Newport Town Council still in the dark over plan to light up pathway after four years
A Shropshire town council remains in the dark over the ownership of a path used by children near a brook where it wants to install solar-powered safety lights at ground level.
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
The path links Wellington Road and The Larches between Newport Girls’ High School and a housing development, with a brook running through the area too.
But Newport Town Council members were told at a meeting on Wednesday (January 8) that even after at least four years the council has been unable to pin down who to contact about the path. They know it is owned by a company but "cannot find" contact details.
They want to get permission to dig holes to install the flat solar-powered lights that would illuminate the dark public right of way.
Councillor Thomas King asked for an update at the meeting which prompted a debate among other councillors about whether they should just get on and do the job and deal with the consequences.
Councillor Thomas Janke said that ‘doing it and apologising afterwards’ could have benefits for public safety but it could cause problems for the town council.
The council was told that the path is owned by a named company but no-one has been able to find any contact details for the organisation, and no information about it appears on the Companies House website.
Town mayor Ian Perry said that members could look into the issues involved and hear a report back from the town clerk at the next meeting.
Other councillors believe that if they went through all the necessary steps they could then show Newport Town Council has gone through all its necessary ‘due diligence’ before proceeding.
