United Utilities has launched an appeal after a permanent road closure order was imposed on a Lake District road.
Cumberland Council agreed the permanent closure of the U7003 at Thirlmere on Friday.
Members of its highways and transport strategic board met on Friday and stressed the road closure had to be put in place after an emergency closure was instigated following Storm Arwen in 2021.
The authority said it was anxious to see the road reopened, but debris and fallen trees on the carriageway, plus the next door Rough Crag, meant it was not safe.
Landowner United Utilities carried out assessments of the impact of significant rockfall and debris on the the road, which determined that hazards still exist and an independent review by Cumberland Council agreed with United Utilities’ findings.
But today, Cumberland Council released this statement: “Regrettably, today Cumberland Council received an appeal from United Utilities against Section 151 notice, which, in the council’s view, does not necessary reflect a genuine intent by them to reopen the road, this is contrary to the very positive message sent on Friday from the chief executive of United Utilities.”
Councillor Denise Rollo, Cumberland Council’s executive member for sustainable, resilient and connected places, said: “I am extremely disappointed that we have received this appeal from United Utilities; this contradicts their statement that they want to work with us to reopen the U7003.
“Following the meeting on Friday, we were able to inform the public that we were making progress; however, our officers will now be spending their time preparing to go to magistrates court.”
A United Utilities spokesperson said: “We remain fully committed to working collaboratively with the Council to allow Thirlmere West Road to be reopened as soon as possible and that position has not changed.
“Unfortunately, we had no choice but to appeal the Council’s legal notice for works to be carried out within 28 days. This is simply because it is not possible to gain the necessary permissions and complete the work by early next week, which is the legal timescale.
“We held a very positive site meeting last week with Cumberland Council, Natural England, the Lake District National Park Authority and specialist engineers to agree the steps that would be needed and the permissions required for the road to be made safe enough for reopening, and to provide reassurance of our commitment to achieve this over the coming months.”
Following Friday’s meeting, it said: “We completely understand the frustration at the ongoing road closure and we are committed to doing all we can to reopen the U7003 around Rough Crag.
“We have been meeting with key decision-makers on site to discuss the work that will be necessary to stabilise Rough Crag, with the aim of getting the necessary permissions for this work to take place over the coming months.”
