BAM Nuttall and Moray Council to finish popular route The Walkies in Forres
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NEARLY a year after a complaint was raised, a local walkway remains overgrown and unusable.
Like many people, Douglas Urquhart of Market Street used to walk his dog his pets along a path known as 'The Walkies' from the Mosset Burn alongside the A96 to the sewage treatment plant before the new adjacent railway line was installed.
That was made far more difficult when an agreement on maintenance of the walkway between Network Rail's contractor BAM Nuttall and Moray Council was not upheld.
Mr Urquhart said: "I've been chasing the council - they said the work would be done by last October but nothing has happened. It was a pleasant walk but now now - it's just a mess. If the council fix it, fine, but it seems to have taken a very long time for something that was agreed when the job started. It's twice as bad now, completely overgrown."
Last September, a Moray Council spokesperson confirmed that an agreement has been reached which will see the local authority plant trees and restore the edges of the footpath.
He added: "This will happen once monies have been received from Network Rail, we anticipate by the end of October."
Local councillor George Alexander has been chasing the work.
He said: "BAM are keen to get the matter concluded as this is one of the projects which has collapsed down the priority list of all those involved during the lockdown.
"The path has already been upgraded and the stumps of its big trees are to be carved by a chainsaw sculptor. He has already done one and has another four to do. This is being done at the expense of BAM as part of what was agreed during the improvements carried out for Network Rail.
"Discussions between BAM and Moray Council are going on now and hopefully a conclusion will be reached soon."
A BAM spokesman confirmed the company has already improved the path wide but carving of five stumps of trees felled during the railway project delayed by the coronavirus lockdown will be completed shortly. Outstanding money due to Moray Council will also be paid imminently.
He added: "The path before was a wild, wooded area with a waking track through it. The standard is much higher now. We replaced the fence, widened the path and used compounded stone that will make the walk sustainable for years. "
