New Path Opened Following Successful 8 Year Campaign

Yesterday saw Whitchurch residents, councillors, the HCC Maps Officer and HCC Countryside Strategic Manager and special guests from the Railway Ramblers and The Watercress Way all coming together to celebrate the official opening of the Whitchurch Railway Cutting as an official public right of way; an initiative of a long-term resident of Bere Hill.

Martin’s quest to have the abandoned Didcot to Southampton railway cutting at Whitchurch, formally designated as public footpath began in late 2014 when he picked up the phone and started a dialogue with the landowners, Hampshire County Council. He followed up with a formal application submitted in early 2015 and as we came out of lock down Martin began the long, laborious process of collecting resident’s evidence of use forms, confirming that locals had enjoyed uninterrupted, informal access pretty much from the date the railway line was dismantled in the 1960s.

Just before Christmas, after an eight year wait, Martin heard that his application on behalf of the community had been successful. This extraordinary section of the old DNSR railway, a valuable recreation amenity and wildlife habitat and such an important part of our local industrial heritage, will now be preserved as a public right of way with the town’s footpath volunteers assisting with the ongoing vegetation cutting and maintenance.

Thanks go out to all residents involved in supporting Martin’s application and a special mention to the mapping team at HCC who couldn’t have been more helpful and to Jonathan Woods, HCC Countryside Strategic Manager for the decision to dedicate the path; I’m sure it will be very well used.