The cost of reopening a historic footpath has hit £1m, council chiefs have revealed.
Step Hill, otherwise known as footpath 53, runs between Churchside and Waters Green.
It has been closed since 2009 after safety concerns regarding the retaining wall.
It has now emerged that the invasive, fast-growing plant Japanese Knotweed has caused the entire stairway to become unstable. Cheshire East Council is now proposing to keep the path closed for at least two more years while it treats the knotweed. In the meantime it will repair the wall to allow the re-opening of the footpath at rear of the town hall car park and undertake further site investigation.
One potential solution being explored is to install a series of anchors to stabilise the steps and walls. But the repair costs are climbing steadily.
Earlier this year the council quoted a repair of £800,000.
This has now reached more than £1m and doesn’t yet include survey, design and legal costs. There are also concerns that the repair may need to cover the wider Bunker Hill area, increasing the cost further. In a report to the council’s cabinet, Peter Bates, chief operating officer, said: “The scheme was originally based around the stability of the walls.
“However, it has been established, by carrying out stability analysis from the available ground investigation information, that the whole slope may be potentially unstable.”
