Council's 'dissatisfaction' over continued closure of Salcey Forest tree top walk

A council leader has written to express his '˜dissatisfaction' at the closure of a popular visitor attraction at Salcey Forest.
The tree top walk in Salcey Forest. Picture by Lucy AngusThe tree top walk in Salcey Forest. Picture by Lucy Angus
The tree top walk in Salcey Forest. Picture by Lucy Angus

The tree top walk, which is run by the Forestry Commission, has been closed since May after a safety inspection found maintenance problems with the structure.

More than 33,000 people have since signed a petition calling for the attraction to be repaired.

With the Forestry Commission unsure how long it will be closed, South Northamptonshire Council has agreed for its leader Ian McCord to write to Thérèse Coffey MP, who has responsibility for forestry, to ‘advise her of the dissatisfaction of the council’.

The authority also agreed at a full council meeting last month (July 18) for the council chief executive to write to their counterpart at the Forestry Commission, with the motion slamming the ‘neglect and inaction’ of the Commission.

Councillor McCord said: “We have sent the letter and not had an answer back yet, but it’s still within a usual timescale for a response at the moment. We will see what we get.”

He added that he hoped he would get a response next month.

The tree top walk, which rises 15 metres about the woodland floor, is a popular place for walkers within the county, with the council praising its ‘educational, wellbeing and economic’ impact on the area.

The council has called on the Forestry Commission to undertake repairs ‘without delay’, and is also considering applying for grant help toward any necessary repairs.

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