Duke of Norfolk agrees to repair 'unridable' cycle path across his land in Chapeltown, Sheffield

The route through Smithywood Business Park in Chapeltown will be repaired before the end of March, his spokesman said.

Edward William Fitzalan-Howard is the 18th Duke of Norfolk and lives in Arundel Castle, West Sussex.

He co-owns the business park with St Paul’s Developments, based in Chapeltown.

Jeremy Robinson, of commercial estate agents Fowler Sandford, is his man in Sheffield.

Mr Robinson said: “Smithywood Business Parks Development LLP is aware of the issue with the damaged length of path. The path was damaged by contractors during the construction of the adjacent building but mainly by illegal offroad motor bikes and 4x4 vehicles who are a constant problem in the area.

“The path has been repaired and reinstated several times since its construction. It is proposed for the path to be repaired during Q1 2022 as soon as the site is dry enough for works to commence. “

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Cyclist Dennis Patton has campaigned for completion of a 200m section, off Cowley Way, which he says has never been surfaced and is covered in ruts and muddy puddles.

He said: “I’m delighted with the proposed repairs. I will look forward to the works being carried out to a decent standard and maintained for the future. Thank you to The Star for supporting our campaign.”

The route is four miles long and links Meadowhall with Chapeltown. It passes through Smithywood Business Park near a new PLP distribution centre.

In December, Councillor Douglas Johnson, executive member for climate change, environment and transport at Sheffield City Council, said a new section of cycle path must be built with every new phase of the Smithywood development.

He added: “However, we appreciate that this is dependent on the timescales of the developer and may take some time.”

The Star contacted St Paul’s Developments and PLP for comment. In 2019 PLP bought 17 acres of land at Smithywood for a distribution centre which was completed in 2020.

In June last year, trucking firm Advanced Supply Chain Group announced it had leased the warehouse for fashion brands and hoped to create 400 jobs over the next three years.

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