Work to develop tourist cycling hub starts
Written by Spire Radio on 1 October 2020
Work has started on a £650,000 project led by Derbyshire County Council to boost cycling around Pleasley.
The funding is part of the ‘Visit. Sleep. Cycle. Repeat’ initiative which identified Pleasley as a key hub for cycling and aims to develop the North Derbyshire and North Nottinghamshire region by promoting cycling alongside world-class heritage.
The initial phase will start on-site at Pleasley Pit Country Park. In total 3½ miles of trails will be improved with £404,000 of funding from the Rural Development Programme for England.
The work is expected to be completed in Spring 2021 but works may extend into the summer depending on the impact of coronavirus and the weather.
Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure Councillor Simon Spencer said:
“The works were originally planned to start in March 2020, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, they had to be delayed. So we are delighted we can now start the first phase of these exciting plans.
“We believe these plans will unlock the fantastic potential the northeast of our county has to be a tourist attraction for cycling holidays and weekend breaks.
“Since the coronavirus pandemic struck, there has been an increase in interest in cycling and getting active in nature, so this project gives a significant boost to an already fantastic local network of trails and countryside sites.”
A further ¾ mile of improvements are currently being designed to improve the Skegby Trail, with £150,000 of funding from the county council.
The works are being co-ordinated by Bolsover Countryside Partnership and supported by Bolsover District Council and Bolsover Partnership.