The East Northamptonshire Greenway is set to benefit from £618k of external funding to construct a cycle route at Higham Ferrers and Rushden.
The council has been successful in securing £500k from Sustrans, a sustainable transport charity, through the Links to Schools programme which is funded by the Department for Transport. The aim of the programme is to connect schools and their communities to the National Cycle Network. These links come in a variety of forms, from new cycle routes to pedestrian crossings, all providing the safe routes that young people need to cycle and walk to school.
A total of £118k Growth Area funding has also been secured through North Northants Development Company (NNDC) in conjunction with Northamptonshire County Council and Northamptonshire Enterprise Limited.
Construction of the Greenway is planned to start on the 23rd August and the first phase will involve creating a new tarmaced cycle route along the old railway line from the High Street, Rushden to Crown Way. It will include making use of the existing cycle-way from the High Street to Washbrook Road and providing a new tarmaced cycle-way to Rushden Community College across Spencer Park. The old railway line from John Clark Way to Queensway and the Ferrers Specialist Arts College at Higham Ferrers will also benefit from a new tarmaced cycle route.
Councillor Sarah Peacock, lead member for the East Northamptonshire Greenway said:
“The Greenway will encourage children to walk or cycle to school, commuters to walk to work and will generally encourage a more active lifestyle. This is the first phase of a wider vision for a major green route to run from the north to the south of the district.”
Simon Evans, Chief Executive of NNDC, said:
“The new Greenway will make a real difference to the appearance of the area and the ease with which local people can move about.
NNDC was pleased to help secure funding for this project, which is another great example of local partners working together to make North Northamptonshire a better place”
An update on the construction phase features in the new edition of Nene Valley News.