WORK has started on a controversial new cycle path overlooking St Michael's Mount that it was a dying woman's wish to stop.
Heather Knight, from Rosevidney, was so keen to save the traditional viewpoint of St Michael's Mount that she started a petition, and in two weeks gathered more than 400 signatures before her death from cancer.
Ludgvan Parish Council also vehemently opposed the proposal to create a footpath and cycleway between Marazion and the station car park.
Cornwall Council started work on the site earlier this week without informing the parish council, whose vice-chairman Nigel Honess said it was another example of the unitary body doing exactly what it wanted to.
Mr Honess said the parish council, which has only attracted six candidates for 12 seats in the forthcoming elections, was still waiting to hear from Cornwall Council on a number of safety issues it had raised over the path.
"Heather Knight did the petition while she had cancer," he said. "She rang me up and she said 'Nigel, do fight for that piece of ground'.
"Cornwall Council is going to do whatever it feels like and it doesn't matter what anybody does; they don't listen to anybody.
"It wasn't like this with Penwith District Council," said Mr Honess.
"It's another instance of Cornwall Council coming up with these schemes, voting on these schemes and carrying them out, just like the St Erth Interchange, which everybody knows is really for St Ives."
Mr Honess said that part of the reason the parish had attracted so few candidates for councillors was because existing members had become tired of not being listened to.
The cycle path is along a strip of the sea wall where locals and tourists park to view the Mount and visit the beach.
The path will replace a lay-by located between yellow lines.
Ludgvan council twice voted unanimously to object to the proposals for safety reasons, and because it was felt that the view should be able to be enjoyed by everyone.
Parish chairman Richard Sergeant said the parish council had not been formally notified that the work on the path was about to begin and had only found out through Mr Honess, who was notified as an individual objector.
"The communication has been non-existent," he said. "We asked two or three safety questions and still have not had a reply to that and then there were two full council votes, both unanimously against the plans. We all feel very strongly about this. We are all extremely angry and feel absolutely powerless."
Cornwall Council was not available for comment.