Finish date for Kenilworth to Leamington cycleway still unknown

By James Smith

26th Feb 2024 | Local News

The green light was fully given to the K2L project in January 2021 (image via Warwickshire County Council)
The green light was fully given to the K2L project in January 2021 (image via Warwickshire County Council)

Locals are still waiting for the council to confirm when the new Kenilworth to Leamington Spa cycleway will be completed, some three years after councillors gave the scheme the green light.

Warwickshire County Council (WCC) approved the near £5 million budget for the K2L scheme in 2020 before giving full approval for the 5km cycleway in January 2021.

But the project - which will also see a new pedestrian and cycle bridge built over the River Avon near Chesford Grange - has been hit by continued delays, and still looks years away from completion.

Works on the first phase of the project did start last year, with cycle tracks at the Leamington end beginning to take shape.

Cllr Izzi Seccombe told Nub News in February 2022 the project could be "four to five years" before it was completed.

But when pressed last week for an update on the overall project and for a new timeline by Nub News, WCC did not put a firm date on when the full route will open.

A spokesperson from Warwickshire County Council said: "The council is working to deliver the Kenilworth to Leamington cycle scheme at the earliest possible opportunity to enable more people to cycle between the towns. 

"The first phase is now nearing completion, with work on the Beauchamp Road/Clarendon Avenue section ongoing. 

"Work is also focussed on finalising the design of the route that will extend from Leamington Spa to Blackdown roundabout. 

"This includes a complex section that requires the footway to be widened through a cutting to accommodate cyclists, and the council is working closely with specialist structural engineers on a solution that is sensitive to the local environment and ecology, and which is agreeable to neighbouring landowners."

WCC said the river crossing is "progressing" with work currently assessing "the impact of the design on river flow and flooding". 

But a planning application still needs to be submitted for the crossing before any building works can actually begin.

The local authority announced last May that £961,000 had been secured for sections 1a (Leamington Town Centre to edge of town) and 1b (edge to town to Blackdown).

     

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