Upgrade to major cycle and walking route approved
LDRSPlans to upgrade part of a major cycle and pedestrian route have been given the green light.
Sunderland City Council's planning department has approved an application for improvements to part of the Sea-to-Sea (C2C) network, a section between Sunderland and Washington.
The plans, submitted by cycling charity Sustrans, would see a one-mile (1.6km) section of Route 7, from Barmstone Lane in Washington to Wood House Farm in Sunderland, "widened and resurfaced".
Access barriers will also be redesigned and the track's surface improved to allow for "wheelchairs, pushchairs, mobility scooters and adapted cycles".
GoogleA statement submitted with the plans said the upgraded track would encourage "more people in the nearby area to uptake active travel", according to the local democracy reporting service (LDRS).
However, some local people have expressed concerns about the path, which is shared by both cyclists and pedestrians.
During a council-run public consultation on the plans, one participant asked for separate footpaths to be developed, so "walkers can use the alternative route without the risk of being run down by a bike".
Other concerns raised during the consultation included fears about "fast and silent" e-bikes and "cyclists using the C2C as a race track", with some people claiming "making this cycle way bigger would add to the danger".
The council's approval of the works includes a legal agreement to offset the ecological impact of the redevelopment with "off-site habitat creation".
The relevant section of the C2C path will be closed during the works, with a temporary diversion in place for the duration of the upgrade, planning documents stated.