A BID for £750,000 for new pedestrian and cycle routes in Ellesmere Port as part of a massive growth point initiative is to be approved.
The new Cheshire West and Chester Council’s highways and transportation committee will hear at a meeting tonight (Wednesday) that an ‘expression of interest’ in connection with the Ellesmere Port Waterfront scheme has been successful.
The next stage is to put forward a full business case by a May 22 deadline.
The committee and Cllr Eveleigh Moore-Dutton, executive member for highways and transportation, will hear at the County Hall meeting that the bid would provide safe pedestrian and cycle routes between the waterfront development area, where 7,000 new homes are proposed, and the town centre, particularly to the bus and rail stations.
A final decision is expected by mid July and if approved, work on the routes must be completed by March 2011.
A report pointed out the bid supports the West Cheshire Growth Point by providing sustainable links between homes, employment, education and other key services.
The council’s highways and transportation and housing growth point teams are working closely together to develop the bid.
The council does not have to provide any finance for the project.
Eight of the 10 schemes put forward in West Cheshire have been unsuccessful with the overall value of potential projects costing five times the government funds available.
Those which have failed include the Ellesmere Port quality bus scheme and the Cromwell Road area action plan together with a railway station improvement programme and a transport smart card scheme.
