Shropshire Council’s Cabinet will next week (13 March 2024) be asked to approve a plan that sets out proposed new and improved cycling and walking routes in seven of the county’s market towns.

The Shropshire Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (or LCWIP) sets out an ambitious ten-year plan of infrastructure measures to improve conditions for walking, cycling and other active modes in the county, and support a shift from car travel to active travel.

It focuses particularly on the towns of Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Bridgnorth, Market Drayton, Church Stretton, Ludlow and Whitchurch and includes a list of proposals for each town – with each ranked in order of priority based on their effectiveness and deliverability.

The draft plan was out for consultation last summer. The report to Cabinet outlines the changes that have been made to the LCWIP as a result of the public consultation and subsequent stakeholder engagement exercises.

Cabinet is asked to note the outcome of the consultation and the resulting updates to the plan, and to recommend that full Council votes to adopt the plan.

Ian Nellins, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for active travel, said: “The LCWIP aims to provide for a high-quality active travel network of routes which will enable more people to choose walking, cycling and wheeling for short trips.

“We received over 1000 responses to last year’s consultation which is a great response. The primary objective of the consultation was to understand the views of people who live, travel, work or study in each of the seven towns and across Shropshire and I want to thank everyone who took time to review our proposals and share their thoughts.

“The responses have all been carefully considered and the plan updated as a result of comments made and I hope Cabinet and full Council will now agree to adopt the cycling and walking plan.”