A vote to approve the next stage of a cycle and pedestrian links programme – which is receiving £1.2million from the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership – is to take place on Thursday (October 11).
Upgrades to three cycle routes are set to be approved at Thursday’s Derbyshire County Council Cabinet meeting; as part of a wider £1.7million project to improve cycling and walking links in the Erewash Borough Council area.
The ‘Ilkeston Gateway’ project is receiving £1.2m from the D2N2 LEP; the private sector-led partnership of business, local authorities, skills and training providers, community and voluntary services and others which promotes economic growth across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Derbyshire County Council is contributing £350,000 to the overall programme, and the Canal & River Trust £150,000.
Councillors on Thursday will be asked to approve plans to improve close to 1.5miles of off-road cycle paths, as part of the Ilkeston Gateway project. This would include:
- Upgrading a further section of the Erewash Canal towpath, from the A609 Nottingham Road to Hallam Fields Road; completing a 3.5mile route upgrade, linking Cotmanhay to the Nutbrook Trail, with links to Ilkeston train station and town centre.
- A bridleway from Bridge Street, in Cotmanhay, to the Nottinghamshire boundary.
- A town centre connection to Long Lane, via the Nelson Street footpath and Cotmanhay; including better signage, surfaces and crossings. Bollards will also replace barriers to improve access for disabled people and cyclists.
Councillor Simon Spencer, Derbyshire County Council Cabinet member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure, said: “Work journeys in Ilkeston are relatively self-contained so the town lends itself to investment in better links for cyclists. These better connected routes will make it easier for people to get to work and other services.”
The proposed upgrades follow on from improvements to other routes already agreed, including the:
- A6096 Millership Way, between Ilkeston town centre and its railway station;
- Ilkeston Market Place to the Nutbrook Trail;
- links between Manners Road, Manners Avenue, Millership Way and railway station;
- Ilkeston town centre to the Erewash Valley Trail, via Larklands;
- Shipley Country Park to the Erewash Valley Trail and railway station.
D2N2’s investment in the Ilkeston Gateway comes via its Local Growth Fund allocation.
Local Enterprise Partnerships are playing a vital role in driving forward economic growth across the country, helping to build a country that works for everyone. That’s why by 2021 Government will have invested over £12billion through the Local Growth Fund, allowing LEPs to use their local knowledge to get all areas of the country firing on all cylinders. Analysis has shown that every £1 of Local Growth Fund invested could generate £4.81 in benefits.
For more on how the D2N2 LEP is using its Local Growth Fund allocation to boost its area’s economy see web link www.d2n2lep.org/Local-Growth-Fund
Media wanting more information about the D2N2 LEP can contact Sean Kirby, D2N2 Communications Manager, on 0115 9578749 or email: sean.kirby@d2n2lep.org
