WORK has started on a project being led by Malton and Norton Area Partnership (MNAP) to revitalise a riverside path network.

The boardwalk, in Lady Spring Wood, will be closed until mid-December while work is underway. Afterwards the route will remain as an earth path.

Interserve, the Community Payback team are removing chicken wire from the riverside boardwalk Sunday and The Internal Drainage Board (Vale of Pickering) will begin lifting the boardwalk from next Monday. Both organisations have provided their labour free of charge.

Fiona Croft, of the Riverside Group, said: “The Internal Drainage Board will de-silt The Cut, the ditch running from Old Malton to behind Orchard Fields. This will help to improve the surface water drainage in Old Malton and Malton. Excavated silt will be spread across The Gannock field, with the permission of the landowner, Fitzwilliam Trust Corporation, and the farmer, Chris Hoggard. Walkers should be aware that The Gannock will be much muddier than usual.

“The Partnership asks users of the woods to respect the closure for their own safety. The springs-side boardwalk is still open, but there is no access to The Gannock from Lady Spring Wood.

“The current work is part of a larger project costing over £90,000 to improve the paths between Orchard Fields and The Gannock through Lady Spring Wood.”

Fiona said the final piece of work in 2017 will be replacing the bridge over The Cut from The Gannock. “In 2018, the Partnership will be replacing the springs-side boardwalk with a new recycled plastic boardwalk, consolidating the earth paths through the woods, including by the riverside, and removing invasive plant species,” she added.

MNAP brings together volunteers from local councils, community groups, residents, the business sector and other stakeholders, to provide a vehicle for making community-led recommendations The top four priorities identified by residents and businesses at a 2015 MNAP-led Towns Ahead meeting were to improve access to and use of the River Derwent for the enjoyment of both towns.

The Riverside Group of MNAP was formed which has worked on riverside projects throughout the towns’ centres, but recently has been focusing on Lady Spring Wood because boardwalks and a bridge that were considered unsafe were to be removed.

This project is supported by funding from Yorventure EB, Ryedale District Council Section 106 and crowdfunding contributions from supporters. Malton Town Council is providing administrative support.

The entire stretch of the River Derwent and its banks from Orchard Fields to Old Malton is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), also known by locals as The Willow Wood, or Lady Mary’s Wood, Lady Spring Wood

For more information contact Fiona Croft, on croft.fiona@gmail.com or 07904 739560; or Sarah Oswald on sarah@theauthenticspark.com or 07989 656690