£1.7m boost for Jubilee Terrace to Scarborough Bridge path

City of York Council says the scheme will boost the path between Jubilee Terrace and Scarborough Bridge.

The path, a key travel route between Leeman Road and the city centre, will see around £1.7m of investment.

This includes creating separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians, raising the path to make it more resilient to flooding, and improving lighting to help people feel safer when using the path.

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Ahead of the project, the council carried out engagement in December 2022 and January 2023 to understand the priorities of local people.

The council had already allocated £600,000 for improvements and, off the back of the consultation, decided to submit a funding bid in 2023 for an additional £1.7 million government funding to make all the improvements residents wanted to see.

In May 2023 Active Travel England announced that it had granted £1.1 million to fund improvements to the path with the council creating a design to reflect the priorities of residents whilst meeting requirements associated with the Active Travel England funding.

Part of the plans for the riverside path development (Image: City of York Council) The work carried out by the council has also identified areas for flood compensation and carried out structural inspections of the area to ensure the improvements are long lasting.

Michael Howard, council head of transport and highways, said: “We know how important this route is to residents, commuters and visitors and we are committed to delivering the best scheme possible with the funding that’s available.

“A key part of our Local Transport Strategy is making it easier and safer for people to walk and cycle. This programme looks to do just that by aiming to reduce conflict between cyclists and pedestrians, making the route more resilient to flooding and improving lighting.

“We’re excited by the improvements this design can deliver and the opportunity it will create for even more people to enjoy this lovely riverside path. We would urge anyone who uses the path to share their feedback on the design.”

Part of the plans for the riverside path development (Image: City of York Council) In addition to this, ‘high-quality pedestrian and cycle routes which will be unaffected by river flooding’ will be added to the city - linking Water End/Leeman Road to Station Rise/Marble Arch as part of the York Central development, the council says.

“We are very aware that these will not replace the importance of the riverside route as a direct link to the city centre and as a key leisure route,” added a council spokesperson.

Residents can take part via an online survey, paper survey or by attending an engagement event to give their feedback on the development.

To complete the online survey, visit: https://ourbigconversation.york.gov.uk/business-intelligence/riverside-path-improvement-york

Paper surveys are available from St Barnabas Church, the I am Reusable food bank, or by emailing riversidepath@york.gov.uk or calling them at 01904 551 550.

In person drop-in sessions will be held on Tuesday November 12 and 21 from 2.30pm until 7pm at St Barnabas Church with an online session on Thursday November 14 from 5.30pm to 6.30pm with tickets available here.

The consultation runs until December 1, 2024 with the decision set to be agreed in 2025. For more information on the scheme and proposed design, visit: www.york.gov.uk/RiversidePath