Derbyshire council gets funding boost for Hope Valley cycling network improvements

Pictured Is Part Of The Hope Valley, Near Hope, Which Boasts Some Of The Most Scenic Roads For Cyclists

The council’s cabinet agreed to accept the Government’s latest Active Travel Capability Fund grant of £142,535 during a recent meeting to support the development of the Hope Valley Active Travel Master Plan and Hope Valley Climate Action group’s Travelling Light project.

This fundng will go towards the council’s overall Sustainable Travel Programme with plans to develop the county’s key cycle network with a strategic approach to sustainable travel.

Cllr Carolyn Renwick, Cabinet member for Infrastructure and Environment, told the meeting: “I am really pleased to bring this report to cabinet. It actively supports and includes conscious sustainable travel interests and the county’s network plans.”

A Cyclist Enjoying The Hope Valley, Near Harthersage, In Derbyshire'S Peak District

The council has already agreed for preparatory work on the White Peak Loop project with preferred route alignments already identified for the Buxton area.

Plans are now under consideration to secure services to develop the Buxton section of the £575,000 White Peak Loop and to commission contractors for the much larger £2,700,000 Little Eaton Branch Line.

Derbyshire County Council was also previously awarded a grant of £285,069 from the Active Travel Capability Fund for 2022-23 to 2024-25 to develop Active Travel Master Plans to support walking and cycling for shortlisted market towns of Belper, Glossop and Ilkeston.

The latest £142,535 ATCF grant is to be used for the Hope Valley Master Plan, in the Peak District National Park, supporting the Hope Valley Climate Action group’s Travelling Light project.

A council spokesperson said: “Travelling Light is a project led by Hope Valley Climate Action and aims to bring about transformative and sustainable change in the way local people and visitors travel in, and to, the Hope Valley.

“The project seeks to promote walking and cycling for everyday purposes, encourage use of bus and rail, and reduce the current high dependency on vehicles powered by fossil fuels. Surveys undertaken by Travelling Light have demonstrated an appetite for more sustainable travel options.”

Travelling Light has been working with council officers to identify issues and discuss options to develop sustainable travel solutions for both residents and visitors in the Hope Valley.

The council spokesperson added: “Building on the work already carried out by the Travelling Light project and utilising lessons learnt through the master planning project, it is recommended that cabinet approve the development of an Active Travel Master Plan for the Hope Valley, using the same methodology as the Market Town ATMPs. ”

Hope Valley ATMP aims to include the Travelling Light project area, but the geographical extent of the project will be reviewed with the public and interested stakeholders during consultations to ensure it reflects the active travel needs of the area.

Villages in the Hope Valley include: Hope; Castleton; Edale; Grindleford; Hathersage; Calver; Bamford; Bradwell; Birchinlee and Thornhill.

Plans are also underway for a number of community engagement exercises for the White Peak Loop and Little Eaton Branch Line schemes.

The cabinet formally approved the on-going work for the ATF4 programme, the acceptance of the ATCF grant of £142,535.00 to support the Hope Valley ATMP, and the launch of public engagement activities to develop the ATMPs.