King Charles III Footpath

Cheshire West and Chester Council has been successful in a bid for funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) through Natural England for a new coastal path through Parkgate.

The Council received a grant of £43,021 from Natural England earlier in the year to enable the initial planning work for a stretch of the England Coast Path within the borough.

The England Coast Path is a 2,700-mile National Trail being created by DEFRA.

The full construction bid for £822,545 has now been granted and work will start on Monday 18 December to establish a temporary site compound on land on the corner of Manorial Road South and Moorside Lane,  giving good access to the coast path. Work on the path is expected to start during early January 2024 until the end of March 2024.

The section of the route around the Wirral peninsula travels through three boroughs.  Cheshire West and Chester Council were asked to implement the stretch from the Boathouse pub at Parkgate through to the Welsh boundary. 

Sections of this route lie within a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands. The sensitivity of the location means that there are ecological windows which will require any works to be carried out during specifically agreed seasons, during which close working with the RSPB and Natural England will be key.

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, said:

“This is excellent news, sections of this popular pathway are in need of urgent repair. The new pathway work will include new signage plus patching to enable accessibility through winter months, drainage, and more detailed engineering solutions.

“The section along the front of the marshes has various issues requiring work such as embankment deterioration and collapse that needs to be stabilised, and boggy areas that need to be drained.

“The completed path will provide improvements for all walkers to be able to use this route to walk our part of the England Coast path.”