The plans to rebuild the Zig Zag path have now been approved. The budget for the work is £884,500, £279,125 of this is to come from the Dorset Coastal Communities Fund. This momentous decision comes a year after the council had shelved plans to reconstruct the path because of the projects costs. However, the resident backed campaign by the Rothesay Drive Residents Association and the Friends of Highcliffe Beaches and Cliffs forced a ‘U-turn’. The group consisting of retired engineers and geologists were able to prove that the original estimate to replace the path was excessive and came up with a less costly option.
Following a petition of over 3000 signatures a Task and Finish group was set up and now the work on the path will start in November. Information about the timetable of the build has appeared in the Christchurch Courier produced by the Council and members of the HRA have also been invited to recent updates by the Council and have been able to contribute to the sterling work done by the Rothsay Drive team led by Bob Hutchings.
The proposed timeline is as follows:
Information Boards will be placed around the site with further updates.