Calls for action to fix sink hole by Peterborough's River Nene - as council confirms it won't pay for works

Peterborough City Council have said they will not pay for repairs to a sink hole on a city centre riverside footpath.

The council has been in dispute with freeholders Riverview House Freehold Ltd (RHFL) for a number of years over repairs to Henry Penn Walk, which runs alongside the River Nene near Rivergate in the city centre, after a large sink hole opened up on the path.

The path has been closed off since the hole opened.

In August 2022, The Peterborough Telegraph reported that there was hope works could start soon, as Paul Hook, from RHFL, said he was waiting for confirmation on who owned the path and the retaining wall.

But there is still no sign works are about to start, and the path is now overgrown as well as cracked and broken .

A spokesperson for the council said they would not be footing the bill to pay for the repairs. The spokesperson said: “We don’t have any information on when the work will begin yet, however, payment for the works would be the responsibility of the landowner (Riverview House Freehold Ltd).”

Now Peterborough MP Paul Bristow has called for action to be taken to get the path fixed as soon as possible.

He said: “It is not right. It should not be tax payers who are landed with the bill, but this has been going on for three years now. It is having a detrimental impact on the city centre, and it must be a nightmare for residents at Riverview.

"The council and the freeholder must come together and find a solution once and for all.”

The street was named after Peterborough bell maker Henry Penn, who ran a foundry near Lower Bridge Street more than 300 years.

Along with having the street named after him, there is a giant bell sculpture on Bridge Street. The underpass leading from Bridge Street to the Lido and the Crown Court is also named Foundry Walk in his honour.

The Peterborough Telegraph has contacted RHFL for comment about when works might begin.