Stephen Morgan MP joins locals in Old Portsmouth on a walkabout to listen to concerns on access to the historic Camber
Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan, has offered his support to Old Portsmouth campaigners following a walkabout around the area to hear from concerned residents who have been campaigning for a Byway to reopen access to the historic Camber.
Residents launched the campaign over new obstructions to the route around the Camber, an important asset at the mouth of the city’s harbour.
Mr Morgan visited the Camber with representatives from Friends of Old Portsmouth (FOOPA) after a long-running and hard-fought campaign resulted in the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, ruling that the City Council must draft an Order for a restricted Byway, re-opening access to the route.
However, at time of writing, the council has yet to be forthcoming in providing such an order since the instruction was made in February, much to the frustration of local residents.
Mr Morgan has now offered his backing in achieving long-awaited progress on this issue, and will be pushing forward in efforts to expedite matters for all involved.
Stephen Morgan MP, said:
“The Camber is a real asset to our city’s seafront and local residents have led a brilliant campaign to get it back open for the public to enjoy.
The order from DEFRA is clear and the council needs to get on with the drafting so local people can make the most of a historic area of our great city. It was good to see the issue for myself and hear from Old Portsmouth campaigners about their concerns and frustrations.
For the sake of residents and Portsmouth’s heritage, we must move forward in implementing the right of way and facilitating happy co-existence between Camber businesses and pedestrians.
I’ll be doing all I can to achieve progress for the people of Old Portsmouth.”
The city MP met with FOOPA Chair Gail Baird who had requested a meeting Mr Morgan after months of being frustrated by the City Council’s lack of progress in drafting an Order for a Restricted Byway following the Secretary of State’s ruling in February.
Gail Baird said:
“The visit gave applicant and long-standing Old Portsmouth resident Ken Bailey the opportunity to explain to our MP exactly how the Right of Way route has been obstructed, giving rise to the application in 2014. Mr Morgan was keen to offer his support to expedite the process and will address relevant Officers.
FOOPA has supported the Right of Way campaign since the applicants first requested the route to be recorded on the Definitive Map.
The objective remains the same: that this route is an important historic asset for the City whose quays should be kept open and accessible as a protected public amenity co-existing with all Camber business uses as it always has been in the past”.
