Issue - meetings

To deal with matters raised by members of the public resident within the Borough, of which notice has been given in accordance with the procedures relating to public questions, motions or petitions set out in Paragraph 36 to 47 of the Council and Committee Procedure Rules in Chapter 4 of the Council Constitution.

(A)      Public Petition - Save the Promenade in Crosby Coastal Park

(Details of any further petitions notified or questions submitted by members of the public will be circulated at the meeting).

The Mayor reported that a public petition had been received containing the signatures of 507 people and that the summary of the petition stated:

Public Petition - Save the Promenade in Crosby Coastal Park

We the undersigned petition the council to save the Promenade in Crosby Coastal Park and the Multi-use Path on top of it by clearing the sand from its top surface, removing the sand from the beach side of the revetment, and restoring its surface, railings and signage.

It is the official policy of Sefton MBC's Cabinet and of Green Sefton to keep the promenade clear of sand, but Green Sefton struggle to do so within their budget and resources of manpower and machinery. There is therefore a kind of unofficial policy of neglect which has intensified over recent years. Sand dunes have built up on both sides of the seawall/promenade. Sand covers the existing Multi-use Path for pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair users, etc. on top of the promenade, in particular between the point on the prom where it is joined by the access path from Blucher Street car park past the water treatment works, and a point opposite Crosby Leisure Centre at Mariners Road.

The Council's 'Vision' for the future of Crosby Coastal Park up to 2030 included proposals for a new inland Multi-use Path in the Marine Park between Mariners Road and Cambridge Road ('Zones D and E'). The Seafront Residents' Action Group (SRAG) and others have long campaigned for the Council to keep the promenade in good repair, and its existing Path open, and free from sand.

SRAG has opposed the new proposed inland Multi-use Path, which is billed as an alternative to the one on the prom, but in the prevailing circumstances is almost certainly going to be a substitute for it. The Council are about to launch an application for planning permission for the new Path, which if allowed would run through the Park between Blundellsands Road West and Cambridge Road, with a section along Endsleigh Road. They consulted on most of it being 3m (10') wide, but their planning application will ask for permission for it to be 4m (13') wide, and as such it would look like a road bisecting and attacking the green space of the Park. The existing Path on the prom is actually wider and potentially safer for multiple use, and is further away from residences, but its true dimensions are partially concealed by sand.

A retired engineer whose company used to contract with the Council to keep the sand away from the seawall by moving it to the mean low tideline has proposed that a reputable firm or firms could remove the dune from the beach and clear the dunes from the top of the prom for free or at little cost, provided they could retain the sand themselves for recycling. It could be done in a manner that would create minimal disruption to the general public, though it would require planning for the necessary logistics and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 122