Plans to Tarmac Woodland route scrapped following backlash

Richard Youle, local democracy reporter

Plans to Tarmac a picturesque woodland route have been shelved by council chiefs following a backlash.

Labour-led Swansea council was due to start work upgrading the bridleway in Clyne Valley Country Park, Killay, but has now decided to scale back the scheme and use a more sympathetic type of surfacing.

Council leader Rob Stewart made the announcement at a cabinet meeting on January 9 and thanked everyone who had given feedback.

The 750m section of bridleway, known by many as Old Carriage Drive, links Clyne Valley Road with existing routes to the west. Like many paths it’s uneven and has poor drainage in places and the plan had been to use Welsh Government Active Travel money to make it more accessible for cyclists and people with pushchairs and wheelchairs.

It would have comprised a Tarmac surface, strengthened culverts, plus 1.5m-wide verges for horse riders running along the majority of it.

The Tarmac aspect proved unpopular with people who believed it wasn’t needed and would ruin the bridleway’s historic feel and setting. A cycle campaign group, Wheelrights, said the Active Travel money would be better spent providing safe, segregated routes in urban areas which had little or no provision.

Speaking at the cabinet meeting Cllr Stewart said the council had upgraded many paths and would continue to do so. He said there were areas that warranted “special considerations” and that following the consultation a different approach would be taken with the Clyne bridleway so that “it does not lose the special nature it enjoys”. He said it was important to balance this with the needs of people who could not currently access paths.

The amended scheme is to be funded from a pot of money aimed at improving coastal paths and bridleways rather than the Active Travel fund, which comes with various specifications.

Cllr Louise Gibbard, speaking as a Dunvant and Killay ward member rather than as a cabinet member, thanked everyone who’d been in touch “constructively and positively” and welcomed the revised works which, she said, would improve the path but in a more sympathetic way.

Cllrs Mary Jones and Jeff Jones, who also represent Dunvant and Killay, had arranged a public meeting about the divisive scheme and urged the council to have a rethink.

‘Begged’

They told the Local Democracy Reporting Service they’d “begged” senior council representatives in an email on January 7 to halt any work and hadn’t heard back until after the cabinet meeting. They said they weren’t happy to find out about the change of plan via the leader’s announcement, but were pleased the decision had been made.

A group called Save the Old Carriage Drive which campaigned against the Tarmac upgrade also welcomed the rethink. In a Facebook post it thanked Labour chiefs for “having the courage and grace to change plans based on public feedback” but also requested a further consultation once revised plans were available.

The council posted a message itself on Facebook following the cabinet meeting proposing “a range of improvements”. The post said: “The carriageway could be restored to its original condition with a fresh surface dressing and enhanced drainage, in keeping with the route’s unique character and harmony with the (Clyne Valley) Country Park.

“These works would also include clearing out adjacent drainage ditches and improving connections to adjoining routes, making the bridleway more enjoyable and accessible for walkers, cyclists, and horse riders alike.”

A small number of routes in Clyne Valley Country Park have a Tarmac surface with one in particular, from Blackpill to Gowerton, well used by cyclists.