Canterbury Riverside: from Barton Mill to Vauxhall Avenue

The proposed route (green/white dashed)

View larger map Copyright notice

Maps design CC-by-SA Spokes
Map data CC-by-SA OpenStreetMap
Additional development CC-by-SA Gregory Williams

Route

From the Barton Mill housing development along the south bank of the river Stour to Vauxhall Avenue (from where it will continue as the proposed Canterbury-Sturry riverside route. A spur could lead to Vauxhall Road.

Length: about 1 km.

Rationale

The Sturry Road (aka A28) is particularly dangerous for cyclists. With the recently constructed Parham Road Student Village project there are now many students living along this road.

There is no alternative route from central Canterbury to the Asda superstore and to the shops, businesses and superstores of the Vauxhall Trading Estate.

Maps

• OpenCycleMap
• Google map and Bing map
• Ordnance Survey map (offers scale of 1:50000) or alternatively StreetMap (offers scale of 1:25000).
• Shown as Route B on the map in the Canterbury Walking and Cycling Strategy (2003).

History

• 2003: Identified as a potential route in the Canterbury Walking and Cycling Strategy document.
• Jan 2008: Planning Application CA//07/00761 (source) for the construction of student housing near Parham Road was granted, with proviso that "None of the dwellings hereby approved shall be occupied until the cycleway and footpath links, required as part of the development to formulate the riverside strategy and link the site with adjoining sites, have been constructed ... REASON: In the interests of ensuring that the site is integrated with the surrounding footpath and cycleway network."
• Dec 2008: Planning Application CA//08/01257 (source), a variation on the above application, was granted, with proviso that " None of the dwellings numbered 11 to 14 inclusive ... shall be occupied until the remaining unconstructed sections of the cycleway and footpath link have been completed ..."
• Apr 2009: Planning Application CA//09/00067 (source) for the construction of more student housing near Parham Road was refused, on the grounds that "The application fails to provide a mechanism for securing the payment of a contribution required to improve pedestrian and cycle way links to the main university campus and links to other educational sites across the city. The proposed development is therefore contrary to policies C21 and IMP2 of the Canterbury District Local Plan and policy IM1 of the Kent and Medway Structure Plan."
• Apr 2009: Planning Application CA//09/00142 (source) for the construction of more student housing near Parham Road was refused, on the grounds that "Due to the lack of parking provision the proposed development would be likely to result congestion in the local area leading to inconvenience and nuisance to other road users to the detriment of highway safety.". A subsequent appeal was also refused.
• Mar 2010: Planning Application CA//10/00492 (source) for the redevelopment of the Ling Metals scrap yard (see photo) as student accommodation has been submitted.
  
  The Ling Metals scrap yard.

  View larger photo
  This map shows the site plan. The application is a revised version of the Apr 2009 application. It includes:
  • An S106 contribution (£30.6k) towards construction of a cycle path along Mary Green Walk (on the opposite side of the Sturry Road);
  • Construction of a combined footpath and cycleway along the south bank of the Stour (interestingly, it refers to this path as the "Stour Promenade");
  • Cycle storage facilities.
  (Full details of the above are given in the associated Transport Assessment document (24 MB).)
• Jul 2010: The above application (CA//10/00492) is granted, subject to conditions, including:
  • (5) The development hereby approved shall not be brought into use until the cycleway and footpath links within the application site boundary, required as part of the development to formulate the riverside strategy and link the site with adjoining sites, have been constructed ...
  • (12) Before the first occupation of the development ... a Travel Plan shall be submitted ... [It] shall identify a range of measures to improve access from the Halls of Residence to other university sites for staff and students other than by resorting to private motor vehicle trips. ...
  This means that there are now planning agreements in place for the construction of a continuous riverside cycleway from Kingsmead Bridge to the boundary with the Asda superstore.

Funding, sponsors and supporters

Construction of the section of cycle path alongside the Parham Road Student Village development is being funded by the developers. They are also proposing to contribute Section 106 funding towards the construction of a cycle path along Mary Green Walk.

At present, there are no sponsors for the majority of the cycle route (ie, for the section from the Asda supermarket to Vauxhall Bridge) The overall route (from Barton Mill to Vauxhall Avenue) does, however, figure prominently in the Green Corridors priority list in the Canterbury district Open Space Strategy 2009-2014.

What the CCC Walking and Cycling Strategy document (2003) said

Riverside Walk - Barton Mill to Vauxhall Avenue - Plan Reference No B

From Barton Mill, the riverside path could be extended with a link through to Vauxhall Avenue. From Vauxhall Avenue cyclists can join the on-road cycle paths on the A28 Sturry Road. Footway works would be required for cyclists to use the existing Pelican crossing to the east of Vauxhall Avenue which would provide a link with the Reed Avenue route. The most achievable and economic route along the riverside would need careful investigation. Land acquisition and flooding issues would dictate this to some extent however a route on the southern bank could potentially provide links to the retail and industrial units along Sturry Road.There is also the possibility of further development of land along the southern side of the river.

From section 8.5.1 of the Canterbury Walking and Cycling Strategy (2003)

What the CCC Riverside Strategy document (2003) said

The River Stour: Specific Guidance

[4.14] Downstream of Barton Mill Island the Regeneration Zone continues along the southern bank of the river to the Asda superstore. This is one of the least accessible and least attractive stretches of the Stoure, with industrial development extending close to the river bank. There are fragments of semi-natural riverside grassland at the end of Glenside Avenue. Downstream levels of the adjoining land have been raised substantially by up to approximately 10 metres with steeply sloping banks.

[4.17] The Council will require any development on the south bank to provide a minimum of an eight metre strip incorporating a footpath, cycle path and landscape planting.

[4.22] On the southern bank, downstream of Asda, there is no development and the land is unmanaged, dominated by coarse grasses and invading willow and thorn scrub.

[4.23] Within this section the Council will maintain a minimum eight metre access link on the north side when the adjoining land is developed. On the southern side the Council will seek contributions from developers within the Kingsmead Regeneration Zone to upgrade and maintain existing open space along this stretch of the river.

From the Riverside Strategy, CCC, 2003

Present state of the route

A completed section of the combined foot/cycle path

View larger photo

• A short section (about 80m) of the route adjacent to Parham Road is complete (photo).
• Other short sections adjacent to the the Parham Road student village are expected to be completed during 2010/11.
• Development of the section through the Ling Metals yard is one of the conditions of Planning Agreement CA//10/00492 (see above).
• The remainder of the route (from the Asda supermarket to the Vauxhall Road bridge) along the south side of the river is in a semi-wild state (photo).

There is also a heavily overgrown path (photo) along the north bank of the river that, given provision of a bridge, could form an alternative basis for part of this route. This path, which can be reached via Willow Close, is not shown on the OS map, still less marked as a right of way.

Last revised: Aug 2010
Validation