Brightlingsea Town Council is looking to spend around £9,000 on restoring the pathway and repairing the banks around the town’s boating lake.
The work on the Promenade Way facility should make the path – which is uneven and can become muddy in wet weather – more accessible to wheelchair or pram users, but will also see damaged areas of the banks renewed and reinforced.
In a statement, the council said: “Similar work was carried out several years ago on part of the lake which has since broken away and disappeared into the lake. In other areas, the banks have become damaged and flooded due to the accumulation of soil being washed away by rain and general weathering.”
It added: “If this issue is not addressed, the lake will expand further causing the banks to break away. This could lead to health and safety issues with parts being roped off and the eventual loss of the amenity for all residents over the longer term.”
The funds to pay for the work are coming from Section 106 monies – money secured from from developers who have built houses in the town. This money is specifically allocated for the improvement of the town’s open spaces, including the parts of the Western Promenade that are owned by the town council.
The money can’t be spent for other purposes and the council says that if it isn’t spent within a specified timeframe it would be returned to the developer. Tendring District Council, as the planning authority, currently collects the Section 106 money and returns it to the town.
However, with the district council set to be abolished under local government reorganisation in two years’ time, BTC is concerned that its allocation of Section 106 money could disappear into a general pot if not spent before that.
“We believe the use of this restricted funding perfectly aligns with ours and the residents’ objectives and aspirations to enhance our town,” said BTC.” If such monies are not used in the near future they will be lost, which we consider an even greater loss to the town and a failure of the council to fulfil its duties.”
