Our local cycling and walking infrastructure plan (LCWIP)

In 2020, we published the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) in response to the Government’s Cycling and Walking Investment Plan (published in 2017). This was developed by Witteveen+Bos UK Limited.

That year, the government guidance changed, meaning the LCWIP needed further work to meet new standards. To do this, EHDC began working with Hampshire County Council (HCC) to jointly develop a revised LCWIP for East Hampshire. This meant engaging with stakeholders again and developing a new LCWIP.

What is a LCWIP?

An LCWIP is a strategic approach to cycling and walking improvements on a local level. The key reasons to develop a LCWIP are:

  • To develop a network of walking and cycling preferred routes
  • A prioritised programme of work which works as an evidence base to support funding bids
  • Sets out the assessments undertaken to support the network

The LCWIP covers the whole of East Hampshire including areas in the South Downs National Park.

The process of developing the LCWIP has been to examine the existing network of walking and cycling routes within the district and then to identify the required infrastructure improvements.

The next phase of the plan, which is under separate development, will be to strategically outline the priority infrastructure schemes within the district where the greatest impact can be achieved.

Identified schemes will be developed in collaboration with East Hampshire’s delivery partners including Hampshire County Council and the South Downs National Park Authority, along with internal teams including Planning Policy and Regeneration & Placemaking, as well as the Town and Parish Councils.

The combined documents of the LCWIP will provide a robust evidence base for future funding bids and a reference tool to inform other locally emerging policy specific to walking and cycling infrastructure.

Engagement

We have been working to develop the LCWIP by engaging with our partners, stakeholders and the local community to identify the new, and improvements to the existing, walking and cycling infrastructure needed to enable more people to enjoy active travel for utility and recreational trips.

An online public engagement survey was carried out from 10 February – 22 March 2020 to gauge the current levels of walking and cycling in the district and to identify what the barriers are to increasing those levels.

There will be future public engagement on the updated LCWIP, hosted by Hampshire County Council, in Autumn 2024. 

We will provide detailed information on this as soon as it is available.

Links to our other strategies

The LCWIP is a key part of our Climate & Environment Strategy and Regeneration & Economy Strategy. 

These strategies commit us to: 

  • Improve active travel opportunities across the district by working with HCC and other stakeholders to develop the LCWIP and agree prioritised routes.
  • Complete and adopt the district Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, currently in progress and being led by Hampshire County Council.

The 2020 Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan

Both documents are available here:

Getting in contact

If you would like to get in touch with the council about the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, please email placemaking@easthants.gov.uk.