Agenda item No 7

Otley Town Council

Environment & Sustainability Committee

Date: 14th January 2019

Report: Update on Greenway project

Report by: Community Development (Deputy Executive Officer)

1. Purpose of Report

1.1 To provide members with information on progress made since this matter was discussed in committee on 1st October 2018.

2. Background

2.1 The Wharfedale Greenway Steering Group has met on two occasions since the last update to the Environment & Sustainability Committee meeting.

2.2 On 31st October the key points arising were:

• Burley-in-Wharfedale Parish Council has met with Golf Club who seek to ensure access will be provided via the lower track bed. The Golf Club are meeting to change their Articles of Memorandum prior to consideration of a decision in late November. Their preference appears to be to sell the land; • Sustrans and are working to pull the RDPE application together for submission prior to 21st December; • Pool-in-Wharfedale Parish Council outlined that a letter has been sent to the four landowners who own land in their parish and that a response was received outlining receipt. The Design & Delivery report has subsequently been issued with efforts to arrange a meeting with each of the landowners on-going; • Sustrans presented the Link Route Options Scoping Report outlining that six possible route options had been considered assessed against factors including: directness, legal status and land ownership, gradients, safety, connections, comfort and cost. On the basis of the assessment the two preferred options to be considered for detailed design would be Option B – Carlrayne Lane-A65-Beech Close – although this would require a crossing on the A65; and, Option C – Old Menston Railway Curve although this would be considerably more expensive given the need for a bridge over the A65; • The Steering Group request that Menston Parish Council consider the report findings and provide some indication as to how they would like to proceed in terms of undertaking any detailed design works; • The Burley-- Feasibility Study has been accepted by Burley-in- Wharfedale Parish Council. Addingham Parish Council has considered the feasibility study and noted the contents of the report findings and Ilkley Parish Council have accepted the study findings and are arranging a meeting of partners to determine next steps. 2.3 On 19th December the main points arising included: • Leeds City Council has successfully asked for an extension to submit the RDPE funding bid, as some of the economic benefit assessment remains outstanding; • There is a cost to completing the RDPE application, there is the need for clarity as to whether Bradford MDC will contribute towards the costs or whether this would be passed on to the Wharfedale Greenway Steering Group partners; • Concern over the status of the planning application and permission being granted to dovetail with the application submission, as without planning permission the RDPE bid cannot be submitted; • Otley Golf Club have now agreed to sell the land and a letter of intent has been supplied. The land sale is now at the legal stage; • Councillors from Pool-in-Wharfedale Parish Council have met with three of the four landowners who would be affected by the Greenway. The door is now hopefully open for Sustrans to follow up with detailed discussions on options in the near future; • Menston Parish Council have resolved that their preferred option is Option C – the Old Menston Railway Curve – and would like detailed design work to be undertaken on this route, subject to review and agreement on the Sustrans proposal; • The Burley-Ilkley-Addingham link extension will be subject to a workshop in January to determine the preferred route and followed by consultation with landowners and the general public.

3. Legal and Financial implications

3.1 There are no immediate legal implications arising from this report.

3.2 A further £3k contribution towards costs has been set aside in the 2018/19 budget and will be required for the Phase 3 Route Scoping Study and subsequent Detailed Design work.

4. Recommendations

4.1 Members are asked to note the content of this report and approve the actions taken to date.