Builder told to rethink plans for cycleway

Plans to install double yellow lines on part of Lynn Road in Ely were refused

Developers have been told to find a different way to create a promised cycle path.

Hopkins Homes applied to add double yellow lines to part of Lynn Road in Ely, which it said meant the pavement could be widened and the cycleway installed.

The road connects the Orchard Green estate with the city centre, and providing improved travel links was a condition for the 1,200-home development being approved in 2016.

The application was refused by a committee on Monday and the developer said it would continue dialogue with Cambridgeshire County Council.

More than a hundred people raised concerns about the loss of on-street parking on the road, as well as the impact on surrounding streets.

"[Hopkins Homes] do need to look into alternative routes for cycling," said Liberal Democrat Christine Whelan, councillor for Ely South, who was speaking after the meeting.

"It's important that we do have an active travel route from the estate where they are into town."

Whelan said other wider roads in the area would be more suitable, while fellow Lib Dem councillor Alison Whelan said building a dedicated cycling lane would have been a more viable proposal, rather than creating a shared pavement and cycleway.

'Women may feel vulnerable'

Cambridgeshire County Council said a reduction in parking spaces on the road may dissuade people with disabilities going out in their vehicles.

The authority added that it could also create difficulties for those who were either pregnant or have babies or young children, and that "women may feel vulnerable walking home, particularly during hours of darkness".

A spokesperson for Hopkins Homes said: "[We] acknowledge the outcome of the county council's decision, which has taken on board local residents' concerns."