East Herts Council will not pay a penny for £1.5m cycle path in Bishop’s Stortford
East Herts Council (EHC) has warned it will not accept any financial liability for a new cycle path in Bishop’s Stortford.
The Cycle Route North project is being championed by the town council, whose Liberal Democrat administration made the 0.75-mile (1.2km) route from Grange Paddocks to St Michael’s Hurst a priority in November last year – but, 11 months on, it remains on the drawing board.
It will cross the district council’s land at Grange Paddocks and the Grange Paddocks Meadow, formerly the Red, White and Blue water meadow off Rye Street.
As well as negotiating with EHC over land, the town council faces a wrangle with Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) over the cost of a new bridge to replace the narrow one between Grange Paddocks football pitches and Cannons Mill Lane.
HCC has estimated a bill of as much as £440,000. The town council, which will have to pick up the tab, has issued a tender to market-test the viability of the scheme and firm up costs amid fears they could top £1.5m.
At the latest meeting of EHC, Cllr David Willcocks (Lab, Bishop’s Stortford Thorley Manor) asked Cllr Vicky Glover-Ward (Green, Hertford Kingsmead), the council’s executive member for planning and growth, for an update on the proposal. He asked if the district had reached an agreement on use of its land for the scheme.
Cllr Glover-Ward said: “We as East Herts Council are happy to have the cycle route going through EHC land; however, EHC are unable to commit to the ongoing costs of any maintenance.
“As EHC cannot take liability for any costs for the installation or maintenance of the cycle path, then either HCC needs to provide assurances that it will be adopted by HCC, or Bishop’s Stortford Town Council should provide assurances that any and all maintenance costs will be met by BSTC.
“We are happy to work with both HCC and BSTC to make this cycle route happen.”