A million pound scheme to make it easy for the people of Southampton to choose walking and cycling for everyday journeys comes a step closer as sustainable transport charity Sustrans and its Connect2 partners at Southampton City Council have signed the paperwork that will guide the development of the scheme for the coming months.
This agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding, confirms partners continued commitment to build a unique boardwalk along part of the tidal River Itchen between Northam Bridge and Horseshoe Bridge. Work on the boardwalk is now planned to start in April 2009 with the opening pencilled in for October that year.
Over the next five years further work throughout the city of Southampton will link the riverside route to the city centre, creating a traffic-free link enabling thousands of people to walk or cycle to school, to work or the city centre - to the benefit of both their health and the environment.
This scheme has only been made possible through the enormous popular support for Sustrans' Connect2 - as voted for by the public in the UK's largest lottery competition last December.
The anticipated cost of the Southampton scheme is in excess of £1million, with £450,000 coming from the Big Lottery Fund as part of Sustrans Connect2.
Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, Councillor Matt Dean, said: "I am delighted that we have now secured the funding for this very important project. This boardwalk will help to open up our waterfront to the public, while providing an essential link for walkers and cyclists alike."
Sustrans' regional director, Simon Pratt says: "We are delighted to be making this significant step towards completing the scheme in Southampton. In this era of rising fuel prices and concerns about the health of individuals and our environment, enabling more journeys to be made by foot and bike can only benefit our community."
Sustrans' Connect2 is funded by a £50 million Big Lottery Fund (BIG) grant after the UK public voted the scheme the winner of The People's Millions Lottery contest last December.
The money will join locally sourced match-funding to transform local travel in 79 communities throughout the UK - changing the lives of six million people who live within a mile of a scheme. Over the next five years, nearly £30 million a year will be invested in creating these local walking and cycling networks from Devon to Perthshire.
Further information about Sustrans, including other news releases and detailed online route mapping, is available www.sustrans.org.uk
Source: Sustrans
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A step closer to Southampton's dedicated walking and cycling network
