 Castle Cove in Dartmouth has been closed since 1999 |
The row over a popular beach in south Devon which has been closed to the public for five years appears to be no closer to being resolved. The steep footpath to Castle Cove near Dartmouth was damaged by storms in 1999 and has been closed ever since.
South Hams District Council (SHDC) says it would cost around �300,000 to repair the path, which it cannot afford.
But the South Hams MP, Conservative Anthony Steen, thinks the council is being too cautious.
He says Castle Cove should be reopened with people left to make their own decision about whether it is too dangerous to use. He said: "The council have clearly taken a view, which I doubt if I share, that the risk is too great and the likelihood of being sued is too expensive for them to allow the gate to be opened.
"That beach has been open for hundreds and hundreds of years until we had officialdom close it."
But Nick Hogdson from SHDC said they simply cannot afford it.
"�300,000 is a substantial figure," he said.
"The district council members certainly have considered that unless alternative funding can be identified that they couldn't contemplate the path reopening." .
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�300,000 is a substantial figure 
