By Anger at closure of path to Dudley park
A petition has been started opposing the closure of an access route to a Dudley park.
It is campaigning against the temporary closure of a path between Stone Mill Walk and Quarry Park in Upper Gornal and has gained more than 200 supporters in a week.
Started by Lucy Watton to Dudley Council and available on change.org, the petition states: “The access route from Stone Mill Walk on to the Quarry Park has been there for many years, in fact it was there long before the road was built.
“It is used on a daily basis by the community to access our dwindling green space.
“The council have now blocked the access ‘temporarily’ for six months having bolted railings into the tarmac stating that it is in an attempt to curb anti-social behaviour that may affect the residents of Stone Mill Walk.”
It continues: “Unfortunately by closing the path they have now affected the wider community as there is no safe access from that side of the park as the others are all completely unlit, away from the road, unmaintained, overgrown and havens for local youth evident from the amount of empty beer cans, broken glass and silver canisters that line them.
“No notice has been given regarding this, no public meetings and no-one has been given the opportunity to oppose something that has affected the wider community not just the residents of one street.
“By blocking a public right of way the council have acted illegally, the path belongs to the public not the council.”
One person who signed the petition wrote: “The path should be re-opened and access to the park maintained. It was there before the houses were built, so residents knew about it and they chose to purchase their property. We cannot allow a minority to dictate to the majority.”
While another said she had been using the way for 58 years.
