An Essex cycleway committee, EC2K Plus, is in a spin after a bursary donation from Cala Homes North Home Counties, which has helped fund planning permission for a cycle route connecting Halstead to Kelvedon.
The committee has been planning a 14-mile cycle route to link the rural communities of Halstead and Kelvedon via Earls Colne and Coggeshall since 2020, but was faced with economic difficulties following planning restrictions.
EC2K Plus obtained permission from the landowner to convert an old railway line from Halstead to Earls Colne into a cycleway, however, the old railway track requires planning permission to move a footpath from a field edge to join the cycle track on the railway embankment.
As a result, a £700 donation from Cala has helped the team get over the line for the planning application costs, for a section of the project located close by to the homebuilder’s Aylett’s Green and Audley Chase developments.
The donation to EC2K Plus has allowed the committee to progress the planning application to allow the local community to safely cycle to work or school and access surrounding villages with ease.
Glenn Copper, Sales & Marketing Director at Cala Homes, North Home Counties, said: “Cala is thrilled to help connect residents from our Earls Colne development to surrounding areas via this eco-friendly cycle path.
“We know that this grant will mean a great deal to these Essex communities, and we can’t wait to follow the progress of the cycle path and see how our donation will make a real difference.
“With locals becoming more active during the lockdown and people opting to spend less time in cars and more time outdoors, the need for cycle routes has become even more pressing.
“We’re really grateful to Cala for the generous funding, as it’ll allow us to push ahead with the planning permission for the next leg of the safe cycle route, so that we can offer locals a carbon-free way of getting about for those travelling to work and for pleasure.”
