CONCERNS have been raised over the potential impacts of a proposed active travel corridor on parking and accessibility at a village cemetery.
The active travel corridor between Corbridge and Hexham will largely follow the A695 between the two towns’ train stations, forming connections with the hospital and the high school.
Northumberland County Council (NCC) successfully secured £14.7m from the previous UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund to upgrade active travel routes in both Bedlington and between Corbridge and Hexham.
The funding is ringfenced for active travel schemes and can't be used for other projects.
The route combines a mix of shared and segregated pedestrian and cyclist usage, with some short connecting paths.
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The travel corridor prioritises cyclists travelling unimpeded alongside the highway, which is used by many people travelling between Hexham and other towns in the Tyne Valley and beyond.
To achieve this, the council proposes implementing a one-way flow for vehicles on Dilston Bridge near Corbridge, to be controlled by traffic lights, introducing a 30mph speed limit, and new street lighting in the hamlet of Dilston Haugh.
Residents have previously called for changes to plans for the corridor at the Grade II listed bridge, warning that these proposals will 'lead to chaos on the busy A695 and damage the hamlet’s historic character'.
They shared concerns in early January that the travel corridor, intended to improve cycling connections between the towns, would negatively affect the historic hamlet near Corbridge with increased pollution, noise and a detrimental impact on local housing values.
The county council said 'extensive public consultation' had been conducted since the scheme was approved in March 2023, and it has met with residents and adapted the designs where possible in response to their feedback.
Corbridge resident Howard Tait added his concerns 'on behalf of the wider community' on how the proposed travel corridor would impact Corbridge Cemetery.
"It will result in no street parking at all for anyone going to Corbridge Cemetery and its visitors," he said. The cemetery has no parking of its own, but visitors can park on the pavement to attend services.
However, this option for cemetery visitors could soon be terminated as the Department for Transport is introducing new legislation for councils to enforce and prevent pavement parking, following a public consultation.
Corbridge Village Car Park, on the south side of the bridge, is the closest council-managed parking to the cemetery; however, according to Google Maps, it takes on average six minutes to walk to the cemetery from the car park.
Mr Tait said that people needing to park in the bridge car park and walk in potentially poor weather to attend a funeral service, many of whom are elderly, is a 'disgrace and unnecessary'.
He requested that Northumberland County Council 'go with the flow, show some common sense and respect for the community – with an immediate U-turn on this project'.
A spokesperson for the county council said: "Extensive public consultation has been carried out on this project since the scheme was first approved in March 2023.
"Several online, letter drop sessions and in-person events have taken place both in Hexham and Corbridge as the scheme designs were being developed and also during construction. More are planned as Phase 2 gets underway from the edge of Hexham, moving towards Corbridge.
"Regarding the cemetery, we appreciate the sensitivities around this location and the project team has discussed this matter directly with the cemetery operator.
"We have been advised that the cemetery does not have a formal requirement for on-street parking and that visitor parking typically consists of one or two vehicles at any one time for short durations.
"This parking has historically occurred informally on the adjacent highway or path, rather than within designated parking bays. We are also making positive progress on plans to expand the village carpark near the cemetery later this year.
"Comments and feedback are always welcomed and will be taken into consideration as the scheme designs are being finalised for this specific phase of the works."
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