Connect2 Greenways
In December 2007, Sustrans' Connect2 won £50 million from the
Big Lottery Fund's Living Landmarks: The People's Millions as a
result of a televised public vote. £1 million of this was
injected from the Big Lottery Fund in to the Northampton's
Connect2 Greenways scheme.
West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (WNDC)
invested a further £500,000, £100,000 of which came
from East Midlands Development Agency (emda). Additionally, a new
bridge, valued at half a million pounds, is to be delivered via
Northampton Borough Council (NBC).
In January 2009,
Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) and their highways
contractor, MGWSP, began work on Northampton's new £2
million, three metre wide ‘Greenways’. Four kilometres (two and a
half miles) of connected walking and cycling routes along
Northampton’s River Nene will run along the river from Upton
Way to Cotton End with further routes extending to St James Road
and Danes Camp Way. The new waterside network will encourage more
active lifestyles as well as providing new opportunities for
environmental and heritage education about Northampton and the
River Nene.
Harj Dhaliwal, director of infrastructure delivery, at WNDC
commented: “WNDC is helping to bring extra connectivity to the
residents of Northampton. The paths will be much wider and well lit
to encourage a safe and sustainable way of travel. Improving
wildlife conservation and the overall landscape are also important
steps in rejuvenating Northampton’s waterside.”
Phase one was finished in Spring 2009 and
officially celebrated on Sustrans' Connect2 Day on July 4. When
the second phase is complete in 2010 the new paths will link with
existing networks in the town centre and Hunsbury, making it easier
for Northampton residents to get around in a safe and
environmentally friendly manner.
Phase one is shown in red and phase two in blue on the following
map.
Click here to see a pdf map
of the Connect2 route and phases
Other elements of the project include the replacement of bridges
over the river, new lighting columns and community art as well as
gateway features, seating areas and signs along the route.
At Sustrans' first Connect2 Day on July 4, 2009,
WNDC’s deputy chair, John Weir said: “WNDC is very proud to have
injected half a million pounds of Growth Funding into the Connect2
paths. This project is the first step in delivering real pedestrian
and cycle connectivity to the centre of Northampton and nearby
residential areas. The story walk and guided cycle ride is a great
way to promote sustainable, healthy travel whilst having a lovely
family day out by our sadly underused waterside.”
More about Connect2 and Sustrans'
Sustrans is the UK's leading sustainable transport charity. WNDC
and other partners share Sustrans' vision for a world in which
people choose to travel in ways that benefit their health and the
environment. It is achieving this through innovative but practical
solutions to the UK's transport challenges.
Sustrans' flagship project, the National Cycle Network, is now
around 12,000 miles and runs within one mile of 55 per cent of the
UK population. During 2007 over 354 million trips were made on the
Network. There are around 2,500 rangers helping to look after the
National Cycle Network.
Connect2 is their UK-wide project that will transform local
travel in 79 communities by creating new bridges and crossings to
overcome busy roads, rivers and railways, and linking these to
networks of walking and cycling routes. As a result millions of
people will be able to walk and cycle more for everyday
journeys.