WIREDGOV

The innovative Paths for Communities (P4C) scheme is celebrating the milestone of having funded £2m worth of improvements to local access.

P4C is a community-focused initiative set up to develop and enhance local public paths that both extend the access network and make it easier to use. The improvements are being delivered across 43 separate projects, in ways that deliver social and economic benefits for the local communities.

The funding scheme, administered by Natural England, was launched in May 2012 with £2million funds provided under the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) to be spent by March 2014. Natural England announced today that the entire £2m budget has now been successfully committed, reflecting the very high levels of interest in the scheme. 270 expressions of interest have been received since 2012 and the funding (which is now closed to new applicants) has been allocated to 43 projects across England.

The 43 P4C funded projects are expected to deliver an additional 77 km of Public Rights of Way. Three quarters of the new routes are bridleways which will provide access for walking, horse-riding and cycling. Many projects are generating specific improvements for people with limited mobility, including wheelchair users and families with young children in pushchairs.

An extra beneficial dimension to the P4C projects is their significant contribution to the wider network of Public Rights of Way. For example:

• In Somerset a 60 metre bridleway at Kilmersdon Link is providing an important connection to the Colliers Way running from Frome to Bath.

• 800 metres of bridleway created by the Nesscliffe Hills project in Shropshire is providing an essential safe link across the busy A5 trunk road. It now links to 51 miles of walking, cycling and horse riding stretching across the whole county and connecting to The Jack Mytton Way at Church Stretton.

• A National Trust project will create 12.3 km of new bridleway and 900 metres of new footpath in the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall.

• The P4C project in Elwick, County Durham, will contribute to a newly created Heritage Trail around The Limestone Landscape Partnership’s ‘Village Atlas’, attracting more visitors and boosting the tourist economy. 

The P4C scheme has provided an opportunity for local landowners and local authorities to work together in developing many of the projects which have received encouraging support from rural businesses, schools and medical professionals – the latter championing the health benefits of people getting out and walking more.

With works to deliver the new routes averaging at just over £28 per metre, there has already been a significant investment in local business. Further economic benefits are expected from more people using local businesses such as pubs, cafes, village shops, train stations and accommodation; and outdoor recreation businesses such as equestrian centres and bike hire shops. A detailed evaluation of the social and economic benefits of the project is expected in April 2014.

Quotes

Richard Benyon, Minister for Rural Affairs, said: “Extending public paths will allow people from across the country – including those who are less mobile – to enjoy some of our most beautiful areas.  This will also make a valuable contribution to tourism and rural business.”

Liz Newton, Director of Access and Engagement at Natural England, said: “The Paths for Communities project is playing an important role in helping a wider range of people to use and enjoy the countryside. Most of the new routes that have been created allow access for all – be it on foot, horse or cycle.  This is a great and simple solution to bringing rural communities closer together, and encouraging more people to experience the great outdoors – with all the health, social and economic benefits it can bring.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. For more information, interviews, maps and photos, please contact:
Michelle Hawkins, Natural England press officer / 0300 060 1109 / michellehawkins@naturalengland.org.uk

2. Partners involved in P4C projects include:

• Local Authorities (Parish Councils, Highway Authorities, District Councils, National Parks)

• Access Interests (Ramblers, health walk groups, Parish Paths Partnerships, Sustrans, BHS, Local Access Forums)

• Environmental organisations (local environmental groups, wildlife trusts, Country Park Friends group, National Trust)

• Community Groups (local residents, youth groups, church, local trusts, disability groups, Rural Community Council)

• Local services (schools, museums)

• Public Bodies (Environment Agency, Forestry Commission, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty)
  Private Firms

3. Costs

The average cost per metre for all works associated with the project is £28.56 based on costs set out in application forms.  This is a one-off cost, with most capital items expected to have a lifespan of 20 years.  The costs include:

• surface works

• fencing

• gates, horse stiles and chicanes

• infrastructure such as bridges, boardwalks, raised platforms and a staircase
  seats and bins

• drainage and  earthworks

• interpretation panels, signposting, way marker posts

• promotion of the route

4. Project profiles

Below is a selection of project profiles highlighting the range of benefits which will be delivered to communities by the P4C scheme.

• Case story 1: Access for all
  
  Dane Meadow: A substantial aim of the project is to open up an underused greenspace for community use. The new bridleway will give easy access to all – including wheelchair users and the less able who cannot access the site presently, due to steep inclines and no footpaths. Appropriate seating will also be provided.
  
  Ellerburn will create 1.6 km of new path fully compliant with the Equalities Act giving an opportunity for less able people to enjoy the forest

• Case story 2: Attracting tourists
  
  Elwick:The Limestone Landscape Partnership is running a ‘Village Atlas’ project with local people investigating the historical and environmental history of the village. The P4C route will contribute to the newly created Heritage Trail, which aims to attract visitors to the area and contribute to the tourism economy.

• Case story 3: Local businesses to benefit
  
  Godmersham: There are over 20 businesses and services in the villages of Chartham, Chilham and Wye which will benefit from a safe route for walking, cycling and riding, avoiding the busy A28. The businesses range from local food stores, train stations, pubs, B&Bs and hotels.

• Case story 4: Health benefits
  
  Dane Meadows: A letter of support from a local GP keen to promote outdoor exercise says: “Living in a village such as Holmes Chapel, it is often difficult to find somewhere to walk and the play facilities in the village are poor. Improving access to Danes Meadow would encourage the local residents to explore their surroundings by enjoying walks and offer an area where children can play.”

• Case story 5: Educational benefits
  
  Connecting North Lichfield is providing educational opportunities for people struggling with mental health issues attending the ‘Grow Well – Common Care’ project. Individuals unable to cope with, or considered unsuitable for, paid employment are being given the opportunity to learn new skills such as how to make bat and bird boxes. They will carry out some conservation work under supervision and help site the boxes they have made. Because the work improves places of public amenity volunteers can see that their work is of value to the communities around the work sites. This helps to increase self-worth and to give a real sense of contributing to community life.

  Dane Meadow will also be used by the local schools as an “open air classroom” mainly for environmental education, only made possible by the P4C funded access to the site.

• Case story 6: Active travel
  
  Chevet Branch line Bridleway is a new bridleway using a disused rail line to connect outlying villages, such as Notton, to off road cycle and walking routes into Wakefield. It is expected that this will increase off-road commuting into the city, and will also encourage more people to walk or cycle, rather than drive, to local attractions such as Newmiller Dam Country Park, Anglers Country Park and the National Trust property Nostell Priory.

  BRAG Yellow Brick Road: The creation of this bridleway will link rural communities and encourage more people to walk, cycle and horse-ride between villages without having to negotiate a narrow, busy road.

  Godmersham: As a link between villages, this new route will be used for commuting and for accessing shops and services from outlying hamlets. Walking, cycling and riding options between the communities have been very limited in the area, with residents and recreational visitors forced to use the busy and dangerous A28. The proposed route will provide a safer and equally convenient link to train stations, villages and towns which will help to support local businesses and provide a sustainable means of travelling to work in Ashford and Canterbury. A local resident wrote to say: “I just wanted to let you know that the new path to Godmersham is fabulous!  My partner is able to cycle to Ashford safely and legally i.e. not using either the A28 or a footpath.  I can take the 3 children on it with their bikes – even with training wheels – and I will be able to follow soon with a pushchair (4th baby imminent!).  I have noticed lots of other people using it as well.”

5. Evaluation

A contract, funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the RDPE Technical Assistance Fund,  is about to be let to provide a detailed evaluation of the social and economic benefits of the project, which hopes to report in April 2014.