Cheshire East Council is planning to create a new walking and cycling scheme connecting Wilmslow rail station and the town centre to Wilmslow High School, The Royal London Campus and further south to Alderley Park.
The programme for planned for construction to take place during Autumn 2020.
A report has been prepared for the Cabinet meeting on July 7th seeking approval for the delivery of the Wilmslow Strategic Walking and Cycling Scheme (along with the A530 scheme in Crewe) through the Highway Service Contract, authorise the Director of Highways and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Strategic Transport and the Portfolio Holder for Highways & Waste, to take all necessary actions to implement the above two schemes.
Additionally the Cabinet is being requested to approve the preparation of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) in respect of land required to deliver the A530 Scheme, where such land cannot be acquired by agreement. Should a
The report states "The schemes will improve travel for everyday journeys as part of the recovery from Covid-19, complementing a wider programme of recovery measures in Crewe and Wilmslow."
The approved budget for the Schemes is £2.8m. The Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership have allocated £1.6m of Local Growth Funding (LGF) to these schemes. The remaining funds comprise of a local contribution from Cheshire East Council and third-party developer sources.
Community consultation for the Wilmslow scheme is planned in July 2020 with the town council, parish councils, local residents and businesses as well as walking and cycling community groups.
The report states "This feedback will shape the scheme design and engagement will continue as the scheme progresses."
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
Is this a 'charity' donation? In which case many thanks to the developer/s.
Or is the developer/s to be involved in the works? If so, how?
How is the £2.8 million cost split between the Crewe works and the Wilmslow works?
I also doubt that it will not be fault free and could be much better if done differently.
Thank you for your questions and comments, which I will try to address here. Firstly, if you follow the link to the virtual leaflet (https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/pdf/highways/wilmslow-proposed-walking-and-cycling-route/wilmslow-walking-and-cycling-leaflet.pdf) you will find more detailed plans showing the proposed route.
Whilst I'm supportive of the scheme in principle and the efforts being made to encourage active travel and reduce reliance on car journeys, I absolutely agree that the proposed route needs extending to provide connectivity with Alderley Edge village. I will be making this point in my own response to the consultation, as will the Parish Council, but I would like to encourage all residents to do the same as it will lend weight to the voices of your local Councillors. Here is the link to the consultation survey, which will remain open until Friday 24th July: https://surveys.cheshireeast.gov.uk/s/WilmslowRouteExtension/
Finally, the total cost of the Wilmslow Cycling Scheme will be £950,000 of which £900,000 will be met via a Local Growth Fund grant from Cheshire & Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership and the remaining £50,000 funded directly by Cheshire East Council. The total cost of the Crewe Cycling Scheme will be £1.85m of which £700,000 will be met via a Local Growth Fund Grant, £850,000 funded directly by Cheshire East Council and the remaining £300,000 from developer contributions. The developer contributions are in the form of Section 106 agreements raised on various developments in the Leighton area of Crewe.
I hope this helps.
Kind regards,
Craig