West Berkshire Council awarded Active Travel funding for Stockcross

Currently there is no provision for pedestrians or cyclists along this section of road and this funding will go towards providing a shared pedestrian and cycle path to enable people to walk or cycle to/from Newbury. It will also benefit local residents and visitors by providing greener ways to get around connecting communities and boost people's physical and mental health.

We will work with the government's new executive agency, Active Travel England, and the local Parish Council to deliver this scheme by ensuring that the designs meet the Department for Transport's requirements.

Cllr Richard Somner, Executive Member for Planning, Transport and Countryside at West Berkshire Council, said:

"This is great news for us as it increases the number of Active Travel schemes we have planned across the district over the next few years for a greener West Berkshire.

"Working in partnership with the local Parish Council and Ward Member helped identify Stockcross as a key Active Travel development scheme that was needed in the area due to popular support during the Council's Active Travel "heat map" consultation, which ran last year.

"Now that this scheme has been given the green light, our next step is to work collaboratively with the local Parish Council through the design stage of how the pedestrian and cycle path will function along the grass verge on the B4000. We want to make sure the paths for those cycling and walking is high-quality, safe and improvements are made for a healthier and more enjoyable journey."