As has been said elsewhere on this website, the Council's proposals to change the landscape of the Downs and Avon Gorge has created an "open season" for other groups and lobbies to indulge in their own plans and schemes. There has been talk of a huge sculpture: Bristol's own Angel of the North. The local archeological lobby have suggested clearing The Dumps of hawthorns to expose the old lead mine pits to the delighted gaze of the public. The heritage industry may well yet succeed in cutting down all the trees around Observatory Hill, in spite of fierce local opposition from Clifton and Hotwells Improvement Society (CHIS)), in order to expose the ramparts of the Iron Age Fort there.
Now, a group of local residents, the Friends of the Downs and Avon Gorge (FODAG), has put a proposal to build a footbridge over Bridge Valley Road before the Downs Committee. The Committee responded with polite interest, whilst muttering about the costs. However, what the Committeee failed to point out is that it is beyond their powers and remit, as laid out in the The Clifton and Durdham Downs (Bristol) Act 1861 to authorize the building of this kind of structure on the Downs. The Downs Committee does not have the power simply to do what it sees fit on the Downs. Its scope is very much controlled and limited by the provisions of the Act and by common land law. Unfortunately the present committee does not appear to be too concerned to keep within the limitations imposed upon it by the Act and it is proposing to put up permanent fencing for the Goat Pen when the erection of permanent fencing on the Downs is specifically outlawed by the Act. A legal challenge would seem to be inevitable.
Would not a pedestrian crossing or traffic lights be more reasonable - and cheaper?