New footpath improves town centre access for residents
A new path linking Fenton Close with Redstone Hill has been created, improving residents' access to Redhill town centre.
A new footpath that links Fenton Close with Redstone Hill has been created, providing local residents, particularly those that are elderly and disabled, with a much needed and more direct link to Redhill town centre.
It follows feedback from local residents as part of Reigate & Banstead Borough Council’s Local Community Action Plan (LCAP) for Redhill East, which showed that residents living on the eastern side of Redhill felt that accessibility to the town centre was an issue.
Cllr Rois Miah, Ward Member for Redhill East, said: “An unofficial route has existed here for some years and residents were using the uneven piece of land as a cut through from the town centre to their homes to avoid taking a longer route. Residents of Fenton Close and the Fenton Road Residents’ Association asked for a proper footpath to be installed to make access easier, particularly for elderly and disabled people. Feedback from residents has been very positive and the new path is much used. It also makes the area more aesthetically pleasing.”
Big benefit
Denis Manning, Chairman of Fenton Road Residents’ Association said: “Although this was only a small job, the new footpath has already proved to be a big benefit to the residents of Fenton Close and Fenton Road, particularly the elderly and disabled. The support of our local ward councillors in funding it though their Councillor Community Awards is much appreciated."
Through the LCAP process, the Council’s community liaison team investigated the feasibility of installing the new path and made bids for funds to cover the cost of the scheme. The project was funded through a combination of Councillors Community Award grants from Redhill East ward members Cllr Rois Miah, Cllr Dr Daniel Poulter and the late Cllr Frank Moore and LCAP funds for the Redhill East area.
Making a difference
Cllr Roger Newstead, Executive Member for Partnership and Communities and Executive Member for Personnel and Business Transformation, said: “The LCAPs scheme helps the Council to understand the things that are important to residents and the wider local community. By getting involved in the LCAP process residents have been able to not only influence the actions in the plan but also make a difference to the area they live in.
“Many of the other actions in the Redhill East plan are already well underway or have been completed and we are continuing to work with other local service providers, such as Surrey County Council and Surrey Police to ensure that the remaining actions are implemented.”
For more information about the Local Community Action Plan for Redhill East see the Redhill East LCAP page
Last updated : 29/03/2010
