A footpath next to well-known playing fields in Lindley has been repaired.

The path runs along the bottom of the football pitches at Reinwood Recreation Gound and means people don’t have to use the nearby Reinwood Road which has roads running off it so can be tough to negotiate for people with pushchairs or wheelchair users.

The work has been done after Lindley councillors Cahal Burke and Anthony Smith presented a petition to Kirklees Council in November 2021 requesting improvements to roads, paths and footways in the Lindley ward, and highlighting the poor state of the footpath at Reinwood Recreation Ground.

It has been partly funded by Section 106 funding contributions from developers towards the cost of providing community and social infrastructure.  

Reinwood Recreation Ground is used by families, dog-walkers and pupils at nearby Reinwood Infant and Nursery School.

Clr Burke said: “The footpath at Reinwood Recreation Ground was often unsafe and unusable before being refurbished. This was impacting on the local community as it was preventing people from getting out and about easily. It was particularly challenging for those with mobility issues, as well as parents with pushchairs.

“We believe the council has a responsibility to ensure our footpaths are safe, convenient and attractive to use.

“The population in Lindley has increased due to a high volume of housing developments in the area in recent years so it is vital our local infrastructure, including footpaths, are properly maintained.

“We feel that using Section 106 funding is appropriate as developers should contribute towards the cost of maintenance and help to reduce the impact of the housing developments on the local community and infrastructure.”

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Clr Smith added: “We know there are many other footpaths in the Lindley ward which are in a poor state and need to be repaired and we would encourage residents to report any issues to us or directly to Kirklees Council.”

Problems with footpaths can be reported on the Kirklees Council website at: www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/report-a-problem/form.aspx?type=footpath.

Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content and copywriting.

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