Food giant faces backlash in village footpath row

17 hours ago

Sarah Sandersonin Preston, near Hull

News image — Pat Ferguson and Ian Ireland are objecting to plans to close a footpath

BBC Pat Ferguson and Chair of Preston Parish Council, Councillor Ian Ireland, stand on part of the public footpath called Nuns Walk. Pat Ferguson has blonde hair in a short bob, is wearing a blue shirt and gold necklace. Ian Ireland is wearing a baseball cap and white shirt. Both are looking into the camera with concerned expressions. — Pat Ferguson and Ian Ireland are objecting to plans to close a footpath

Villagers are fighting plans to close part of a public footpath at the request of one of the country's biggest food producers.

Cranswick has applied to the Department for Transport (DfT) to block a section of Nuns Walk, which runs alongside its food processing plant in Preston, near Hull.

The company said the changes would "reduce disruption" for residents and ensure "the safety of pedestrians".

Pat Ferguson, who has lived in the village for 44 years, described the move as "big business stealing our heritage", adding: "It's history and we don't have much – it keeps getting eroded."

Part of Nuns Walk runs over a private road belonging to Cranswick, which is used by HGVs going to and from the site.

The Hull-based company has applied for a stopping-up order – a legal process used to close a highway – to prevent the use of at least 180m (590ft) of the footpath, which would instead be diverted.

According to Ferguson, the partially cobbled route takes its name from nuns who are said to have walked from the village church to a hospital in what is now east Hull.

Part of a public right of way in the village of Preston in East Riding of Yorkshire called Nuns Walk. This historic route has been used for years by walkers away from the main roads. It's a long grassy route in between fields and this part of the route has a fence either side of the footpath. — A section of the path that Cranswick wants to close

Under the plans, the closed section would be diverted via Staithes Road, a busy main road into Preston.

Ian Ireland, who chairs Preston Parish Council, said the changes raised safety concerns for pedestrians because of the "single-file" pavement alongside Staithes Road.

"We don't always come down in ones and twos," he said. "Sometimes there's a walking group comes down and when you're walking alongside your colleague and you're having a chat, you can't do that with a car five yards away from you all the time.

"It breaks the whole ambience of coming out for a country stroll."

An image of two halves of a grass track, split by a tarmac road. A faded black and white crossing denotes where walkers can cross. The grass is dry and yellow. Hedgerows trees and a green fence border the track. "Warning" signs are attached to the fence. — The footpath crosses a private road owned by Cranswick

Cranswick, a member of the FTSE 250 index, produces products including pork, chicken and prepared foods.

Graham Stuart, the Conservative MP for Beverley and Holderness, has asked the company to work with local people to protect the footpath while allowing the business to meet its operational needs.

He said Cranswick was "an important local employer", but "local people deserve to have their voices heard and their concerns properly considered".

A spokesperson for Cranswick said the company was in contact with Stuart and would "continue engaging with him and the wider community as the works progress".

The DfT said Cranswick was expected to contact each of the objectors to try to resolve their issues. If objections remained, a local public inquiry could be held to rule on the matter.

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