Burnham and Berrow Golf Club has this week said it is ‘fully supportive’ of plans to create a new footpath along Coast Road in Berrow.
Its comments come after Burnham-On-Sea.com first reported last week that the group of campaigners fighting for the footpath have been handed an £80,000 windfall to take the project forward – but the cash is in jeopardy of being lost unless they can get the support of the golf club.
Burnham and Berrow Golf Club owns the land running alongside Coast Road where the long-awaited footpath would be built.
While campaigners say the golf club told them it was initially happy with the plans for a path, it appears to have had a change of heart.
However, the club’s managing secretary Karen Drake told Burnham-On-Sea.com this week: “We are fully supportive of the path, as per the original plan, however we need further detail on the new plans.”
“The parameters have changed in the new plans and it’s felt there may be a safety risk to members of the public from golf balls given the proxmity of the course.”
Andrea Johnson, who is leading the campaign for a path, told Burnham-On-Sea.com last week: “The club has written to us to say the path cannot be built on its land.” This is incredibly frustrating for us. We’ve worked very hard for many years to secure this funding for the new path to increase safety for pedestrians.”
“We’re thrilled to have been awarded £80,000 from the ‘Paths For Communities Fund’ run by the EU and UK Government in conjunction with Natural England.”
Coast Road is used by many pedestrians over the summer months. There is currently no footpath for a long stretch of it, which forces people to walk in the road. Several accidents have occurred along Coast Road in recent years, including a two-car crash in 2012, reported here, a cyclist being hurt in 2008 here, and a 2010 accident here where a bus stop was demolished by a car.
Pictured: Campaign marches through Berrow calling for the footpath
