A Hatfield man is starting a campaign to get a popular private road repaired.

%image(15673955, type="article-full", alt="Local resident Duncan Lewis is calling on the parish council to do more to fix the "craters" in Jonas Way, leading to the popular Gobions open space. Picture: DANNY LOO")

A Hatfield man is starting a campaign to get a popular private road repaired.

If you are driving to the Gobions Open Space in Brookmans Park, then your first consideration is likely to be the condition of Jonas Way.

The short stretch of road, which links Moffats Lane to Gobions and the car park, is notoriously pocked with “crater-like” potholes, remarked Welham Green resident Duncan Lewis, 52.

However, as the road belongs to the Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust (HMWT), it receives no maintenance from the county council.

%image(15670360, type="article-full", alt="Local resident Duncan Lewis is calling on the parish council to do more to fix the "craters" in Jonas Way, leading to the popular Gobions open space. Picture: DANNY LOO")

The trust allows the general public right of way.

“I highlighted this years ago,” said Duncan, who is a keen fisherman at Gobions lake. “It’s got to the point now that it’s a real concern.

“It puts a lot of people off using it.”

The HMWT is aware of the issue and has looked into the costs of repairing and maintaining the stretch of road, which is around £20,000.

%image(15673958, type="article-full", alt="Local resident Duncan Lewis is calling on the parish council to do more to fix the "craters" in Jonas Way, leading to the popular Gobions open space. Picture: DANNY LOO")

Although Jonas Way is the trust’s property, it is the sole public access to Gobions, which is the property of North Mymms Parish Council.

As it is not the main access to the trust’s own wildlife reserve, the trust has no use for it and believes the vast majority of its users are the general public.

As a result, the trust has approached the parish council for help funding repairs, or even to pass on ownership, although the council has no legal obligation to help.

A spokesperson for the trust said: “HMWT cannot in good faith expend voluntary donations on road repairs that do not fulfil our charitable objectives when there are so many other competing conservation priorities.

%image(15673959, type="article-full", alt="Local resident Duncan Lewis is calling on the parish council to do more to fix the "craters" in Jonas Way, leading to the popular Gobions open space. Picture: DANNY LOO")

“We are keen to work with the parish council to find a solution to the problems of the road surface but are unable to commit to the levels of spending to repair the road and to maintaining it in the long term.”

A spokesperson for the parish council said it will invite a representative of HMWT to discuss the issue at the next full council meeting on May 30.

Meanwhile, Duncan plans to start a petition to get the issue resolved.

“At the end of the day, it’s the residents that are suffering,” he said. “Both sides have got to get their heads together.”

%image(15670358, type="article-full", alt="Local resident Duncan Lewis is calling on the parish council to do more to fix the "craters" in Jonas Way, leading to the popular Gobions open space. Picture: DANNY LOO")

%image(15673965, type="article-full", alt="Local resident Duncan Lewis is calling on the parish council to do more to fix the "craters" in Jonas Way, leading to the popular Gobions open space. Picture: DANNY LOO")

%image(15673966, type="article-full", alt="Local resident Duncan Lewis is calling on the parish council to do more to fix the "craters" in Jonas Way, leading to the popular Gobions open space. Picture: DANNY LOO")

%image(15673968, type="article-full", alt="Local resident Duncan Lewis is calling on the parish council to do more to fix the "craters" in Jonas Way, leading to the popular Gobions open space. Picture: DANNY LOO")

%image(15673970, type="article-full", alt="Local resident Duncan Lewis is calling on the parish council to do more to fix the "craters" in Jonas Way, leading to the popular Gobions open space. Picture: DANNY LOO")

%image(15673971, type="article-full", alt="Local resident Duncan Lewis is calling on the parish council to do more to fix the "craters" in Jonas Way, leading to the popular Gobions open space. Picture: DANNY LOO")

%image(15673975, type="article-full", alt="Local resident Duncan Lewis is calling on the parish council to do more to fix the "craters" in Jonas Way, leading to the popular Gobions open space. Picture: DANNY LOO")

%image(15670362, type="article-full", alt="Local resident Duncan Lewis is calling on the parish council to do more to fix the "craters" in Jonas Way, leading to the popular Gobions open space. Picture: DANNY LOO")