News / Brislington
New path in park becomes mudslide
A new path through a park has already turned into a mudslide after plans for a tarmac route were scrapped without the knowledge of a Friends group or local councillors.
The path in Arnos Court Park has been constructed on a slope close to the stepped entrance with Arnos Vale Cemetery.
Following a meeting on Wednesday, a council officer now agrees that the new path has been poorly constructed and what has been built is not what the Friends of Arnos Court Park won funding for.
is needed now More than ever
The new path leads from the steps to Arnos Vale Cemetery down to the main path through the park – photo: Martin Booth
But due to budget constraints at City Hall, is is unlikely that a tarmac path will be able to be constructed any time soon so Brislington West councillor Andrew Varney is helping to look at alternative improvements.
“It’s all rather depressing,” Varney told Bristol24/7.
“It would appear that many schemes will be delayed or altered due to staffing issues and costs of materials and even accessing materials.”
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Read more: All-weather path officially opens in Stoke Park
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Writing before his meeting with the council officer, Varney said: “To say we are disappointed with what has been delivered would be an understatement.
“The original application by the Friends group was for a tarmac path and that is what we were expecting.
“Unfortunately, someone at the council made a unilateral decision to change the specifications of the job and then failed to inform us. What has been delivered is substandard, not fit for purpose and won’t last.”
Ahead of the meeting between Varney and the council officer, a Bristol City Council spokesperson told Bristol24/7: “The Parks service have been in contact with local ward councillors to set up a meeting at the site to discuss further.”
Members of the Friends group on Facebook have reacted with dismay to the state of the new path, with some also questioning if it is even located in the right place for users of the park.
Robbie Vogelaar said: “What a joke, so I presume the council is gonna ‘repair’ their error and spend twice the amount of money. Who is in charge of this farce?”
Lisa Tunstall added: “I had assumed that it wasn’t finished!”
Main photo: Martin Booth
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- Decades-old oil barrels continue to pollute nature reserve
- Homes England to take controversial plans straight to planning inspector
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