A COUNCILLOR has called a parish council ‘not fit for purpose’ following controversy surrounding the protection of a public walkway.

For a number of years, a local community has been fighting to maintain public access to the Hele Valley Trail (HVT).

The trail winds its way through 16 acres of beautiful riverside native heritage woodland and broadleaved woodland on the outskirts of the village of Marhamchurch near the North Cornwall coast.

A well-established open space area, it has enjoyed unrestricted permissive access year-round for the last 20 years.

However, after the land was put up for sale, concerns were raised that this access could come to an end.

Following a campaign the trail’s future was secured, however, one local councillor has said that the outcome has been tainted by ‘unpleasant and undermining activities that have been employed throughout the course of the project by some’.

Marhamchurch parish councillor Tom O’Sullivan has detailed some of the issues which he says “took place behind the scenes”.

The councillor has claimed that there were efforts to undermine the project with vocal opposition being made to a survey which revealed that 96 per cent of respondents were in favour of Marhamchurch Parish Council (MPC) buying the property.

He continued: “The unavoidable eight-month delay in receiving the outcome of the Community Ownership Fund (COF) grant application caused by the General Election in July 2024 was used to suggest I as lead councillor was failing to progress the project. When we eventually received the wonderful news just before Christmas 2024 that our application had succeeded and we were to receive the full £152,000 applied for [no-one] acknowledged the success.”

Despite criticism of the delay, Cllr O’Sullivan has also claimed that ‘unnecessary’ intervention by fellow councillors regarding the ‘exaggerated issue of tree safety’ prevented further progress even more.

“Progressing the purchase was unnecessarily blocked by the exaggerated issue of tree safety,” he continued. “Ironically at the time I raised the issue of tree safety at the Marhamchurch playpark which was dismissed.

“In the end, the tree survey at the HVT identified no concerns, while the survey of the playpark identified several trees to be in such a dangerous state; MPC was advised to remove them within one month.

“In spite of this, any risk posed by the trees at the HVT is still being exaggerated while the issue of the trees on the playpark remains to be dealt with.”

Cllr O’Sullivan has also expressed his frustration at a lack of recognition of the project’s success by public figures, including Cornwall Council’s leader.

“In the end the undermining activities have only served to make me more proud of what I achieved which was only made possible by wonderful public support as well as the huge encouragement and support of colleagues at Poundstock Parish Council.

“I can but long for the day when Marhamchurch has the type of credible, independent parish council which Poundstock enjoys.”

Marhamchurch Parish Council have been contacted for comment.