I’ve been contacted recently by residents expressing their concerns about the condition of the Black Path so I took a walk along its length earlier this morning to see for myself the extent of the problems created by vegetation growing into and over the pathway from the sides and from above.
Although the path is accessible from one end to the other the grass and other vegetation is very long, deep and overgrown in most parts and certainly needs cutting back - particularly those on the Blackhall Colliery side.
I noticed this morning that some of the longer grass had been flattened and left lying across the pavement in four or five specific locations - which appeared curious given that the equally long grass in other parts in between remained upright and untouched. It would appear that either children have been playing in the grass, or animals have flattened it, and left it obstructing the pathway. Either way I’ve pushed that back into the side to make it passable again and also prevent any trip hazard in the short-term at least.
I also noticed this morning that there are fencing repairs needed at a couple of locations so I’ve asked that the relevant sections at DCC and other organisations carry out repairs as soon as possible.
When I raised these matters recently with the council’s public rights of way (PROW) officer I was advised that there were different areas of responsibility for cutting back the overgrowth from the path and from overhanging trees and bushes in specific locations. I was also told that relevant agencies are to be approached with a request that they address the issues above where applicable. For its part the council has confirmed that contractors will be contacted today with a request that its specific maintenance responsibilities will be met - hopefully within the next week.
I’ll continue to monitor developments with this issue and update on progress as often as necessary.
