Thoresby Vale Moves Up The Gears With New Cycling Facility

Harworth Group plc, a leading regenerator of land and property for development and investment, in partnership with Newark and Sherwood District Council and Active Notts, a charitable organisation that promotes physical activity throughout Nottinghamshire, is pleased to announce that it has received £150,000 of grant funding from Places to Ride, a partnership between British Cycling, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sports (“DCMS”) and Sports England, for an innovative cycling infrastructure project at its residential-led development at Thoresby Vale in Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire.

At Thoresby Vale, Harworth is well-progressed with the transformation of the former Thoresby Colliery into a new community surrounded by a new 350-acre country park comprising 800 new homes, a primary school, a local centre and up to 250,000 sq ft of commercial space.

The Places to Ride funding will be used to deliver a multi-use cycling facility at the heart of the scheme, which will include a “Learn to Ride” area and mini pump track, as well as a modular cycling hub, which will host a café and other amenities. The new facility will connect to the various multi-use paths proposed for the country park, and enhance existing cycle path infrastructure in the area, providing direct links to the nearby communities of Edwinstowe, Ollerton and Broughton. As well as boosting the physical wellbeing of local residents, the facility will provide a new cycling destination for the approximately 500,000 people who visit Sherwood Forest every year.

Progress at Thoresby Vale – July 2021

The Places to Ride programme has made £15 million available to ensure a lasting legacy in England from the 2019 UCI Road World Championships. The championships took place in Yorkshire in September 2019.

“This generous funding from the Places to Ride scheme, alongside the support of our local partners, has enabled us to bring forward this innovative cycling infrastructure project at Thoresby Vale. Harworth’s purpose is to create sustainable places where people want to live and work, and providing spaces to support the physical and mental wellbeing of communities is central to this purpose. We look forward to working with our stakeholders to encourage the next generation of cyclists across Nottinghamshire.”

Jane Thomson, Partnerships Manager, Harworth Group plc

“This brand new facility is great news for the residents of our district and I am delighted that we have secured the funding to bring this to Edwinstowe. As a keen cyclist myself, I know that many residents and visitors will enjoy and benefit from a safe, traffic-free environment to spend time together with friends and family. This exciting venture is family orientated, fully accessible and inclusive in its aim of increasing participation in recreational cycling for everyone in the community. I am already looking forward to taking my bike there for a spin!”

Councillor Keith Girling, Chairman of the Economic Development Committee, Newark and Sherwood District Council

“Harworth is doing great work to get more people cycling in Thoresby Vale, so we are pleased to support their efforts to bring the community together and provide innovative cycle facilities through Places to Ride. As we enter the final period of allocating grants through the fund, we are incredibly proud to see how it has already enabled so many people from a range of backgrounds – regardless of age, gender, ability or ethnicity – to get involved with cycling.”

Andy Farr, Head of Business Planning and Transformation, British Cycling

“Sport England is proud to be delivering, in partnership with British Cycling, the single biggest government investment into community cycling facilities the country has seen in recent years. The investment will provide more facilities such as tracks and bike centres, where people can ride confidently and safely as well as access to essential equipment they need to have a go.”

Charles Johnston, Director of Property, Sport England