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Why has a sinkhole not been fixed in five years?

John Devine
BBC News
Reporting fromPeterborough
John Devine/BBC Susan Broccoli, 59, has grey shoulder length hair parted in the middle she has dark rimmed glasses on and a pink scarf around her neck, she has a black winter overcoat on. Behind her is builders metal safety fencing around a large pit next to the front of flats that are on the banks of the River Nene. There is an iron railway bridge going across the water in the far background.John Devine/BBC
Susan Broccoli, 59, said she first noticed the hole in the pathway in July 2020 and the situation was getting worse

In 2020, Susan Broccoli first noticed a sinkhole in Peterborough, but for five years it was unclear who was responsible for the repair. Mrs Broccoli feared the situation on Henry Penn Wall reflected badly on the city centre and the size of the hole would only increase. Plans are under way to resolve the issue but how did it get to this point and what is actually being done?

How do residents feel?

John Devine/BBC The front of an apartment block near the banks of the River Nene, there is a black wrought iron 1m (3ft) high fence running along the top of the bank that has bulged out in the middle looking like that it might collapse into the water. There are two Heras builders safety fences on the ground and brown sewage pipes can be seen as the ground has been cleared around them. A blue iron railway bridge is visible in the far background on the left.John Devine/BBC
The Environment Agency and Peterborough City Council will have to approve plans by RHFL to rectify the issue

The sinkhole appeared on the public footpath in 2020 in front of the Riverview House apartment block before the path was shut in 2021.

Mrs Broccoli, 59, runs the social media group We Love Peterborough and said Henry Penn Walk looked dreadful.

"It is normally a beautiful place to walk down by the river with the boats and the railway, but at the moment we have a bit of a hole that has been here for five years," she added.

Mrs Broccoli said diggers had been on the site recently trying to repair sewage pipes at Riverview House, making it look like a building site or a bomb had gone off.

She added the footpath was a well-used resource that took pedestrians over a bridge to the other side of the city before it was closed.

However, she felt most sorry for the residents who were looking out of their homes at the "total eyesore".

Who is responsible?

There was debate over who should sort the site and Peterborough City Council said it was the responsibility of Riverview House Freehold Limited (RHFL).

Initially however, RHFL did not know it was responsible for the repairs.

After talks, RHFL said it hoped to "get the issue sorted this year".

What has RHFL said?

We Love Peterborough The footpath now buckled and cracked with vegetation growing out of the gaps in the tarmac, the path is fenced off from the public with Heras building fences about 2m (6ft) high.We Love Peterborough
By January 2024 the pathway was buckling and cracking badly

Dr Clive Morton has lived in the Riverview apartments for 10 years and is one of three directors of RHFL.

"As leaseholders and freeholders of the block we could not have foreseen what was going to happen and did not think we would be responsible for the repairs to the river wall and path," he explained.

"It is down to riparian ownership law, which is a medieval statute which means RHFL are responsible for the riverbank and halfway across the river.

"Peterborough City Council just adopts the surface of the footpath, the rest of the repair work is down to us."

Has the council said anything?

Angus Ellis, cabinet member for environment and transport, told the BBC: "We understand people's frustration at the lack of progress in the repairs to Henry Penn Walk.

"Officers have met with the freeholders on several occasions, most recently in December, to discuss their proposals. We hope this issue can resolved as swiftly as possible but in the meantime the footpath continues to be closed for public safety."

What are the next steps?

We Love Peterborough A tarmac pathway running beside a river which seems to be buckling and has a small hole in the middle of it. A blue iron railway bridge can be seen in the backgroundWe Love Peterborough
The pathway was still passable in 2020 but has since developed in to a much bigger problem

Dr Morton said that plans had been put forward to carry out works to fix the situation.

"Engineers working on behalf of RHFL which is owned by leaseholders, have successively developed four schemes over the last three years, only to find each scheme is either not approved, unworkable or unaffordable," he said.

"RHFL are currently seeking the consent of the Environment Agency and approval by Peterborough City Council for the latest solution to fix this very difficult problem."

What has the Environment Agency said?

JOHN DEVINE/BBC The front of the apartment block with a view from the other side of the flats, ground is earth that has been dug up to expose brown sewage pipes, a concrete wall and a black metal fence are badly bowed in the middle.JOHN DEVINE/BBC
Pipes can be seen sticking out the ground at the back of the apartments

A Environment Agency spokesperson said as there was a "potential risk of pollution" to the River Nene" it expected the "developer or contractor to apply appropriate pollution prevention measures to ensure that no sewage enters the river whilst work is being undertaken".

"The responsibility and accountability sit with the development company and/or contractor to fulfil this," it added.

RHFL said it had already taken action and drainage had been diverted.

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