Connect2 Project
  
Clydach and Glais walking and cycling paths
What is being proposed?
Sustainable transport charity Sustrans, Clydach Development Trust and Glais Development Trust are inviting residents to have their say on proposals to develop a network of traffic-free paths in the area. New and refurbished paths will connect Clydach to Glais, Pontardawe, Morriston and Craig Cefn Parc for everyday journeys by people pushing prams, using wheelchairs or riding bikes. Within Clydach, the proposals aim to repair and refurbish the canal towpath and its bridge, and reclaim the route through Neath Port Talbot CBC ‘depot’. This will create a much improved quick convenient and tranquil route away from the main road linking popular destinations such as Forge Fach Community Resource Centre, the High Street, Vale Inco, St Joseph’s Primary School as well as linking up to existing paths to Pontardawe, Morriston and Swansea. The route will also offer two connections to Glais, one panoramic route via Garth Road track and one direct riverside route. Both will take walkers and cyclists away from the A4067, over the disused River Tawe railway bridge, beside Vardre RFC before linking to Garth Road.
Your support:
Sustrans is staging three public consultations for the Clydach - Glais walking and cycling path proposals. If you can, please drop in and contribute to the proposals.
Helen Davies, project officer for Sustrans will be at the drop-ins says: “Come along and tell us what you think of these proposals to regenerate this network of canal and riverside paths.
“Once open in 2012, it will create a relaxed traffic-free route for people taking their children to school, doing the shopping or commuting to work. It will be your route for your everyday journeys so now is your chance to come along, find out more, tell us what you think and how we can make it better.”
Drop in: Forge Fach Community Resource Centre:
Monday 29th March 4.30 -7pm
Wednesday 31st March 4.30 -7pm
Thursday 1st April 4.30 -7pm
Detailed plans:
For a more detailed map please click here
Frequently Asked Questions: Clydach to Glais
What are the consultations about?
Sustrans has been working with Clydach Development Trust, Glais Development Trust and members of the local community to produce proposals for new and refurbished paths to collect Clydach to Glais, Pontardawe, Morriston and Craig Cefn Parc for everyday journeys by people walking, pushing prams, using wheelchairs or riding bikes.
Within Clydach the proposals aim to repair and refurbish the canal towpath and its bridge, and reclaim the route through the old highways ‘depot’. This will create a much improved quick convenient and tranquil route away from the main road linking popular destinations such as Forge Fach Community Centre, the High Street, Vale Inco, St Joseph’s Primary School as well as linking up to existing paths to Pontardawe, Morriston and Swansea.
The route will also offer two connections to Glais, one panoramic route via Garth Road track and a more direct riverside route. Both will take walkers and cyclists away from the A4067, over the disused River Tawe railway bridge, beside Vardre RFC.
On display are the ideas developed to date for you to find out more and give Sustrans their comments. These comments will be recorded through a questionnaire and this feedback will be used to guide and further develop the proposal.
Sustrans hopes to submit a planning application for the route to the City and County of Swansea this summer.
Will there be an effect on the wildlife?
The path will run alongside the canal, over and beside the River Tawe and over the glacial moraine leading to Glais. Each of these areas is home to its own wildlife.
We have commissioned specialists to look at the impact of the proposed works upon local fauna and flora populations; they have concluded that the path will have no detrimental affect on protected local species.
Countryside Council for Wales, the statutory body responsible for protecting Special Areas of Conservation, have been and will continue to liaise with us throughout the consultation and build process to ensure. Glais is built upon a glacial moraine and the council has been advising to ensure the proposed route will not cut into the land or change its shape in any way.
The timing of any work – for example the clearance of scrub – is particularly critical to ensure that birds’ nests are not disturbed during breeding season so all scrub clearance will be done during the winter months and completed by March 31st 2010.
In addition, habitat enhancement will also be undertaken. Japanese Knotweed on the towpath chokes out local plants and undermines local biodiversity. Clearing and treating this aggressive plant will benefit the native species which grow upon and birds which feed along the canal bank.
Will the landscape be affected?
No. The village of Glais is built upon Glacial Moraine and is highly protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Sustrans has been working with the Countryside Council for Wales to ensure the route does not cut into the shape of the land. The proposed line of the path follows existing railway tracks so there will be no detrimental effect on the landscape.
How much will the network of paths cost?
It is estimated that the scheme will cost around £900,000.
Where will the money come from to pay for it?
Cash funding has been secured from the Big Lottery Fund (£200,000), Welsh European Funding Office (£320,000), Welsh Assembly Government and Swansea Canal Society.
Additional donations of land and in-kind support through project management and land access have been made by Vale Inco, Clydach Community Council, Clydach Development Trust, City and County of Swansea, British Waterways and Network Rail.
In addition, the route would not be possible without the support of local residents, who have been part of the steering group and who have assisted by providing access onto paths.
Who will maintain the path?
The paths will be maintained by a team of Sustrans’ Volunteer Rangers and by City and County of Swansea Highways Department.
Will the path be part of the National Cycle Network?
Yes, the National Cycle Network is made up of many local routes for walkers, people in wheelchairs, and cyclists which are designed to be safe, attractive and comfortable, and are linked together throughout the UK.
People with limited mobility benefit particularly from well surfaced level paths with unobstructed access points which connect destinations and link to the countryside.
The National Cycle Network is much like the network of quiet country lanes which criss-cross the UK that are mostly used for local trips but which can also be used for longer journeys.
The proposed Clydach - Glais path is typical of the existing National Cycle Network and will form part of the route 43 from Swansea to Builth via Clydach following quiet lanes and avoiding busy main roads.
What will happen to the path when the River Tawe floods?
Occasionally in periods of adverse weather, flooding will affect the riverside Glais link. However signs will advise people to use caution on the path and there is an alternative link provided via the Garth Road track so that there will always be a traffic-free alternative to those who wish to travel by foot and by bike between Clydach and Glais.
What are the timescales for the project? When will the path be open?
It is anticipated that the 8km of refurbished and new paths will be open by March 2013.
Will the path be open for horse riders?
Some sections of the route will be open for horse riders, but not the entire route. The sections along the canal towpath will be restricted to access for walkers, wheelchair users and cyclists only. However, horse riders will share the route from Vardre playing fields to Morriston.
Are there any proposals for artworks or benches?
Yes, each of the 79 Sustrans’ Connect2 schemes will have their own unique Portrait Bench – a piece of usable public art which will adorn the route and celebrate three local heroes – local people, famous faces from history or an inventive take on the people of Clydach and Glais. Once chosen, these three characters will be immortalised in life size, weathered steel as part of a bench where people can stop and rest on their everyday journeys. The Community can get creative and choose the characters
There is also the potential for other benches and art installations such as poetry, sculpture or landscape forms along the route. We’d really like to hear from you if you’re keen to get involved or tell us what you think and there are some ideas from across the national cycle network on the separate panel on art works.
Who are Sustrans?
Sustrans is the UK’s leading sustainable transport charity. They’re the charity behind the National Cycle Network, Safe Routes to Schools, Bike It and TravelSmart, all projects that are changing our world one mile at a time. Find out more at www.sustrans.org.uk
www.sustransconnect2.org.uk
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