A council chief has defended his department’s response to reports of a core path between Luncarty and Stanley being blocked for a decade.
The issue was raised at a recent community council meeting by John Andrews of the Perth and Kinross Outdoor Access Forum who said a number of obstructions placed along the path have been blocking people from walking the entire length of the route for the last 10 years.
He told members of Luncarty, Redgorton and Moneydie Community Council (LRMCC) that he had asked the local authority to clear the obstructions from the path on several occasions over the period, but staff had so far failed to act.
The issue was discussed at the same time members considered a proposal by the Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust (PKCT) to create a brand new active travel route between the two villages along one of two possible routes.
The first route proposed by the trust would cross the countryside west of Stanley then heads south towards Luncarty, sticking closely to the east side of the A9, while the second would exit Stanley then head south towards Luncarty on the west side of the B9099.
Mr Andrews stressed he was supportive of the trust’s proposal but said he would like to see the core path reopened to walkers as well.
“I’m totally in favour of active travel routes, but they are a very different beast to walking routes where people enjoy the freedom of the countryside,” he said.
LRMCC vice chair Frank Stevenson said he believed a new active travel route linking Luncarty and Stanley was “long overdue” but added it might take “years” for the project to be completed. He added: “Bearing in mind there is supposed to be a core path [already] ... why is that not the case?”
Community councillor John Bowman also asked: “Why can’t we have both? There’s an existing core path, it would cost nothing for the council to [remove] the blockages that are there.”
Strathtay ward councillors Grant Laing and Ian James both said they would be happy to look into the matter. Councillor James remarked: “I don’t understand why it’s blocked, it’s a core path.”
Perth and Kinross Council head of environment and consumer services Mark Butterworth told the PA this week: “A community led project to agree and create a multi-use path is currently underway.
“This project, which is being taken forward by Stanley Development Trust (SDT) and PKCT, has involved a consultation exercise on route options, which has just closed.
“The core path STAN/117 is obstructed, by what we understand to be fencing between land ownership boundaries, including land being developed and it is our intention to work with developers, neighbouring landowners and the community to agree and create an improved path in place of STAN/117, which is seldom used.”
Mr Butterworth added: “Very few people have contacted the council regarding the obstructions on STAN/117 to date and most local people are aware of the community led project to agree and create the multi-use path, which is progressing well, and this is why the council has not taken any action to date.”
