News / lockleaze
Path due to reopen after six months could remain closed for almost four and a half years
Almost three years since a section of a popular walking and cycling route was closed to enable the building of a modular housing development beset by numerous delays, owners of the land have confirmed that it will remain closed for more than another year.
It comes after an open letter was written to Legal & General CEO, António Simões, expressing “deep concerns” about the length of time the section of Concorde Way in Lockleaze has been fenced off.
The stretch of Concorde Way between Bonnington Walk and Constable Road was only meant to be closed for six months from April 4 2021 during the construction of Legal & General’s Bonnington development of 185 new homes.
is needed now More than ever
A Legal & General spokesperson told Bristol24/7: “We are absolutely committed to reopening a much-improved cycle path for the local community, as a public right of way.
“Unfortunately, we have experienced numerous unforeseen delays on site which have prevented us from opening the cycle path sooner.
“We have had one of the wettest winters recorded which has had a serious impact on development activity.
“However, we now have a clear timeline of when the development will be completed and as such have reviewed when the earliest possible date that we could safely open the path could be.
“This is confirmed for August 2025, ahead of the development completing in December 2025.”
Legal & General had to dismantle new homes on its modular development off Bonnington Walk after identifying problems with the site’s foundations – photo: Martin Booth
The open letter was written by members of organisations including UWE, the Ministry of Defence, Sustrans, Bristol Cycling Campaign, Bristol Walking Alliance, Bristol Tree Forum and Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust.
It requests that Legal & General “take urgent action to re-open the path and the adjacent community orchard, as well as provide assurances about the long-term future of this section of the path”.
Signatories to the letter are demanding that the path through the land now owned by Legal & General is dedicated as a public right of way using the fast-track dedication process.
They also ask Simões to reopen the closed community orchard accessed via the Constable Road entrance.
The Legal & General spokesperson said: “In terms of the orchard area, this currently has a coded padlock which all orchard volunteers have always had a key and access to.
“However, when we open phase one of our site, which will be in November this year, the orchard will be fully open to all.”
Lockleaze Community Orchard is an area of open green space along the Concorde Way near Constable Road – photo: Martin Booth
The letter adds: “Taking action now to reopen the path & community orchard will remove the long running uncertainty that local residents & path users have had to put up with about the duration of the closure, as a result of the repeated delays on the housing development.
“Fixing the public right of way status will give us all long-term confidence about the future of the path.
“As the clock ticks down to the 3rd anniversary of the closure now is the time for Legal & General to do the right thing for local residents and the wider Bristol & South Gloucestershire communities & employers by reopening the community orchard, the Concorde Way path and guaranteeing the long-term future of these important amenities.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
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