Salcey Forest: Tree top walkway to be removed due to 'safety issues'

The Tree Top Way is a raised platform at Salcey Forest, near Northampton

A popular aerial walkway will be removed due to "serious structural safety issues".

Previously it was hoped repairs could be made to Tree Top Way, in Salcey Forest, Northamptonshire.

The plans have now been abandoned after the estimated £1.7m cost to repair and maintain the walkway outweighed available funding, Forestry England said.

The raised walkway closed to the public in May 2018 following safety concerns.

In a statement, Forestry England said: "We have had to make the difficult decision to remove the Tree Top Walkway at Salcey Forest, which has been closed since 2018 because of serious structural safety issues.

"We have spent considerable time investigating and weighing up the options of repairing it, as we genuinely believed we were going to be able to repair the walkway and extend its life for another 10 years."

However, the authority said, the estimated cost of £1.7m was "beyond the available funding" and that even if the money was available they believed it could be invested "in better way for visitors long-term".

The structure, which looks out over Salcey Forest, closed in May 2018 following safety concerns

More than 32,000 people previously signed a petition calling for the attraction, which is 15m (49ft) above the ground, to be saved.

The walkway opened in 2005 and attracted about 250,000 visitors a year.

Forestry England said they will redevelop the area where the walkway currently stands as part of a £240,000 investment, creating a new visitor space.

"We know the Tree Top Walkway has warm memories and associations for many people who have loved visiting it for a bird's eye view over the tree canopy and understand how sad many will feel," it said.

"However, as disappointing as this news is, the reality is that repairing and maintaining timber structures - particularly outdoors - is only effective for a limited time before parts have to be replaced."