Flintshire Council confirms 12 week River Dee cycle footpath closure

Flintshire County Council has confirmed a popular section of cycle and pedestrian pathway, that runs alongside the River Dee, will be closed for 12 weeks.

Locals were left surprised and angry on Tuesday when the path, between Hawarden Bridge and the Jubilee (blue) Bridge in Queensferry, part of National Cycle Network Route 568, was blocked off by six-foot-high barriers without any prior warning.

The closure was announced via a sign citing the ‘Notice of Extension of Temporary Prohibition of Pedestrian Order Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984’.

It stated that Flintshire County Council ordered the temporary closure on 5 December 2022, for a period of six months. However, the Welsh Government has since approved an extension until 4 December 2023, or until works are completed.

The closure is due to civil engineering works by D Morgan Plc, which include the installation of a new outfall pipe into the River Dee.

No alternative route has been suggested or provided for the public, leading to frustration.

The route is used by families, experienced cyclists, and people commuting through the Deeside Industrial Park for work.

This unexpected closure, without notice or an alternative route, has caused significant inconvenience for regular users.

Paul Morris shared a photograph of the closure on Tuesday. He voiced his frustration on Twitter, expressing disbelief over the decision to close the path during summer.

Paul said: “Just been down the river in Shotton to see they’ve completely shut the cycle path along the river from the railway to the blue bridge!!! Where’s the notice and for 6 months through the summer, it’s an absolute joke!!”

He added: “The works aren’t till halfway up, so it should still be open for people to walk past the Clocktower at least. To lock the whole thing off is madness..”

Initially scheduled to begin at the start of the year, the project has encountered unexpected delays.

Typically, information on any diversion routes would be provided by the applicant when a path closure is implemented. However, the council confirmed that it has not received such information in this instance.

To mitigate this issue, Flintshire Council said it will be installing signposts indicating how the public can circumnavigate the disrupted route.

A council spokesperson said: “Flintshire County Council is aware of the regrettable inconvenience caused by essential civil engineering works for a new outfall pipe into the River Dee and the need to close the Public Right of Way and cycle path.”

“Works were planned to start at the start of the year however, the contractor has experienced unfortunate delays. The notice of closure was advertised in the local press on 19th May.”

“The applicant, in closing the path, would normally provide information on any diversion but this has not been received by Flintshire County Council.”

“The Council’s Access Team will be putting up some information on how the public can bypass this route. The works are expected to take up to 12 weeks to complete.”