Closed Country Park footpath to be reopened this year

Full access to Ecclesbourne Glen in Hastings Country Park will finally be restored with the reopening of the main footpath later this year. But according to Save Ecclesbourne Glen group, the failure to investigate the causes of the landslip will make future monitoring of land stability more difficult. Report by Nick Terdre, photos by Russell Jacobs.

Work is due to begin on restoring the closed footpath in Ecclesbourne Glen in the autumn, according to Hastings Borough Council. It will undertake the task jointly with East Sussex County Council, which is responsible for footpaths. Reopening is expected to take place later this year.

The footpath is the lower of the two running through the glen – both were closed in 2013 after being destroyed by a landslip. “Specialist geotechnical engineers have now advised that the area is stable, meaning it is safe to be reopened to the public in the future,” said HBC.

“We are so thrilled that this part of Ecclesbourne Glen is finally safe, and that we are able to start work on reopening this valuable and much-loved area,” said Cllr Maya Evans, the Environment lead.

“Geotechnical engineers have been regularly assessing the area, and we are delighted that they now consider it safe to reopen the footpaths. We know many residents will be excited to access the glen again in the near future.

“The county council will also be repairing a broken culvert on the coast path at the foot of the glen, and we are also hoping the restored main footpath will become part of the new England Coastal Path.”

Coastal path rerouted

Because the whole of Ecclesbourne Glen was closed off, Natural England rerouted this section of the proposed England Coastal Path around Rocklands caravan park. The upper footpath was reopened in late 2019 after the two councils decided the land was stable enough.

The area where the landslip occurred would continue to be monitored to ensure it stayed safe, Evans said.

News of the reopening of the lower path, and the return of the England Coastal Path to its natural route, was welcomed by Save Ecclesbourne Glen group. “Access to the glen is important for both locals and visitors alike,” it said. “We are pleased that lobbying by the Friends of the Country Park, Ramblers and SEG has finally led to the footpath being reopened.”

The Friends of Hastings Country Park and Nature Reserve said they were “delighted that persistent local community pressure has finally had an effect.”

However, SEG pointed out that a report by geotechnical engineer Coffey in November 2020, on which the decision to reopen was based, cautioned that the landslip, although considered dormant, could become active again in the event of wetter weather, changes of flows of ground and surface water, changes of loadings on the slope or cliff erosion.

A detailed risk assessment should be carried out before reopening the footpath was considered, it said, adding that there had been no detailed ground investigation, groundwater monitoring or slope stability assessment and therefore sensitivity to changes in rainfall and groundwater could not be predicted.

SEG obtained a redacted copy of the report under a Freedom of Information request.

Man-made contributions

A 2015 Coffey report “recognised that there were man-made contributory factors to the 2013-14 landslips that started in Rocklands Caravan Park,” SEG said. “These factors include changes to drainage, terracing and removal of trees. These factors remain uninvestigated and unchanged.

“SEG have campaigned for many years for the implementation of the 2015 Coffey 2 report recommendations to carry out further investigations into drainage and slope stability and to mitigate the factors that caused the landslip.”

SEG – “and the public” – would continue to monitor the landslip for any early warning signs of instability, it said.

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