DfT cuts £1.5m from New Forest’s cycle grant

The DfT has stripped the New Forest National Park Authority of £1.5m of Cycling Ambition Grant after the park scrapped plans for a bike hire project – the centrepiece of its successful bid. 

The DfT awarded the New Forest £3.6m of grant last year in a competitive bidding process that was open to all of England’s national parks (LTT 06 Sep 13). In August the park voted to scrap plans for the £2m rural cycle hire scheme (LTT 22 Aug). It then emerged that two of the other four projects in the New Forest’s  bid – a  family cycle centre in Brockenhurst and a network of pedal buses – would not be delivered as envisaged (LTT 05 Sep).

The park proposed six alternative projects on which to spend the unallocated £2m from the cycle hire scheme. Transport minister Robert Goodwill approved four – all new/upgraded cycle routes with a combined value of just over £500,000 – but rejected the park’s £1.275m plan to upgrade on-road cycling facilities on a six-mile route though the park (Rhinefield Drive/Ornamental Drive) and a £300,000 plan for a family cycling centre development at Moors Valley Country Park, which lies just outside the National Park.

“We hope that the decision announced today will reinvigorate the New Forest programme and help the project encourage cycling,” said Goodwill. “We must do all we can to make sure our investment in cycling infrastructure supports schemes that matter to people and make a difference. That is why we have taken the decision to reallocate this money to other schemes.”

The DfT has also reiterated its support for the establishment of a family cycling centre in Brockenhurst. Cyclexperience Ltd will now take this project forward on unused land south of the town’s railway station. Subject to the project receiving planning approval, Cyclexperience will receive £150,000 towards the £301,000 costs of the centre. 

Discuss this at LTT's Smarter Travel 2015 Event on 5-6 February