Rejected petition Investigate how the Active Travel Scheme funding is being managed by Swansea Council
We have major concerns over the way funding allocated by the UK Government to the Senedd is being used by Swansea Council to pay for a scheme “OLCHFA LINKS SHARED USE PATHS (SUPS)” in our local ancient woodland: Clyne Valley Country Park. We call upon the Deputy Minister for the Economy and Transport to investigate how Swansea Council’s managing this scheme. We request work be postponed until all the points raised in this petition have been satisfactorily addressed and documents provided.
More details
We have the following major concerns:
1. Lack of evidence of demonstrable need for SUPs on the route proposed through the natural heritage woodland. There are already extensive designated woodland cycle routes (NCN4) for road/trail bike users.
2. Lack of required engagement/consultation with stakeholders, local community and daily users of Clyne woodland (Ref 1: Ch6 & 11).
3. Lack of required Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to assess risk to woodland biodiversity & contaminant seepage from an old landfill site.
4. Lack of Safety Risk Assessment and mitigating measures to address potential conflicts between users. Ref 1: Ch12.
5. Potential damage to artefacts related to the historical heritage of Clyne Valley.
6. Closure of woodland footpaths for up to 6 months during the pandemic. Clyne woodland is currently a sanctuary for the local community, contributing significantly to everyday health and wellbeing.
Reference:
1. Welsh Government Active Travel Guidance, February 2020
Why was this petition rejected?
It’s about something that the Senedd or Welsh Government is not responsible for.
The development of walking and cycling routes in their local areas is the responsibility of individual local authorities.
Petitions to the Senedd cannot concern an issue that is the operational responsibility of a local authority and, therefore, we are not able to accept a petition on this issue.
You could consider contacting your local council or your local representatives about this matter instead.
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards
Rejected petitions are published in the language in which they were submitted