Cycle path grants?
Cycle path grants?
LANDOWNERS could cash in on a Millennium Commission grant of£43.5m, which will be used to establish a national cycle network.
Civil engineering charity, Sustrans, backed by the Countryside Commission will run the project. Disused railway lines provide ideal opportunities for cycle routes, but narrow strips along field boundaries can also create vital links, at little loss to landowners, according to Sustrans.
The charity will be able to lease or buy land, and could help with planting, screening, fencing, drainage and access controls to ensure that paths are well managed and give protection to surrounding areas.
The project aims to reduce the pressure on the countryside from cars. Furthermore, cycle paths can be incorporated into agreements under both the countryside stewardship and set-aside schemes.