The plan…
Ten years ago Pickering Civic Society decided to find a better and safer cycling route than the A169 between the holiday accommodation at Black Bull and Pickering town centre. The new owners of Pickering Showground very kindly agreed that a public bike track could be written in to their planning application for an Environmental and Leisure Village on the site. This is now a planning condition of this development at the Showground. The route is from Black Bull, across the site and out on to Haygate Lane next to the gas wellhead site and north towards Pickering.
Now, a further opportunity has appeared with a planning application for house building between Haygate Lane and Pickering Swimming Pool. If the developer agrees for a cycle track through this new development – and their application already suggests cycle tracks on the site and a footpath out towards the swimming pool – all that is needed is for permission to build 70 metres of bike track across land, from the housing to the swimming pool, to make this route a reality.
What will this mean?
All the planned developments on the former showground and the two public houses and their restaurants at Black Bull will be accessible by bike for Pickering people, using a safe, quiet route. In the opposite direction, anywhere up to 1000 – 1500 visitors using the planned and built holiday units at Black Bull and the Environment and Leisure Village will have safe, car free access to Pickering, with the resulting reduction in traffic congestion in the town.
How can you help?
The planning application is currently live and available to comment on – consultation closes on 1 March 2023. https://planningregister.ryedale.gov.uk/caonline-applications/ Reference 22/01401/MOUT
This would be a superb asset for Pickering and one that will be of great benefit to its residents, visitors, businesses and our environment.
Anything that gets people off the road and exercising has got to be great.