Locals oppose new ‘mudslide’ footpath in Saddleworth

The path keeps giving way beneath our feet.

After several days of rain, layers of leaves and sludge have turned into a ‘dangerous mud slide’.

Every third or fourth step is a balancing act.

But soon, this precarious path at the end of Uppermill village in Saddleworth is due to become the permanent new route to one of the areas’ most popular beauty spots – the Moorgate Quarry – after a former path was blocked off by Network Rail.

“It’s just dangerous,” says local walker and parish council volunteer Andrew Fletcher.

“Uppermill has built itself up as a tourist destination over many years – and one of the biggest draws for visitors are the easy hill walks.

"It’s going to have a knock-on effect on the local industry, local businesses.”

The change is part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, a multi-billion pound rail infrastructure programme to electrify the rail line between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.

The scheme includes introducing high-speed trains and making services between the Northern cities faster and more reliable, as well as improving a number of stations along the route.

But in order to make that happen, TRU representatives have had to close down the Moorgate Crossing – a shorter, easier walk up to the quarry – and locals are not happy about it.

“Just to be clear, we are in no way against TRU,” Andrew said.

“We recognise it’s a really positive thing for the North West.

"We just feel like these decisions have been made over our heads.

"They consulted us, then ignored everything we said.”

The concerns raised about safety goes beyond tourism and local business. It’s also about safety, say a number of residents.

The new route starts on Oldham Road, the village’s busiest route which often sees speeding despite being a 20mph zone.

There’s barely any pavement at the entrance, meaning groups of walkers – especially those with kids – are perilously close to the highway.

“It’s a real safety concern. And that’s before you get to the path itself,” said local councillor Helen Bishop.

“As soon as there’s a bit of rain – and it rains a lot in Saddleworth – the whole thing turns into a mudslide.

"Even if they spend £200k on improvements – well, that’s not more than a few sacks of gravel.”

The route starts in the middle of someone’s back garden, sloping its way upwards under a railway bridge.

The tarmacked path then ends in a steep, muddy incline sprinkled with boulders, haphazard blocks of concrete, and a tree growing nearly horizontally at head-height.

“It’s almost unnavigable and dangerous,” Elizabeth, another local walker, who has lived in Uppermill for more than 40 years told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“Water washes down it, and rocks and gravel.”

“It may not be practicable to upgrade the path,” her partner David continued.

“Because it’ll all be washed away and they’ll have to come back and do it again.”

The former path, now blocked off as signalling works take place, passes over a level-crossing on the train tracks 400m further into Uppermill.

It’s ‘not safe’, according to TRU representatives, especially once high speed trains start passing through the village.

But the original plans promised locals a new footbridge instead – an idea the organisation has since retracted, after claiming the costs would amount to more £4m.

Mark Ashton, Sponsor for the Transpennine Route Upgrade, said: “We recognise how important local walking routes are to the community, and we’ve been engaging closely with residents and stakeholders as we develop these proposals.

“Safety is our highest priority and with faster, more frequent trains coming as part of the electrification upgrades, the risks at Moorgate Halt Level Crossing increase significantly.

"This mean that closing it is the safest option for everyone.

“We explored a range of alternatives, including the possibility of a new footbridge, but as a publicly funded programme, it’s vital that we invest proportionately and responsibly across the full route.

"Our proposal is to enhance the existing alternative path via the underbridge between Oldham Road and Ladcastle Road, creating a safe six-minute walking route with upgraded surfacing and new steps with handrails.”

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