Local MP Robbie Moore is urging residents to have their say on new proposals to upgrade the ‘missing link’ section of towpath between Silden and Kildwick along the Leeds to Liverpool canal.
The 3km section of historic towpath between Kildwick and Silsden is located on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales and offers some of the most uplifting open countryside anywhere on England’s canal networks and is the final ‘missing link’ section of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal towpath to be re-surfaced.
The project was confirmed by the previous conservative government in March this year, and the £1.8 million proposals include improving the towpath surface to make it easier for people to walk and cycle, making the route more accessible for people with mobility difficulties or people who use mobility aids to access for the route, widening the towpath while also keeping grass verges and native plants and trees to support wildlife and putting up new signs and removing any unnecessary access barriers.
In North Yorkshire £900k has been approved from the Net Zero Fund which has been secured from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to provide projects that can deliver significant carbon reductions and contribute to the region’s ambition to be net zero by 2034.
In West Yorkshire £900k is coming from the Department for Transport’s Active Travel Fund Tranche 4 (ATF4). The Active Travel Fund is grant funding provided by the Department of Transport to support local transport authorities with producing cycling and walking facilities.
Residents can find out more about the project and have their say on the proposals here: www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/kildwick-silsden
Robbie Moore MP:
“After much lobbying and many meetings with the Department for Transport, the funding announcement in March for our Silsden-Kildwick towpath was fantastic news for all who like to get out and about and enjoy our fantastic Yorkshire countryside. Living in Silsden, I know just how important the upgrades to the Silsden-Kildwick towpath are, encouraging more cycling and walking along our part of the Leeds to Liverpool Canal Towpath and making the towpath more accessible to all.
I urge everyone to have their say on these proposals by visiting www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/kildwick-silsden so we can see the timely completion of this project."
