Stapleford £1m walking and cycling route moves a step closer

Nottinghamshire County Council has been awarded more than £1m towards the walking and cycling route

Plans for a new walking and cycling route in Nottinghamshire have moved a step closer, thanks to a £1m government grant.

The planned route on Baulk Lane, Stapleford, would provide a better link for pedestrians and cyclists to the Toton Lane tram stop, the council said.

Nottinghamshire County Council said it had received £1,081,761 from the government's Active Travel Fund.

It said the plans would now move to a design and public consultation phase.

The authority said the plans, if approved, would form part of a15-year programme to deliver cycle improvements across the county.

Neil Clarke, cabinet member for transport and environment, said: "This is great news for Nottinghamshire and for Stapleford.

"The Baulk Lane scheme has been talked about for a while, and despite not receiving funding from a previous bid, we are delighted that we can now look ahead to the future of the scheme thanks to this award for over £1m from the Department for Transport.

"This scheme would provide a great link to the Toton Lane tram park and ride and also to the wider Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire local cycling and walking network.

"Schemes such as this are important because they encourage Nottinghamshire residents to walk or cycle more as part of a healthy and green lifestyle.

"We will now look at detailed design plans for this scheme before beginning a public consultation and I look forward to providing more updates on this in the coming weeks and months."

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].