North Northamptonshire Greenway: Wellingborough to Rushden route consultation 2023

Overview

The North Northants Greenway Strategy has been developed to encourage more walking, wheeling and cycling trips across North Northants.

In order for us to attract more funding from central government to build safer routes for walkers, wheelers cyclists and in places horse-riders, local authorities are required to have a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP).

This consultation is seeking views about the route linking Wellingborough to Rushden. We are also consulting on the overarching North Northamptonshire Greenway Strategy, details of that consultation are available on our website. 

The Wellingborough to Rushden Masterplan has been developed in order to look at how a Greenway connection can be made between Rushden Lakes and Wellingborough to connect to Chester House Estate. It would connect the Greenway from Woodford to Stanwick Lakes, Irthlingborough, Higham and Rushden.

Residents have been asking for such a route for a few years now, and the demand is there but developing it has some significant challenges.

It is a significantly large piece of work due to the lay of the land and the features between Rushden and Wellingborough. Between the two, lies the River Nene, its floodplain, the Midland Mainline Railway Viaduct, a Special Protected Area (SPA) an area of important wildlife significance especially for over wintering birds, Chester House Estate which is a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM) and subject to Historic England’s decisions, and land owned privately, not to mention the A45 which in itself provides a barrier.

The route shown is the route that best fits with all the needs and requirements of the statutory organisations such as Natural England and Historic England. To enable this route to happen, we have to abide by the rules and guidance given, and therefore we have very limited options of where the route can go.

A variety of workshops have been held with North Northamptonshire Council Officers (from the Planning, Highways, Transport, Ecology and Maintenance Teams), Natural England, Wildlife Trust, Rushden Lakes, Private Landowners, Environment Agency, Highways England and monies were secured from the Government’s Community Renewal Fund in 2021 to pay for this Masterplan.

The current projected cost of this route is between £10 and £15million and this is over and above the circa £40 million required by the North Northants Greenway Strategy.

The reason it is so expensive is because of the features outlined above. Unfortunately, we cannot simply lay a tarmac path down! We will need two if not three new bridges and they will need to be bespoke as opposed to standard design.

We will need to apply for funding from Active Travel England and various other sources to develop it. It is not yet at a stage where it can be built, not just because we have not yet secured funds, but also because there is a lot of planning and agreements yet to be done.

Habitat Regulation Assessments and other ecological mitigation factors have to be considered, and we continue to work in partnership with all the parties with a vested interest in the land where we are proposing the route, especially across the SPA to ensure the Greenway does not have a negative effect on the wildlife there.

We now want to hear the views of the wider community on the Wellingborough to Rushden Masterplan. Your views will help shape the development of this route and will aid our active travel funding applications.

The North Northants Greenway – Wellingborough to Rushden Feasibility Masterplan

Please read the Wellingborough to Rushden Feasibility Masterplan to gain a better understanding before giving us your feedback:

• Wellingborough to Rushden Feasibility Masterplan – DRAFT 

Greenway Champions

Throughout this project we’re hoping to start a network of Greenway Champions. As a Greenway Champion you will help raise the profile of this strategy.

It’s very simple! All we would ask that you help spread the word about the North Northants Greenway, its benefits, how they make walking, cycling, and wheeling a more pleasant option, talking about it with your friends, neighbours and community, giving some thought to how an off-road route could work in your area. Helping us to keep the Greenway strategy and its ambitions alive and in the fore front of people’s minds.

Further details of how to register your interest in being a Greenway Champion can be found within the below questionnaire.

Have your say

Please tell us your views by completing this questionnaire.

You do not have to answer all of the questions or give us your feedback on every section. If you do not wish to answer a question or give feedback on a specific section, then you can skip those questions and move on to the next section.

Your feedback will be part of a report with many other people’s feedback, so you will not be personally identified.

You can also access this online questionnaire free of charge at any North Northamptonshire Council library. Please see the Library website or telephone 0300 126 3000 to check opening times.

Alternatively, you can email or send your comments in by post using the contact details below.

If you have any queries, comments or would like a copy of this questionnaire in another format (including paper, easy read or large print) you can contact us by email, post or telephone. Our contact details are as follows:

Email address: lucy.hawes@northnorthants.gov.uk

Postal address:

• Greenway consultation response
• North Northamptonshire Council
• East Northamptonshire House 
• Cedar Drive
• Thrapston
• NN14 4LZ

The deadline for completing this questionnaire is midnight 1 November 2023.

For information about how consultation and engagement responses are managed, please see the consultation and engagement privacy notice.

Thank you for helping us by completing this questionnaire.