IT is important to clear up some factual inaccuracies in Stuart Gray’s letter regarding the footpath in Parkend Road, Bream.

Fundamentally, he is linking two issues that are completely separate – the repair of the path that serves existing residents’ properties and the new homes we are building, with the local council’s support, to meet demand for low-cost housing.

If Mr Gray were to review our plans for this much-needed £1.7 million scheme, he would clearly see the cost of upgrading the paths and access routes associated with it are included in the overall project and will, therefore, be paid by Two Rivers Housing.

Repair of the path that runs outside Mr Gray’s home is an entirely separate issue raised with us by Mr Gray and his local representative Cllr Leppington in the summer.

We agreed to consider his claim that the path outside his home and others needed to be repaired and, as a result, we are now looking into what is required, requesting estimates of the cost and liaising with all the home-owners – like Mr Gray – who are affected by it.

He correctly points out in his letter that the people who own these homes accepted legal responsibility to pay to repair things that go wrong with them when they bought them.

This extends to ‘communal facilities’ which includes the footpath that runs along the front of their properties and means all those home-owners are liable to pay their share of the cost to repair and maintain it.

Two Rivers Housing will also pay its share relating to the properties it continues to own along this stretch of footpath.

Contrary to what Mr Gray says, the situation in Parkend Road does not create a precedent as we have had discussions with many home-owners in a similar position over the years.

There are paths and roads throughout the area that have not been adopted by the (Gloucestershire) County Council and anyone who buys a home should be made aware if the situation applies to them by their legal advisor before they agree to buy the property.

When this happens to a road or path where we are also liable, we understand the other home-owners may not have the savings to be able to pay their share as a single lump sum, so we always offer to spread repayments over a period that suits them.

Two Rivers Housing is a charity and 90 per cent of our income comes from the rent our tenants pay.

Morally, it would be wrong to expect our tenants to pay to repair a path that others have accepted legal responsibility for.

– Jon Coe, Corporate Director – Operations, Two Rivers Housing.