A blocked twitten has reopened after a year after months of wrangling, several visits by the police, an arrest, a legal order and the installation of security cameras.
The path between Woodland Drive, Hove, and the Three Cornered Copse was closed in October last year after storms brought down fencing and a wall.
The delay in reopening the footpath was compounded by neighbours who said that they owned the land and were withdrawing permission for the public to use it.
Independent councillor Samer Bagaeen, who represents Westdene and Hove Park on Brighton and Hove City Council, submitted a question about the impasse earlier this year.
The twitten, between 54 and 56 Woodland Drive, Hove, leads to and from the Three Cornered Copse and links residents in Woodland Avenue and neighbouring streets to their local shops.
The closure left dog walkers forced to take a much longer route to the copse, people losing easy access to the shops in Woodland Parade, traders there losing business and hundreds of people being cut off from a public defibrillator.
Dozens of residents met Labour councillor Trevor Muten at the site on Friday 13 September. Councillor Muten is the council cabinet member responsible for public highways.
The family at number 54 heckled him and Conservative councillor Ivan Lyons, who represents the ward. The police were called.
The council said that it had passed a legal order, making clear the twitten was a public footpath, with a right of way.
Two weeks later, as council workers assessed how to clear the blocked passage and how to make it safe, the police were called again. Sohail Shahin, 30, was arrested and taken into custody.
On the day, Sussex Police said: “Police are investigating a report of an assault at an address in Woodland Drive, Hove, shortly after 10.30am this morning (Friday 27 September).
“A 30-year-old local man was arrested on suspicion of common assault. He remains in custody.
“Witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to contact police online or call 101 quoting serial 373 of 27/09.”
He was later released and subsequently told that he faced no further action.
After work was carried out at the site yesterday (Tuesday 15 October), the council said today: “We’ve reopened the popular footpath on Woodland Drive.
“The path, leading to the Three Cornered Copse, was forced to close last year when a partially collapsed wall posed a risk to public safety.
“Contractors have now completed work to clear the footpath and make the area safe for residents to use once again.
“We’ve also installed a temporary CCTV camera for extra security and reinstalled signage.”
Councillor Muten, the cabinet member for transport, parking and the public realm, said: “This is great news and I’m pleased local people will once again get to use this much-loved path and the area its leads to.
“This has been a complicated issue but one that’s been a priority for us. I’d like to thank residents for their patience and support in getting it recognised as an official public footpath.
“It really has demonstrated the passion of local people for the area and their community. I look forward to seeing people use and enjoy the path once again.”
The council added: “We were forced to close the footpath in October 2023 because of a partially collapsed wall.
“During the closure several issues were raised with us, including access rights.
“With the support of evidence provided to us by the local community, we made a legal order, confirming the footpath as an official public footpath.
“During a visit by council officers, it became clear other sections of a boundary wall were still at risk of collapse.
“Following an inspection from a structural engineer, we used powers under section 78 of the Building Act to get contractors to clear the area and make it safe.”
One resident said: “It’s been a well-used public footpath for years – and maps and plans going back decades provide evidence, as do the deeds of the houses on either side of the twitten.
“It’s taken way too long to resolve this and there were plenty of people willing to deal with this themselves if the council wasn’t prepared to act.
“Since they got to grips with it, they seem to have done all the right things, to be fair, although of course everyone wishes that they’d acted sooner.
“We just hope that the twitten will stay clear now and we won’t have a repeat of some of the abuse and intimidation that’s been directed at some dog walkers, especially women out on their own.
“And at least the police and council have shown that they’re willing to act and to do their job if they come under enough pressure.”
That is wonderful news .. the public have a right of way on public footpaths . ‘Twitten ‘ is a Sussex term and dates back hundreds of years .. we should respect and look after our Twittens .. and protect them from
Money grabbing land thiefs ..
Fair play to the councillors. I give Lyons a lot of stick at times for his party politics, but I must admit, his dedication to fixing the issues in his ward is one of his best qualities.
Blimey, what a lot of nonsense !