Thanks to all those who have read this thread and even more to those who replied....
700c - some good points made and you obviously know the area, having commuted around here for over 20 years. The increased distance to the local school is not significant - but I am not going that way myself. My own commute of 12 plus miles takes me out past Woodcroft (sorry, boring detail here). As for increased danger of using this section of A48, it looks like we will have to agree to disagree because I think that the hazard of a right hand turn on a 50mph (if drivers stick to the speed limit) road in the wet, dark evenings is a step too far for me, wimp that I am.
Peter - I am not sure that heavy vehicles should be using a footpath....
RickH - yes, they are the fence type and not the Armco type. i can see the logic of trying to segregate the pedestrians from some of the speed merchants that forget that this is a built up area - perhaps I should campaign for reduced speed limit here as well.... it is that lack of provision for other vulnerable road users that prompted me to write.
Putting an access gateway in may be an excellent compromise - one that opens easily onto the path away from the roadway would fit the bill.
Using the footpath as a shared use path may have been an option too but at present cycling along this path is against the law as far as I understand.
I suppose the wider point is that of information and consultation. I will see how far I get with requesting more information with regard to the use of this section of carriageway by vulnerable road users but i doubt that I will get very far. If, however, more people would care to raise their concerns I am sure it will help with this and future designs.
Seriously, thanks for all the suggestions.
Safe cycling.
J.