In 2017 the government announced that in future, all towns would need a “Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan” (LCWIP) in order to bid for any active travel funding. And they provided the funding to draw up the plans.
This timeline of Northampton’s LCWIP demonstrates 5 years of delay.
October 2017: Funding to make a plan.
Council receives government grant to create a Local Cycling and Walking Investment Plan (LCWIP) for Northampton.
The government states that in future a LCWIP will be essential to get any Active Travel funding.
October 2017 – October 2020: “Coming soon”
Apart from a single meeting of six people in April 2018, there’s no communication or consultation – if questions are asked, it’s “coming soon”.
October 2020: LCWIP appears.
3 years after it was begun, the plan appears. The council needs it in order to bid for a grant – the “Emergency Active Travel Fund, Tranche 2”
See the complete LCWIP – some good features, but the plan didn’t last long.
November 2020: funding awarded.
Government funding of £1.3m is awarded for a route outlined in the LCWIP: the Billing Road Corridor – it’s a good plan that could really encourage cycling and walking.
Image contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v2.0.
December 2020: LCWIP disappears
“The document is currently being reviewed in light of consultation comments received and against LTN 1/20 guidance with a view to undertaking further stakeholder engagement and public consultation”
2+ years later, it still hasn’t reappeared. Without it, the council is unable to bid for government funding for active travel, so Northampton misses out.
Meanwhile, our neighbours in Leicester, Nottingham, Coventry & Birmingham are well past this stage and are implementing Active Travel plans.
Real changes are being made in these cities to make streets cleaner, greener, and safer, while Northampton remains heavily congested, illegally polluted, and developing more housing areas with built-in car dependency.
Living Streets Northampton 