Dozens of Flintshire rights of way paths face temporary closure for pipeline work
The Hynet pipeline project has applied to temporarily stop or reroute 31 public rights of way (PRoWs) across Flintshire and Cheshire.
One of those – footpath 414/39A that runs along the old mine track at Alltami Brook past Northop Hall Country House Hotel – may be stopped permanently.
Hynet is a major infrastructure project that will see a pipeline run from Cheshire’s industrial heartland up through Flintshire and Point of Ayr gas terminal before heading out into the Irish Sea.
It will collect, carbon captured from industrial sites in Runcorn, Ellesmere Port and Flintshire and deposit it in spent gas wells beneath the Irish Sea where it will remain locked away rather than being released into the atmosphere.
In total Liverpool Bay CCS – the company behind Hynet – and United Living Infrastructure Services have proposed 24 footpaths across Flintshire be temporarily closed or diverted.
They include the entire chain of footpaths 404/39 along Afon Nant-y-Fflint, the footpath connecting Allt Goch Lane to Leadbrook Drive in Flint running past both Little Leadbrook Farm and Leadbrook Hall Farm and another further up towards Flint Mountain running past Bryn Mawr.
Other closures or redirects include footpath 414/1 which crosses Northop Brook and also connects with Allt Goch Lane, the chain of footpaths identified as 303 – which run from Green Lane in Ewloe through Aston Hill to Hawarden, and path 302/26 that runs along the disused railway line in Hawarden off Wood Lane.
In Cheshire there are plans to temporarily close and divert public rights of way including footpath four, which connects the Gypsy Way in Mollington with Townfield Lane, footpaths one and six around Wervin and footpaths three and five at Elton, that connect Chester Services with Thornton-le-Moors.
According to the documents submitted to Flintshire County Council’s planning department: “It is understood that FCC (Flintshire County Council and CWCC (Cheshire West and Chester Council) were consulted on the approach to diversions and closures of PRoWs and have confirmed their agreement in principle for diversions.”
None of the pathway diversions or closures – apart from the one in Northop – would be in place longer than six months. Where diversions are carried out, footpaths will retain the same level of access as the current pathways – so if a path is fully accessible for wheelchair users for example, the diversion will be too.
The application documents go on to state: “The width of the proposed diversions will be of a suitable width to enable the same classes of use.
“The diversion route would remain in place until such time as the original route is reinstated to the reasonable satisfaction of the relevant local authority. Reinstatement of the PRoW will occur as soon as practicable once the construction works on each section have been concluded.”
By Alec Doyle – Local Democracy Reporter
Check live fuel prices near you before you set off.
Spotted something? Got a story? Email news (@) deeside.com
NEW: Add Deeside.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Latest News
