Helensburgh, Cardross and Dumbarton Cyclepath Progress Report
Argyll and Bute Council · 11 March 2025
Back to Helensburgh & Lomond Area Committee — 11 March 2025 and its agenda
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL Helensburgh and Lomond Area Committee DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH 11 March 2025 Helensburgh, Cardross and Dumbarton Cyclepath Progress Report 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1. This report updates Members on the progress made since the previous report to this Committee on 10 September 2024 in relation to the delivery of a high quality walking and cycle route linking Helensburgh, Cardross and Dumbarton. 1.2. Phase 1 & 2: Officers worked with Procurement colleagues undertake a procurement exercise for a new design team to complete the Developed Design (Stage 3) and Technical Design (Stage 4) covering Phase 1 (Colgrain – Cardross) and Phase 2 (Cardross – Dumbarton). This is necessary to complete the outstanding items of work which are required to deliver a robust design package and to satisfy funder requirements. 1.3. Phase 1 & 2: Following a competitive open tender process via Public Contracts Scotland, the preferred tenderer was identified as Connected Transport Planning (CTP). Due to funding restrictions, a contract was awarded to CTP covering February and March 2025 to enable initial progress on continuing the Developed design stage to be made. Subject to securing appropriate funding, the procurement has been structured to allow a contract to be directly award to CTP for 2025/26 to continue the Developed and Technical design stages. 1.4. Phase 3: Civic Engineers (CE) have continued to developed the Concept Design for Phase 3 of the project as part of the Helensburgh Town Centre East (Helensburgh in Motion) project. It is programmed that the Concept Design work will be completed by late March 2025 in line with the funders requirements. 1.5. Phase 3: A community consultation was held between 23 November 2024 to 05 January 2025. Information material and the survey were available on-line via the Council’s website for the 6-week period, with posters and flyers distributed to local shops, library and churches. The consultation was also promoted via appropriate social media channels. Two in-person events were held, at the Hermitage Academy Christmas Fair on 23 November and at the Helensburgh and Lomond Civic Centre on 16 December. Officers and the design team also attended the Helensburgh Community Council meeting on 28 November 2024. 1.6. The consultation received a total of 185 responses; with 59% (105) not feeling safe travelling actively on the A814 at present; 85% (154) believing that improvements to the area would make people more likely to walk, wheel or cycle; 79% (143) requested improved cycling infrastructure, 61% (11) more or safer crossing points and 49% (89) traffic calming measures.
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1.7. In 2024/25 Officers secured a total of £150,000 from Transport Scotland’s Places for Everyone (PFE) programme, administered by Sustrans, to enable progress to be made in relation to all phases of the design. 1.8. Internally, Officers continue to seek guidance from Legal Services on the use of the Council’s statutory powers to enforce access to private land for the necessary surveys (e.g. ecology or ground investigation) where landowner permission is not forthcoming. Officers also continue to seek engagement with colleagues in Legal Services to seek to progress approval from Council to develop a CPO for the remaining sections of this important route. RECOMMENDATIONS 1.9. It is recommended that the Helensburgh and Lomond members: 1.9.1. Welcome, subject to securing external funding, the appointment a new design team to complete development of Phase 1 and Phase 2 designs through Developed Design and Technical Design stages. 1.9.2. Instruct Officers, subject to securing external funding, to appoint a design team to complete development of Phase 3 designs through Developed Design and Technical Design stages. 1.9.3. Instruct Legal Services to utilise the Council’s statutory powers as necessary to enforce access to private land for surveys required as part of the design process where landowner permission is not forthcoming. 1.9.4. Work to identify potential sources of construction match funding, estimated to require a minimum of £3M to complete the route. 1.9.5. Instruct Roads and Infrastructure Service to adopt all sections of the Helensburgh – Cardross – Dumbarton Cyclepath once constructed including those not contiguous with an adopted road, and maintain as part of the Council Roads Asset Management Plan (RAMP).
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL Helensburgh and Lomond Area Committee DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH 11 March 2025 Helensburgh, Cardross and Dumbarton Cyclepath Progress Report 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1. This report updates Members on the progress made since the previous report to this Committee on 10 September 2024 in relation to the delivery of a high quality walking and cycle route linking Helensburgh, Cardross and Dumbarton. 2.2. Full details of the project, including previous progress is available in the project update reports previously presented to this Committee. 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1. It is recommended that the Helensburgh and Lomond members: 3.1.1. Welcome, subject to securing external funding, the appointment a new design team to complete development of Phase 1 and Phase 2 designs through Developed Design and Technical Design stages. 3.1.2. Instruct Officers, subject to securing external funding, to appoint a design team to complete development of Phase 3 designs through Developed Design and Technical Design stages. 3.1.3. Instruct Legal Services to utilise the Council’s statutory powers as necessary to enforce access to private land for surveys required as part of the design process where landowner permission is not forthcoming. 3.1.4. Work to identify potential sources of construction match funding, estimated to require a minimum of £3M to complete the route. 3.1.5. Instruct Roads and Infrastructure Service to adopt all sections of the Helensburgh – Cardross – Dumbarton Cyclepath once constructed including those not contiguous with an adopted road, and maintain as part of the Council Roads Asset Management Plan (RAMP). 4.0 DETAIL 4.1. The Council’s Active Travel Team, 1.7 FTE (Full Time Equivalent employees), is part of the Strategic Transport Team within the Development and Economic Growth Service. No Council funding is currently received by the Active Travel Team. All project costs, including internal staff costs, have to be funded via successfully securing highly competitive external challenge funds.
