Proposed cycling, walking and mobility strategy will aid Fenland to 'hook in' funding

Fenland District Council looks set to spend almost £30,000 to develop a cycling, walking and mobility strategy so it can cash in on available funding.

Tuesday's (17) cabinet meeting includes a report outlining proposals for the strategy and why it is important to ensure the district can "hook in funding" in the future.

The report explains the council currently does not have a strategy which it said is "limiting our potential to bid for and secure funding from third party sources".

It adds: "Robust plans for cycling and walking in Fenland are urgently needed".

Work, it says, is also needed to understand how the use of mobility scooters, which are becoming more prevalent across the district, can be supported within infrastructure plans and projects.

The report recommends six schemes included in the paper be approved as preferred projects with three being worked up and costed "straight away" as priorities. It is anticipated this work will cost around £3,000.

Also recommended is the delivery of a Fenland Cycling, Walking and Mobility Strategy be approved to take place as soon as possible at a cost of £25,835.

Part of the funding would come from the Hereward Community Rail Partnership which has agreed to contribute £7,500 leaving the council to fund the remaining £18,335. Members were therefore asked to approve total council funding of £21,335.

The report tells members there is currently £2 billion funding earmarked by central Government for improving cycling and walking across the county.

Some of that cash has been released through the Government's Emergency Active Travel Funding and Fenland received some temporary cycle racks and new speed warning signs for schools in March as a result of the first round of spending.

Three schemes: improvements to the Freedom Bridge Roundabout in Wisbech; provision of secure cycle lockers and the Horsfair bus station in Wisbech and town wide improvements in Whittlesey, are currently being considered in round two.

But the report says: "Further funding is expected to come forward imminently and this has highlighted the need to identify and approve further cycling interventions that can fully exploit this rare opportunity."

It also says that a number of schemes were unsuccessful in its bid for cash from Tranche 2 of the Emergency Active Travel Fund because of its strict criteria.

The list of six preferred schemes members are asked to approve are: A cycle way and footpath along the bypass (A141) from Mill Hill to Peashill.

Installation of a cycle way and footpath linking Doddington Road to the Jack's supermarket site; A cycle way and footpath along the old railway bed between Chatteris and Somersham and a number of schemes for Whittlesey.

The report says: "FDC has been very successful in securing substantial 3rd party funding where we have a strategy in place. Two recent examples being the Leisure Strategy where we have Sport England funding and the Railway Development Strategy where we have Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and S106 funding."

It concludes: "This project will deliver a Fenland Cycling, Walking and Mobility Strategy with a specific focus on developing proposals for Chatteris, Whittlesey and Wisbech. All proposals would be informed and supported by local residents and network users. It will also identify required interventions to create a fully connected cycle route network within each town.

"It will take around 30 weeks to deliver the study work needed to produce this strategy and require a total budget of £25,835"

Three schemes, it says should be considered priorities, and these include the two proposed for Chatteris.