The Chestnut Grove crossing gave pedestrians access to and from the village of Burton Joyce and footpaths leading to the River Trent, and had gates on each side.
A consultation on whether to permanently close the footpath level crossing had opened days before Josh’s death, after Network Rail had applied to Nottinghamshire County Council to close it on safety grounds in March.
A document submitted as part of the application from Network Rail said the rail firm had submitted “repeated applications” to the authority to temporarily stop the public right of way over the crossing to remove the risk to users while permanent solutions were explored.
The rail firm warned the crossing posed a “very real risk of serious incident” and reported 19 near-misses from 2020 until March this year.
An emergency closure was agreed between Network Rail and the county council the day after Josh’s death for an initial 21 days, before being extended.
A temporary traffic regulation order for the footpath will come into effect on Thursday lasting until 26 May 2026.
In a statement following his death, Josh’s family said: “Josh was a lad with an incredible energy for life, an infectious and mischievous smile, kind sparkling eyes, and so much love to give.”
Dozens of tributes were left at the gates of the level crossing in the days that followed Josh’s death.
Nottingham Forest, where Josh was previously an academy player, also held a minute’s silence in his memory before a Premier League match with Brighton.
