January News

Our supporters will be aware that, in July 2024, For Another Path became one of six community partners with a place on the Task and Finish Working Group for the North Down Coastal Path. 

The full group has now met twice, most recently on 6 January 2025.   The minutes of the 30 September 2024 meeting were published in the Community and Wellbeing Committee 15 January Agenda (Item 9) which you can access here and full minutes of the January meeting will also appear in due course on the council website.

In the meantime, we can confirm that there was a discussion about planned maintenance between Pickie Fun Park and Swineley Bay.  This will probably include clearance of the path to its full width. In reality, this means that any vegetation growing over the usable surface of the path will be removed, together with any overhanging growth that might obstruct path users.

One innovative and positive move is the acquisition of machinery that will replace chemical weed control, so any necessary maintenance in this area will have a reduced impact on wildlife and plants.

There will also be drainage solutions introduced at current flooding sites. We have been urging council to prioritise drainage, because patches of ice on the path pose the greatest risk to path users, as demonstrated by accidents at Pickie in December 2024.

The Working Group also discussed possible further work that would require planning permission. However, nothing major is being suggested at this stage and we will continue to observe and report on any proposed developments in this area.

The group was also given the chance to watch an excellent 360 degree ‘walk through’ filmed by a path user.   Watch this space and we will provide links to this as soon as it is available to the public.  

All in all, the January meeting was productive, friendly and all those present showed a marked appreciation and willingness to conserve the character of the coastal path.