ALTCROSS FOOT PATH - KEEP IT OPEN!

CAMPAIGN UPDATE 15th November 2009

BACKGROUND:
This isn't just about a foot path, this is about much more, we're talking about a footpath that is said to be more than 500 years old, that goes back to the early 1500s. The wider Liverpool 11 community has already lost more than most of us can bear to remember in the past two decades: playing fields, the local further education college and adult education centre, a number of schools, and the Sayers bakery in Norris Green, closed and demolished earlier this year, the last big employer in Liverpool 11. Our community has withstood a stream of social injustices - is it any wonder we've experienced such serious crime and disorder here recently? Many of us - including my family and one of my next door neighbours have seen our former homes and neighbourhoods demolished. We've had the Norris Green `Boot' housing estate demolished and neighbourhood broken up, we've recently had two estates demolished in Croxteth. This year Croxteth Community Comprehensive School was given notice of closure in August 2010.
It really is TIME for us to stand up and say "enough is enough" in Liverpool 11. We can't continue to live under constant threat of losing services, resources, homes, schools and facilities by order of the council - NOW we're going to fight back! It begins with defending this centuries old public footpath!

BACKGROUND TO GATING/CLOSURE:
Liverpool's Lib Dem Councillors voted, against senior council officers' advice, on 14th of October at the Traffic and Highways Representation Committee (THRC) to gate/close Altcross Foot Path in Croxteth. The foot path starts in Altcross Road, where I live, and passes between the six years old Riviera Drive estate and the older Cubert Road onwards through Dam Woods, passing by the 1980s built Croxteth Hall Park private housing estate, where Rhys Jones was shot, onwards through to Oak Lane North where it meets a pedestrian crossing and the Kirkby Drive Gate entrance into Croxteth Hall Park.

CRIME USED AS REASON TO GATE/CLOSE AND DIVIDE CROXTETH:
The single reason given for closing Altcross foot path is because it's a focus for crime, that closure will somehow stop crime in that area, but regular foot path users have stated to me in person that they haven't themselves experienced crime while walking through the foot path over many years. A family who lives on the Riviera Drive estate whose home backs directly on to the foot path stated to me in person that their family have not suffered crime from the foot path since they moved in over five years ago.
There have been letters in the Liverpool Echo covering the issue. On October 14th the Council heard our passionate opposition to the gating/closure of the Altcross foot path, additionally a 700-name petition was also submitted. I myself sent in a letter of 'objection' and also spoke at the council meeting. The Ramblers Association also addressed the meeting; the Primary Health Care Trust also submitted a letter of objection, as did directors of the Croxteth Communiversity and Alt Valley Community Trust and a broad range of other local people.
On October 30th the order to gate and close the footpath was signed. I was originally told gating would occur within three weeks after 30th of October. Last week I was informed by email from the council's legal services the following: "I anticipate that the gates will not be fitted until next month." So now it could `officially' be any day in December. The reality is that closure of the footpath will not deal effectively with crime in the area, as the head of the council's own 'Community Safety' stated clearly right at the end of the meeting. A car was broken into on the driveway next to Altcross Road foot path entrance sometime before 7am on Tuesday 10th November, the locked alley gate would not have stopped this crime as the attack on the car was plainly made over a low fence on the main road outside of the planned alley gate.

COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT:
What gating/closure does do though is arbitrarily and collectively punish the whole community of Croxteth for the crimes and misbehaviour of the few. Two huge and permanently locked metal gates will physically divide old Croxteth from new Croxteth, friends and family from easily visiting one another. I live in old Croxteth, at the Altcross Road end.
All three local councillors live in new Croxteth on the private Croxteth Hall estate, which will be closed off from old Croxteth. Young and old alike will be permanently locked out from the public footpath and access to Dam Woods. A number of young harrier hawk flyers will now be at a loss as where to take their birds to fly, additionally locals use the footpath to access fishing locations. The foot path provides the safest and shortest route to Croxteth Hall Park, additionally it will impact seriously upon residents of Croxteth Hall Park who daily use the foot path to get to the regular bus routes on Altcross Road, the sports centre, library, post office, shops, health care centre, schools, other services and to get to work.
This is a poorly thought out and reactionary decision by councillors that will physically segregate Croxteth. The vast majority of people in Croxteth haven't been informed of the imminent closure of the public footpath on Altcross Road. There is a lot of anger, upset and disbelief that a 500 years old footpath could just be gated/locked and people who use it daily will be permanently excluded as will others who use it less frequently in winter. I only knew it was going to be closed because I live on Altcross Road and was able to register my 'objection' to closure, the vast majority of the community haven't been asked or informed so they could not object to closure.

EMERGENCY MEETING:
I organised a meeting for `objectors to closure'. The Emergency Meeting took place on Monday 9th November at 7pm at the Croxteth Sports Centre on Altcross Road, opposite the footpath entrance. However it was undermined by the few who vocally and aggressively want gating/closure and physical division of Croxteth. I was informed by the police that they'd had an anonymous tip off that violence was expected at the meeting, the few supporters of gating/closure aggressively attempted to undermine the meeting, I was regularly and rudely shouted down, the next day a couple from that meeting verbally abused and insulted me at our community picket while I was speaking to people.

COMMUNITY PICKET:
We've tried it the so-called `democratic way' - letters, petitions, speaking to councillors and attending committees – the process failed us!
The only option now left to us is to "legally" and "peacefully" protest in our community against the posts going in and gates going up!
Croxteth -as a community- is now in dispute with Liverpool City Council.

Come and visit us between 8am and 9.30am by the Altcross Foot Path entrance. Altcross Road, Croxteth. Opposite the `Communiversity' and Sport Centre, on the 14A/14C Bus Route from town.
8am every weekday – since Monday 9th November.

Support against gating/closure is growing. I'm on the community picket every week day, drivers beep us as they drive past, others give the thumbs up, local people have brought us cups of tea, parents taking children to school stop and say hello. We're there daily to "Keep It Open!" and speak to people and tell them why it's simply an injustice against the entire Croxteth community. We've argued and reasoned with gating/closure supporters and a few now see the bigger picture and realising the repercussions of gating/closure upon the community now support our campaign to "Keep It Open!"

LATEST: (Sunday 15th November 2009)
On Sunday 15th at the end of the Breakfast for Palestine event I was able to briefly address an audience of many hundreds about the situation, for which I thank Liverpool Friends of Palestine, support shown was fantastic and a boost to morale. A group of Palestinian Fire Fighters offered their support for our campaign, but due to a fully booked up schedule can't visit our "community picket".

For more see: http://uk.groups. yahoo.com/ group/AFP- KIO

Kai Andersen, 15th November 2009

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Sorry Comments Closed

Comment left by Mycroft Milverton on 9th August, 2013 at 20:01
I occasioned to cycle to the communiversity today, through the grounds of Croxteth Hall. I was shocked to get within a few yards of my destination due to this gate and have to take a very long detour in order to get to the communiversity. it is shocking that this right of way and only pedestrian/cycling link has e been gated! It's four years later. Has the gating actually reduced crime? Can communiversity users get a key to this gate?

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