A persistent plea to illuminate a section of the popular Keswick to Threlkeld Trail has opened once blind eyes.
Town councillors David Burn and Steve Harwood have run a concerted campaign to get the Lake District National Park Authority to install lighting along a 350-metre stretch of the from the leisure centre to the Spar garage on Penrith Road.
They received a serious setback last November when The Keswick Reminder reported that the chief executive of the LDNPA authority had flicked the off switch on the plans because of cost.
He said the authority did not have the capital resources available to install lighting on any section of the trail, nor the revenue budget to support the ongoing costs and maintenance of lighting.
He also asked the town council to appreciate the concerns and views of other members of the Keswick community for whom lighting up part of the permitted path might be less popular.
Undimmed by the response, Cllrs Burn and Harwood pressed on with their campaigning and the pair recently met with Gavin Capstick, the LDNPA’s director of visitor services, and Jane Fretwell, head of resources, to walk the path which the councillors said required lighting for safety reasons.
Cllr Burn reported to the April meeting of the town council that the LDNPA was now supporting in principle the installation of the lighting scheme, which is expected to cost between £50,000 to £70,000, subject to the following conditions being met:
- Agreeing a design that meets the environmental/security requirements.
- Identifying a source of funding as neither the LDNPA or town council have available funds.
- Consultation with residents living closest to the station end of the trail.
- Discussing the risk of replacing one issue with another — addressing the perception that it could increase the potential for anti-social behaviour elsewhere on the trail.
Cllr Burn said he believed the LDNPA’s change of heart was largely down to a conversation with DI Matt Belshaw, Cumbria Police’s operational lead on violence against women and girls.
“His view is that we have to work on the assumption that better lighting discourages anti-social behaviour, and I have made the national park aware of this,” said Cllr Burn, who described the meeting with the LDNPA officers as curious.
“Steve and I were expecting further resistance for the idea and we sensed immediately that there had been a change of heart. They have now agreed in principle but the sticking point is likely to be where we are going to get the money from.
“There was no grant funding available when we saw them at the end of the last financial year but there may be some grant funding coming from the Home Office this financial year.”
The Reminder first reported the issue last June after female school pupils in Keswick demanded action.
They warned that this section of the trail had become a no-go area for women walking at night. It is frequently used as a shortcut for both pupils and residents who live south of the River Greta.
