Plans underway on next phase of upgrades to Cinder Track near Scarborough
The work between Burniston and Cloughton will cost £700,000
An information drop-in event is being held for a £700,000 scheme to upgrade a stretch of the Cinder Track between Scarborough and Whitby.
North Yorkshire Council, in partnership with Sustrans, is using funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) to upgrade the two-and-a-half kilometre section between Burniston and Cloughton.
The aim is to make it more accessible to a wider range of users, and to create a more comfortable journey along the track. It will build on improvement works between Whitby and Stainsacre, and more recently Scarborough and Scalby.
A drop-in event has been organised for anybody who wants to find out more about the scheme and staff will be on hand to answer any questions.
It will be held from 6pm to 8pm tonight (Wednesday 2nd August) at Burniston and Cloughton Village Hall.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said: "The Cinder Track is a fantastic footpath with stunning views that connects Scarborough and Whitby.
"However, due to the very nature of the North Yorkshire countryside and the original purpose of the Cinder Track as a railway, there are some areas where it is narrow, involves steps or uneven terrain.
"By working with Sustrans and the DfT we are helping to overcome this challenge, improve the 21-mile public right of way and ensure everyone, including those in wheelchairs, people with pushchairs and those on bicycles, have better access.
“We are encouraging all interested parties to come along to the drop-in event to learn more about the scheme and ask any questions they may have.”
The Cinder Track is a popular coastal path for walkers and cyclists and follows the route of a former railway line from Scarborough to Whitby. The railway was in use from 1885 to 1965.
The next phase of the scheme is scheduled to take place from January to April next year and will see the redesign of access barriers and resurfacing on the route between Salt Pans Lane and Coastal Road on the A165.
A new smooth, even and continuous surface will be created, made from recycled rubber. It provides a non-slip, free-draining path which is suitable for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders to replace the current surface which can become wet and muddy, particularly through the winter months.
Where possible, the new surface will be three metres wide to allow users to pass safely and to walk, ride and wheel side-by-side. Access barriers will also be redesigned to prevent the need for cyclists and horse riders to dismount and make it easier for those in wheelchairs or mobility scooters.
The work will be carried out in compliance with ecological law and in consultation with ecologists to ensure that, where possible, habitats are maintained. Where habitat might be lost, it will be appropriately mitigated for, and biodiversity on the route will be enhanced following the works.
Due to the nature of the project, route closures and diversions will be in place. The majority of construction will be carried out during the winter months when there are fewer users on the track. Full details will be announced closer to work starting.