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Plea for medical centre path to be reopened

Gina MillsonLancashire political reporter
News imageBBC A picture of Graham Gooch, he is wearing a brown winter hat, and a red puffy coat, he has on tinted glasses. He is standing in front of a brown picket fence in front of a carpark for the Longton Medical Centre which is in the distance. The is a white sign on the fence to the right which is a car park notice telling people it is only available during surgery hours.BBC
Chairman of Longton Parish Council, Graham Gooch, wants the section of fence blocking the path to be removed

People living in a Lancashire village said a fence installed at their local GP surgery has closed off their access to a path which has been in place for 50 years.

The path runs between Longton Health Centre and a row of shops on Liverpool Road, including a pharmacy.

Residents said it was closed without consultation and are calling for it to be re-opened.

Landowner NHS Property Services said the fence was put up after it was contacted by the health centre for help with "inconsiderate parking and litter issues".

The fence runs around the health centre car park, to secure it against people parking there who are not visiting the surgery.

News imageA picture of a path that runs in a small woodland. The path is mossy and surrounded by trees on both sides. It is winter, so there are a lot of leaves on the ground.
The alternative path has been described as unsuitable for those with mobility issues

However, chairman of Longton Parish Council Graham Gooch said: "It's been open like this for at least 50 years, I think perhaps we could get it made into a public path and stop this nonsense."

There is an alternative route but there are fears that it is unsuitable for those with mobility issues, or people with prams.

Gooch said: "Now to get to the health centre or to the library, you've got to take the circuitous route along pavements that are totally unsuitable because there are lampposts and street signs.

"People have got to mingle with the traffic on the car park and then go into the deepest, darkest wood, which is mossed over for most of the path and is very dark at nights."

News imageA brown wooden fence, with a white sign saying private car park on the left and a white sign with parking notice on it. On the floor are yellow painted lines to indicate no parking, these were painted to indicate the path. In the background is the Longton Medical Centre carpark
A new section of fence was installed before Christmas, blocking the path

As well as a new piece of fencing, yellow barriers have been installed to stop people using the medical centre car park at night.

Gooch also wants them removed. He said: "This isn't a business for parking cars, this is a business for looking after the community, of curing sick people and enabling them to get to the facilities that they're entitled to in the library."

In a statement, NHS Property Services said: "Longton Health Centre contacted us for help in dealing with inconsiderate parking and litter issues.

"As landlords we listened to their requests and have installed extra disabled and parent child parking spaces as well as a gate and a fence to assist all patients who drive to the centre for appointments."

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