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Wiltshire Council’s £1m for cycling and walking schemes

Salisbury, Amesbury and Larkhill will benefit from new walking and cycling paths thanks to Wiltshire Council’s award of £978,000 from Active Travel England’s Active Travel Fund 4 (ATF4).

In Salisbury, a pedestrian footbridge will link the coach park to Central car park, and will be completed by April 2024 at a cost of £458,000.

A cycle route will also link Amesbury to Larkhill, with £200,000 put towards the development and design of a scheme along Countess Road.

When submitting the bid, Active Travel England had indicated a funding allocation of £878,366 for Wiltshire, and so the council received around £100,000 more than the initial allocation.

The council had originally prioritised the Salisbury and Hilperton scheme as the first and second priorities, while the Amesbury to Larkhill was identified as the sixth priority, but Active Travel England decided to award funding for these three projects.

It will now seek alternative funding sources for the other priority schemes.

Cllr Caroline Thomas, cabinet member for transport, said: “We’re delighted to receive more than our initial allocation from Active Travel England for these three projects that will offer safer walking and cycling opportunities in Wiltshire.

“Choosing to walk, wheel or cycle can help to save people money, improve health and also reduce carbon emissions, and that’s why we’re committed to active travel as part of our Business Plan.

“We look forward to the Salisbury and Hilperton schemes being constructed, while the Amesbury scheme can move forward to the detailed design stage thanks to this funding.”

All schemes in the council’s bid had to meet a minimum assessment threshold to ensure they promote and encourage walking and wheeling.

www.wiltshire.gov.uk/highways-new-active-travel-schemes

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