13 year wait to clear public right of way in Dorset is over
There's good news for walkers and cyclists around Poole Harbour as the old Cordite Factory route at Holton Heath is cleared
Last updated 28th Sep 2023
After 13 years, work has finally begun on clearing a former military railway route next to Poole Harbour.
The old Cordite Factory route at Holton Heath has been blocked off since 2010 but it's now been recognised as a public right of way.
By next summer the clean up operation will be finished, giving the people in Sandford access to the water.
Councillor Andy Hadley told us: “For people living in Sanford, it's the only way they can look out onto the harbour, that’s why it was well used and we could find people who wanted to help out with the project.”
Volunteers began clearing years of undergrowth from the trail leading to the pier opposite Rockley Sands earlier this month under the supervision of a Dorset Council Ranger
A footpath is currently being cleared for walkers and cyclists in a bid to enhance trails around Poole Harbour.
Cllr Hadley added: “The track is currently quite muddy but we're working on the drainage and once that’s done the track will be really rather lovely.
“You just get this lovely view of the upper Wareham channel and if you're looking across to Arne, there's a lot of birdlife so you get a beautiful view out across a quiet corner of the harbour.”
Over the coming months, the viewpoint overlooking Poole Harbour and Arne peninsular will be cleared.
Land on which the route lies is owned by the Lees Estate and leased by Jade-Aden Services, both of whom have supported the scheme.
Cllr Hadley explained what other plans he has for the site: “We are talking to Network Rail about getting the bridge reinstated and we're looking at the possibility of getting a bridge across the mouth of Lytchett Bay which would link Hamworthy and Sanford together.”