PROW NEWS – NOVEMBER UPDATES
- Coldblow Railway Crossing, Walmer – temporary (we hope) closure
Considerable publicity in the media has been given to the very recent closure, on safety grounds, of the vehicle and foot crossing at Coldblow, half a mile south of Walmer station at GR 361 498. What was initially unilateral action by Network Rail has now been confirmed, so walkers heading from Walmer towards Ripple are advised to go via bridleway EE442 and footpath EE438, which crosses the railway approximately one third of a mile south of Coldblow. This will not add very significantly to the journey to Ripple, but we hope that a choice of routes will soon be available again, as audible warning sounders are scheduled for installation in early 2027.
- Kingsdown footpath ER10 at Oldstairs Bay – changes proposed
Footpath ER10 lies beyond the point at which the Coast Path climbs the steps towards the Golf Club – but at beach level, through the kissing gate at GR 380 478. It currently runs southwards under the cliffs for over a mile. However, the southern half, beyond the drop in the sea wall, after which the path ran along the beach itself, has been “temporarily” closed for some years now. The proposals are:
(a) to upgrade the open section of the current footpath to a byway open to all traffic (b) to create a new footpath, along the seaward side of the fencing just to the east of ER10, to run parallel with it as far south as the point of closure, some 675 yards. Part of this is already used, accessed via a gate half way along ER10.
- Hougham parish – confirmed: upgradings to restricted byway status and another creation
- ER217: Upgrading from bridleway to restricted byway.
- This track runs from the lane (Eight Acres) just north of West Hougham village at GR 266 405, north-eastwards for two-thirds of a mile to GR 275 410 – the junction with new restricted byway ER218B and bridleway ER219.
- ER218A: Upgrading from bridleway to restricted byway and renumbering as ER218B.
This runs from ER217 atGR 275 410 as mentioned above, north-westwards for some 700 yards down to the eastern edge of Poulton Farm at GR 270 412.
- ER218B. Upgrading from footpath to restricted byway.
- This section runs from the end ofER217 at GR 275 410, eastwards for under 200 yards to GR 276 410 at “Soval Pond”. From this point eastwards, footpath ER192 heads across Whinless Down, whilst bridleway ER218C drops down to Lowslip Road/Elms Hill.
- ER309. Creation of a new restricted byway by the banger racing track at Poulton Farm.
- This runs from the newly renumbered ER218B east of Poulton Farm at GR 272 412, eastwards for 250 yards to GR 274 412, the start of the public road (Coombe Road) which leads to the Buckland Hospital area of Dover.
- Lyminge – creation of new footpath HE381 at Broad Street
An agreement between the landowners and KCC has created a new footpath off the main Elham Valley road south of Lyminge village. The new path leaves the road at GR 163 404, and runs south-eastwards for some 300 yards around the outer boundary of Broadstreet House. At this point it meets up with existing footpath HE59, which leads across the Etchinghill Golf Course in the direction of the Club House.
Development issues:
- Eastry – land to the west of Lower Street
At their October meeting, Dover DC Planning Committee approved outline planning permission for up to 100 new houses to the west of Lower Street, as you come into the village from the south (Dover planning ref. 25/00934). Given the level of local opposition concerning the potential effect on local infrastructure, some members expressed regret that they felt they could not oppose the proposal, since the site had already been earmarked for development in the 2024 Local Plan. It lies just to the south of the as yet unfinished housing on the old Eastry Hospital site.
There are no PROW actually on this site, but Footpath EE256 runs just beyond its northern boundary. New pedestrian connections to it are proposed, and KCC PROW is pressing for a Section 106 contribution to improve EE256 itself, although the nature of, and views from, that path would be irrevocably changed.
- Ash – new housing proposed for 96 houses on land to the west and north of Molland Lea
With new housing built in recent years on land to the west of Chequer Lane, just south of the bypass, this application (Dover DC ref. 26/00973) is perhaps not a surprise. It would fill in the undeveloped area between Molland Lea, the bypass, and bridleway EE464 in the west (the Molland Lane continuation).
Two public footpaths run through the site. EE112 runs along the site’s north-eastern corner, linking the A257 with Harfleet Gardens/Chequer Lane. And EE90A runs north-south across the central part of the site, from Molland Lea to the bypass. Plans show these paths being accommodated in “green corridors”
- Otterpool Park New Town – to cover some 2.6 square miles, essentially in Stanford, Sellindge and Lympne parishes
First announced in 2019, construction work on this vast project will soon start in a relatively small area between Stone Street and the A20, near Westenhanger. Some 300 new houses are planned here, to be finished by 2031. Two footpaths (HE281 and HE221A) will be affected, but all sections of them are planned to remain essentially on their current routes, running through “recreation corridors”.
- Eastry and Nonington parishes – proposed 300 acre Solar Farm and Battery Energy Storage System
Mentioned last month, the land for the proposed “Elvington Solar Farm” was to have been the subject of a site visit by Councillors in mid-October. However, the meeting was postponed, but will take place in time for the application (Dover DC ref. 25/00709) to be discussed at next the Dover D C Planning Committee on 12 November.
LATE NEWS
- Minster Marshes Electrical Converter station – now approved by the Energy Minister
On the afternoon of 30 October came the news that must have surprised no one, given the “preparatory works” that have been taking place on the site. Now the Development Consent Order has been granted, construction, including the 100 foot tall Converter Station, can go ahead. The scheme has been hugely controversial among residents and conservationists. Indeed the Minister’s decision letter admits that there would be “lasting landscape and visual harm”, 30 acres of farmland would be lost, with in addition, temporary and permanent habitat loss for birds and wildlife.
However, the government also said that it was satisfied that “adequate avoidance and mitigation measures” could be secured to “ensure significant adverse effects on breeding birds of the SSSI can be avoided”. Campaigners have vowed to hold them to their word.
But in the end, the Secretary of State concluded that the public benefits outweighed the harm identified, so unfortunately we are all going to have to live with the development.
As always, if you would like more details about any of the issues mentioned above, or any others for that matter, please contact Roger King on 07779 533 583, or e-mail roger.rambler89@outlook.com
