News from the North

....... North of here that is.

Derwent Valley Cycleway Group (DVCG)

On behalf of the Derwent Valley Cycleway Group I am writing to bring you up to date with progress as you have shown an interest in our work in the past, or have been involved in some other way.
We are sorry not to have held any public meetings for supporters recently and that we haven’t written to you sooner to let you know of developments. However we do try to keep our website (derwentvalleycycle.org.uk) up-to-date, and this will usually be the best place for you to find out the latest developments.
No doubt you will have read in the local media of some of the major new cycling/walking routes that are planned in this area – though you may not realise the extent of DVCG’s role!
We are currently involved in helping to create cycling/walking routes which will ultimately provide a continuous loop between Matlock rail station via Bakewell to Buxton rail station then to Parsley Hay on the High Peak Trail, continuing to High Peak Junction on the Cromford Canal and returning to Matlock rail station.
Breaking this down we can tell you the following:
· A cycling/walking route will be created joining Bakewell to Buxton rail station utilising the Monsal Trail between Bakewell and Wye Dale (with four tunnels being re-opened); Peak Park is leading this work and funding is already in place from Cycling England. The route is expected to be open for Spring/Summer 2011. DVCG Members surveyed the route options from Wye Dale into Buxton (via Woo Dale and Red Gap Lane) and took part in an exploratory cycle ride along the Monsal Trail including all the tunnels.
· A new link will be created from Buxton rail station to Parsley Hay (on the High Peak Trail); this will be partly off road, partly on quiet country roads. It will replace parts of Sustrans 68 (some of which has never existed on the ground). DVCG also helped with the surveying of this route. It is hoped that this link will also be ready for use next year. A planning application for part of the route from Buxton to Parsley Hay (the Staker Hill section) is already with High Peak Borough Council
· Matlock to Rowsley has been the subject of much discussion. The County Council has been committed to a route following the line of the Derwent Valley Heritage Way (FP) and finally started survey work on the section from Matlock to Darley Bridge earlier this year. We haven’t been told the results of that survey although we understand that the County Council have no immediate prospect of funding for any construction work. DVCG, whilst accepting that the County Council route had merits has always strongly preferred a more direct route following the railway line (operated by Peak Rail). We produced a detailed Report on this option and made a formal presentation to the full District Council (they are the landowners and the planning authority). We also had discussions with Peak Rail (leaseholders) and the local authorities but no progress was made at the time because the County Council wanted to focus solely on their preferred route. However we have recently held further talks with the District Council and Peak Rail and a planning application is expected to be submitted for part of the route (from Church Lane, Darley Dale to Rowsley) later this year.
· The section between Rowsley and Bakewell has been surveyed with DVCG and several options identified. Peak Park has had informal preliminary consultations with the Haddon Estate as all of the options would mean crossing Estate land. Although those talks were very constructive no active work is taking place at present because Peak Park need to concentrate on the Bakewell to Buxton stretch and there is an existing off-road link from Rowsley to Bakewell (although only currently suitable for mountain bikes)
· The final link from High Peak Junction back into Matlock is likely to be the most difficult; detailed work on a survey (to update the original Sustrans Report of 11 years ago) has yet to begin.
· A new Company, Peak Cycle Links, is being set up (as a Charity) to take on the role of preparing and submitting planning applications and related tasks for parts of the route outside the Peak Park Boundary. DVCG is represented at Board level on this new Company.

Please do continue your interest in our activities and do anything you can to promote our cause, if only by keeping up to date via the website and telling your family and friends about us.

Thank you

(Martin Jones, Secretary DVCG)