Hope that nature trail will reopen soon as residents' annoyance mounts

A picture of a fence up under a bridge
-Credit:Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC


A Nottinghamshire councillor hopes repair work on a village nature trail, which has been closed for over a year, will happen soon so it can reopen to the public. Radcliffe county councillor Roger Upton says the closure of the path, between Holme Lane and Stragglethorpe Road, is a source of annoyance for residents and wants to see Nottinghamshire County Council begin restoration work on the site.

In January 2024, caravan owners on a permitted site next to the trail allegedly took an excavator to the embankment and dug it out. The embankment is accessible from Cedar Lodge Caravan Park, next to the A52. The route has been fenced off ever since by Nottinghamshire County Council.

Cllr Upton said: "The closure of the Radcliffe to Stragglethorpe section of the popular Radcliffe to Cotgrave Greenway, due to health and safety concerns following unauthorised excavation works, continues to annoy many Radcliffe residents.

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“Significant restoration works are required, and a contractor's compound is needed on adjoining land, as there is insufficient room to carry out the works on the embankment. I hope that the county council will soon be able to start the remedial works and that this well-used trail can be reopened to the public."

It was reported in October that the county council was considering options for the required re-stabilisation works and that it was in talks with nearby landowners about how the work would be carried out. However, no physical repairs have begun. A permanent fence was erected at the entrances to the path in July 2024 to stop people using it.

A picture of a fence
The fence has been in place since July 2024 -Credit:Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC

In a statement, a Nottinghamshire County Council spokesperson said: “We are aware that this continues to be a cause of concern for local residents, while we work to resolve a difficult and complex situation.

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“Specialist contractors have come up with some proposals and we are now working hard to establish how we can move things forward and secure both the long-term stability of the embankment and the re-opening of the multi-user route.

“The assessment of the damage still prevents us from opening the multi-user route due to health and safety reasons and we would urge members of the public not to attempt to access the closed section, as this could put themselves and others at risk.”

The £250,000 ‘greenway’ route for cyclists, walkers and horse riders, links Radcliffe-on-Trent to Cotgrave and opened in 2019. The impacted part of the trail sits on a former railway line.