Row continues over Marton Mere footpath closure

Gordon Marsden meets locals who want a path at Marton mere reopened on a full-time basis. The path was closed in November last year by the Marton Mere Holiday Park due to renovations and has since been reopened on a restricted basis.

Mr Marsden backed the campaigners’ proposals for a public footpath to Marton Mere Nature Reserve to be protected and turned into a public right of way.

The footpath runs through Marton Mere Holiday Village and was closed by park managers in November last year while the caravan site was extended. It has since been reopened on a restricted basis.

Mr Marsden said: “The residents were promised they would have full access to the footpath again when work on the caravan site was completed. After pressure from residents, the holiday village are now allowing access in daylight hours. However this still doesn’t go far enough to honouring that promise, but will also be no good in the winter months for residents, who might want to walk their dogs before and after work.

“Many of the people I met have been regular users of it for a very long time, so I can understand their anger at the situation. The nature reserve at Marton Mere is a key part of the council’s overall health and wellbeing strategy and making the area more accessible is a key part of that. Nothing should jeopardise that and turning the footpath into a public right of way would go a long way to meeting that commitment.

“I fully support the residents’ concerns, as does their local councillor, and the application to have the footpath formally designated as a right of way within in the parameters of the caravan park development.”

But Keith Robson, general manager at Marton Mere Holiday Village, said: “Sadly, over the last year this path has been used on multiple occasions by groups looking to access caravans or cause anti-social behaviour. Visitors to Blackpool, who are the mainstay of our local economy, have had their family accommodation broken into as a result of this path being open around the clock.

Despite increased security and CCTV coverage, it is unacceptable that any guest should have to experience this.

“Since the building works in winter - and the reduced access times onto this path - we have not had a single break-in or similar incident.”

He added that an alternative path of a similar length had been provided around the site.

He said: “We would be delighted to meet with Mr Marsden in the coming weeks and discuss this matter with him.”