CARMARTHENSHIRE County Council will consider advertising for expressions of interest from landowners for a new closed route cycle track in the county, following a meeting of the Executive Board on Monday (May 9).
Introducing the report, Director of Community Services Jake Morgan said that the proposed development, which will hopefully be completed within the next two years, fitted within the council’s developing cycling strategy, building on the popularity of the sport.
“Our intention is that this proposal will be a catalyst for a further development of visitors as well as linking in to our physical activity strategy,” he added.
Although a number of sites, some of which are council-owned, have already been considered, Mr Morgan said: “The advice given was that it was appropriate that we go and seek open opportunities for people to come forward in a transparent way to offer a suitable site.
“What we would do, simply, is advertise to give the opportunity for any landowner to enter initially into a discussion. This is the most transparent and clearest way we could do it.
“Although we did an interim options appraisal of a number of sites, which include public and private sector, it is felt that a complete trawl is appropriate.
“It would be a long term lease. We are looking at in excess of 20 years with Welsh Cycling, and they would be responsible for the on-going maintenance.
“It would need to be that long, simply because it will need replacement in that time, and without a longer-term lease they wouldn’t be able to invest money in it.
“This would also ensure that local cycling clubs would have regular access to it.”
Deputy Leader Cllr Pam Palmer said that the project had her ‘100% support.’ However, she questioned whether the site would be returned to the council in a good condition at the end of the lease: “The last thing we want is for at the end of 20 years to have something returned to us in quite a poor condition – I won’t be here, but I will be watching you from above or below!” Cllr Palmer added.
She also asked whether schools would be able to use the facility. “I’m not quite certain exactly, because they are a cycling association who obviously deal with professionals and semi-professionals, I’m just wondering how our youngsters will get access to it? Has that been looked at?” she added.
Mr Morgan pointed out that the facility provided was basically ‘a tarmacked private road for people to cycle on.’
“In terms of specification and maintenance it isn’t any more complicated than that, so it would have a maintenance level parallel to that of any equivalent pavement but will have less because it doesn’t have cars or weight on it. The lifetime of it would be pretty good,” he remarked.
In terms of local participation, Mr Morgan said: “The specification would make it suitable for schools to access at a suitable time, through to professional circuit road racers.
“The way Welsh Cycling is currently operating is engaging in mass-participation events, and they would be linked with extensive engagements with the local cycling clubs as well.
“If it was possible for schools to be involved – there are all sorts of logistics that surround how you get children with bikes to a cycle track – but there would certainly be enormous potential,” he added, suggesting that inter-school competitions could be possible.
Cllr Mair Stephens also pressed for further detail on the ‘regular access’ locals would enjoy. “That implies some sort of booking, is that how it is envisaged? For a community, you can’t just turn up and go?” she asked.
Cllr Stephens also questioned what impact the development would have in Carmarthenshire’s bid to host the depart stage of the Tour of Britain in 2018, and whether the development would be tied in with this.
“One would lead to the other… we have got to capitalise on that opportunity to advertise,” she added.
Ian Jones agreed that the closed circuit track would help in terms of the bid, because ‘it makes a statement of how serious we are about developing cycling.’
However, Mr Jones said that the track ‘may or may not form part of that stage of the race, but it will certainly help in terms of our profile.’
“Having said that, it’s not critical to it either – if we were to advertise, we would probably be looking in terms of 18 months for getting the circuit completed, which would tie in well with 2018, but the two aren’t essential for either to progress,” he added.
Cllr Stephens remarked that: “in other words it is touch and go as far as the timescales are concerned.”
Mr Jones also pointed out that as regards future bookings and use, everything was speculative at this stage, but he emphasised that grassroots participation was intended to form a major part of the track’s use. He suggested that one solution could be managing this through the local cycling clubs, to cover insurance.
Cllr Stephens said that she hoped this ethos would be embedded into the project: “We have in the past had promises that we would allow community use by others, and that has not perhaps been as obvious or as easy as we would have hoped, and that then puts people off using things,” she added.
It was clarified that the track would be 1.5km in length, which is the requirement for a national standard facility, and that based on other schemes across the UK this would be achievable using the £580,000 set aside in the capital programme for the project.
Council Leader Emlyn Dole welcomed the report and the intention: “It’s a dual thing, a local amenity and a national asset as well, and it opens up all sorts of possibilities,” he added.
The Executive Board voted unanimously to accept the recommendations of the report.
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