A planning application (CHE/22/00604/FUL) has been submitted for housing and commercial space at Tapton Business Park as part of the Chesterfield Waterside project. It proposes to demolish the existing buildings and replacing them with 84 houses, 61 apartments/flats and commercial units.

The application does include some shared cycling and walking paths, which is a positive. For cyclists however, the path does not link up with existing infrastructure – it’s a dead-end.

The Campaign are objecting to the current proposals as:

• The cycle path is isolated and has no onward cycle connections. This contravenes Chesterfield Borough Councils CLP22 local plan.
• The shared path within the development appears to end in ninety degree turns and steps. This isn’t acceptable for a cycle route.

The Avant Waterside cycle path (currently under construction) promised a bridge to link back to the canal towpath. If this bridge is built, designating the bridge between the two developments as a cycle route would establish a northern connection.

Connections to the south of the development are more difficult to see, perhaps a route could be made back to the (non LTN 1/20 compliant) shared route being built alongside Brimington Road.