Exactly a year ago today, we heard the news that many local people had worked and hoped for, that the Sustrans Connect2 bid was the clear winner of the national vote to award the Big Lottery Fund prize of £50 million.

The Kenilworth Connect2 project, to create an off-road route for walkers and cyclists linking the town centre with the Greenway and with Warwick University, was one of the 79 schemes across the country that made up the winning Sustrans bid.

On November 4, the Kenilworth scheme became only the second Connect2 project in the country to have its formal agreement signed, to allow the release of lottery funding as the various stages of work are completed over the next three years.

In April, surfacing and improvement work was completed on the first section of the Greenway route out of Kenilworth towards Burton Green, opening up this part of the route for all-year recreational use.

Throughout the year, a lot of planning and preparation has gone involving Sustrans and the county council, together with its partners Warwick District Council and Warwick University.

The original steering group for the project has been strengthened with additional representatives from the town council, the university and local resident groups.

It meets every two months to ensure that the local community is involved in all stages of the project through to final completion.

Later this month, tree works will commence along the track of the old railway line at the rear of Woodland Road and on the edge of Kenilworth Common.

This work will be guided by the results of a detailed ecological survey carried out earlier in the year, and will aim to preserve and enhance the natural habitat for reptiles and other wildlife.

All residents in the immediate area were informed of these works by letter last week.

Other works due to start soon are to widen and resurface the existing walking/cycling path from Bridge Street to Manor Road, and to widen the existing footbridge leading from Forge Road on to the common. Preliminary design options for a new bridge over the Coventry Road have been commissioned.

This is the first of what will be a regular monthly column from now on, keeping Weekly News readers updated on progress as this exciting project moves forward to completion.

For more information visit:

www.warwickshire.gov.uk/countryside or www.connect2kenilworth.org.uk.

Or email Coun Whitehouse:

cllrwhitehouse@warwickshire.gov.uk