A Green Party councillor has criticised plans by the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership for pledging to develop parts of the cycle networks in areas of South Warwickshire, whilst ignoring Atherstone and the northern parts of the county.

The plans, taken from papers of a CWLEP board meeting on October 12, state that the Warwickshire Cycling Links Project would deliver "7km of new/improved cycle routes in Warwick, Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon."

The plans, which are part of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership's 'Green Sustainable Future' strategy, show no indication that areas in Atherstone, Bedworth, or Nuneaton are to be similarly upgraded.

Taking to Twitter, Warwickshire Country Councillor for Weddington Cllr Keith Kondakor stated that the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP "seem to think that the North and East of Warwickshire does not need (a) cycle network."

An application for a £1.2M 'super' cycle path, which would have connected areas of North Warwickshire to Coventry with a two kilometre-long route, was rejected by the CWLEP back in August 2018.

Atherstone was due to host a time trial event as part of the HSBC UK National Road Championships back in June, which was unfortunately cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

The event would have started and finished in the town centre, giving a nod to North Warwickshire's cycling traditions and rural routes.

At the height of lockdown, an increasing number of people took to cycling as a form of exercise, leisure and as an alternative to other methods of transport, which has fuelled growing demands for improved cycling infrastructure both within the centre of towns and in connecting towns together.

Download our Mobile App!