circus, which exists in both directions. At a time when everyone is being urged to adopt 'green' transport alternatives. It is difficult to believe that any reasonable person can have any objections to the Order being confirmed.

I hope that an email in the form of a letter is an acceptable means of recording my support for the order. Please tell me if you need a proper, signed, letter.

Yours sincerely

Your name

Your address / contact details.

To show your support for the City Council’s proposed Footpath Modification Order No.344 (from Nottingham Castle to Lenton via Lenton Road and Park Road), please send a letter to John Lee, Public Rights of Way Officer. You can use my draft or adapt it. Email:

John.Lee@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Draft letter:

Lace Street, Dunkirk, to Highfields Science Park alongside Tottlebrook.

Bird Cage Walk beside the River Leen from Lenton Lane to Queens Drive.

Link from rear of Multiplex cinemas on Ring Road to canal, Chain Bridge and Dunkirk.

Church Street to Mettham Street in New Lenton.

Ingham Grove to Rathmine Close in Lenton Gardens.

Rathmine Close to Arnesby Road in Lenton Gardens.

Known Lenton footpaths:

Registered footpath (no.)

1. Hoyland Avenue–Gregory Street, Lenton (FP No.137)
   

2. Birdcage Walk, Dunkirk (Lenton?) (No.141)
   

3. Cavendish Street, Dunkirk  (No.151)
   

4. Gregory Street, Dunkirk (to Grove Road, Lenton?) (No.167)
   

5. Rathmines Cl–Ingham Grove / Arnesby Rd (two sections) (Nos.241/242)
   

6. Swenson Ave–Gregory Street, Old Lenton (No.243)
   

7. Park Rd–Lenton Rd, between Lenton and Castle (proposed) (No.344)
   

8. Birdcage Walk, Lenton (three sections) (Nos.349–351)
   

9. Park Street, Lenton (to Welby Avenue)?  (No.368)
   

10. Willoughby Court, Lenton  (No.369)
    

Unregistered footpath. Needs to be registered?

1. Devonshire Promenade, Lenton
   

2. Lois Ave–Lenton Boulevard, Lenton
   

3. Allington Ave–Park Street, Lenton
   

4. Harlaxton Ave–Pelham Crescent, between Lenton and The Park
   

5. Johnson Rd–Sandpiper Way, Lenton (in Radford and Park ward)
   

6. Hillside–Leengate, Lenton
   

7. Abbey Street–Leengate beside River Leen
   

8. Leengate–Clifton Boulevard
   

9. Chain Bridge–Redfield Way, Dunkirk
   

10. University Blvd–Montpelier Street beside Tottlebrook
    

11. Alderney St/Cecil St–Castle Bridge Road, north side of Nottingham Canal
    

12. Willoughby Ave–Lombard Close, Lenton
    

13. Derby Road–Charnock Ave, Lenton (in Lenton Abbey & Wollaton E ward)
    

14. Church Street–Old Church Street, Lenton
    

15. Willoughby Street–Derby Road across Church Street, Lenton
    

16. Church Street–Mettham Street, Lenton
    

17. Lenton Road–Castle Boulevard (in Radford and Park ward)
    

18. Old Church Street–Priory Street, Old Lenton
    

19. Willow Road–Nottingham Canal beside River Leen
    

20. Church Sq–Maxwell Close–Park Road / Willoughby Street (two sections)
    

21. Nottingham and Beeston canals – towpath status?

The Lenton Footpath & Amenities Register aims to record and promote the protection and development of all that is good about Lenton and surrounding areas, including the registration of all footpaths and open spaces not currently listed by Nottingham City Council. We have already identified over twenty footpaths which need to be listed.

This means collecting evidence about historic usage and recording the exact location of paths so that the City Council can then issue Footpath Orders.  This is the first project of its kind in Nottingham and has the active support of the Ramblers' Association and Nottingham City Council's Public Rights of Way Officer.

To support the Lenton Register:

Contact: Robert Howard, 3 Devonshire Promenade, Lenton NG7 2DS, tel: 0115 9700369

email: robert@parkviews.org; www.parkviews.org.

Click on the map above to see a map from c1834 showing historic right-of-way through The Park, plus some 2009 roads overlayed a copy map.