Cockermouth residents upset at being charged for upkeep of footpath

People living on The Laureates, off Low Road, have been told they will have to pay for the upkeep of what is known locally as 'Joe's Walk', a marked cycleway which links the Lovells Homes estate with Cockermouth.

Twenty-nine of the 34 light bollards on the 0.6km path have been damaged beyond repair by vandals, says resident Clare Davidson.

Joe's Walk, off Low Road, is a marked cycleway (Image: Newsquest)

"Whilst Lovell and RMG’s position is that the path was part of the original planning permission for the estate, residents were not party to that planning application and any contractual agreement we signed clearly shows the path as being outside the boundaries of the estate," she said.

RMG Ltd is the management company Lovell Homes has contracted to act on behalf of the The Laureates Estate Management Co Limited which owners become members of on completion of the purchase of their property. There are 201 occupied homes on the estate.

Mrs Davidson told Cockermouth councillors at the recent Annual Parish Meeting in the town hall that residents never agreed to paying for maintenance of "the public footpath" as part of their estate management costs.

"We are seeking the council’s support in resolving this issue and supporting us in our request to RMG and Lovell to immediately terminate any agreement for maintenance of the cycle path signed on behalf of The Laureates Estate Management Company Limited and to remove any and all costs in relation to the maintenance from the accounts now and in the future, as we do not believe that these should be our costs to bare," she said.

There are 201 occupied homes on the Laureates estate, developed by Lovell Homes (Image: Newsquest)

A joint representative from Lovell Homes and RMG Ltd, said: “Lovell and RMG are in the process of sourcing and installing more effective lighting which we hope will deter any future vandalism and will be in touch with residents once the best solution has been determined.

“As detailed in the Section 106 Agreement and Planning Permission, maintenance for the pathway is the legal responsibility of The Laureates Estate Management Company Ltd.

"Lovell and RMG have previously committed to, and communicated, Lovell’s contribution to maintenance charges for the first five years of the development and a sum has already been provided to the Management Company to this effect.”

Workington MP Mark Jenkinson said: "Until the last house is sold, complete control of estate management lies in the hands of Lovell – after which it should pass to residents to manage as they see fit in accordance with planning obligations.

"Hopefully at that point we will see local contractors used, and significant savings for residents.

"I continue to call on Lovell to exercise restraint on estate management spending and will work with residents to take control of the management of the estate at the earliest opportunity.”

At the Annual Parish Meeting, town councillor Julie Laidlow said: "I think it's really unfair that residents should be expected to pay for maintenance of what is a public footpath.

"It's used by walkers, joggers, lots of people. Maybe we should ask the new council to adopt it?"

Town councillor Alan Smith suggested that residents form a group. "You can then approach councillors and ask them to look at adopting. They can then advise the way forward," he said.

It was agreed the council write to RMG to express concern regarding their poor communication with residents.

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