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4.2. In 2023/24 the Active Travel Team secured £1.4M external funding for the development and delivery of a total of 16 projects across Argyll and Bute, including the Helensburgh – Cardross – Dumbarton Cyclepath. This required 19 separate competitive funding applications to 6 separate funds. Funding 4.3. Transport Scotland’s Places for Everyone (PFE) programme has been the primary external active travel design funding in Scotland for over a decade. It is structured around 8 project stages with a competitive challenge fund, with the 32 local authorities, 7 regional transport partnerships, two national parks and numerous community groups across Scotland competing against each other to secure the funding each project requires. It has been announced that the PFE Programme will by wound down with a final closure date of December 2025. 4.4. Transport Scotland have informed Officers that, as of 25/26, the funding model for active travel will change. The primary change will be the reallocation of the significant funding previously disbursed via third-sector organisations (such as Sustrans with Places for Everyone fund) to a single Transport Scotland controlled Active Travel Infrastructure Fund Tier 2 fund. The new fund will remain as a competitive challenge fund and is expected to be significantly oversubscribed due to the number of high value projects being progressed across Scotland and will therefore be highly competitive. 4.5. Transport Scotland have confirmed that ATIF Tier 2 funding will continue to follow the same 8–stage design and delivery process as the previous PFE Programme. The project stages are (0) Strategic Definition, (1) Preparation and Brief, (2) Concept Design), (3) Developed Design, (4) Technical Design, (5) Construction, (6) Handover & Close Out, and (7) In Use. 4.6. While the design work has, to date, been funded by jointly by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) Capital Programme and Transport Scotland’s PFE programme, the decision to de-fund the SPT Capital Programme in 24/25 results in the project being fully reliant on securing 24/25 PFE funding or internal Council funding in order to continue work to complete the outstanding design requirements. 4.7. In 24/25, Officers secured £150,000 from the PFE Programme to continue design work in relation to all 3 phases of the Helensburgh – Cardross – Dumbarton Cyclepath project. 4.8. Officers have applied to Transport Scotland’s 25/25 ATIF Tier 2 fund to enable design work to continue to complete Developed and Technical design for all sections of the project. Transport Scotland have stated they aim to confirm 25/26 funding awards by April 2025, subject to funding.
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Match Funding 4.9. The 25/26 application guidance for the new Transport Scotland Active Travel Infrastructure Fund Tier 2 for construction ready projects states that all projects submitted for construction funding will require to provide match funding for a minimum of 30% of the 25/26 construction cost from non-Transport Scotland derived sources. 4.10. While full construction costs are still to be determined, based on similar projects elsewhere it is recommended Members identify construction match funding of at least £3M to complete the cyclepath. 4.11. Phasing construction over a number of financial years will reduce the level of match funding the Council must secure each financial year, however this will result in a longer construction programme. Accelerating the construction programme will require additional match funding to be secured, from internal and/or external sources, which could prove challenging given the current economic climate. 4.12. At present no construction match funding has been secured. It is likely to be beneficial to the project if sources of construction match funding could be secured at an early stage, including consideration of any internal Council funds which could be allocated to the delivery of this priority project. Design Phase 1 Colgrain to Cardross & Phase 2 Cardross to Dumbarton 4.13. Phase 1 & 2: Officers worked with Procurement colleagues undertake a procurement exercise for a new design team to complete the Developed Design (Stage 3) and Technical Design (Stage 4) covering Phase 1 (Colgrain – Cardross) and Phase 2 (Cardross – Dumbarton). This is necessary to complete the outstanding items of work which are required to deliver a robust design package and to satisfy funder requirements. 4.14. Phase 1 & 2: Following a competitive open tender process via Public Contracts Scotland, the preferred tenderer was identified as Connected Transport Planning (CTP). Due to funding restrictions, a contract was awarded to CTP for February and March 2025 to enable initial progress on continuing the Developed design stage to be made. Subject to securing appropriate funding, the procurement has been structured to allow a contract to be directly award to CTP for 2025/26 to continue the Developed and Technical design stages. Land Access 4.15. A key element of the outstanding design deliverables are on-site survey work, including Ecological surveys and Ground Investigation (GI) surveys. When previously contacted, a number of landowners were willing to give permission for the necessary surveys. However, a significant minority of landowners declined to give permission. While it is planned that all landowners will be re-contacted by the new CTP design team, it may be necessary for the Council to use its
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statutory powers to require landowners who do not voluntarily provide the access required for surveys. 4.16. At time of writing, Officers continue to continue to seek guidance from Legal Services on the use of the Council’s statutory powers to enforce access to private land for the necessary surveys where landowner permission is not forthcoming. Phase 3 Helensburgh Town 4.17. Phase 3: Civic Engineers (CE) have continued to developed the Concept Design for Phase 3 of the project as part of the Helensburgh Town Centre East (Helensburgh in Motion) project. It is programmed that the Concept Design work will be completed by late March 2025 in line with the funders requirements. 4.18. A community consultation was held between 23 November 2024 to 05 January 2025. Information material and the survey were available on-line via the Council’s website for the 6-week period, with posters and flyers distributed to local shops, library and churches. The consultation was also promoted via appropriate social media channels. Two in-person events were held, at the Hermitage Academy Christmas Fair on 23 November and at the Helensburgh and Lomond Civic Centre on 16 December. Officers and the design team also attended the Helensburgh Community Council meeting on 28 November 2024. The consultation received a total of 185 responses. 4.19. Key results are presented below. Daily, 30% Several time a week, 43% Once a week, 11% Rarely, 7% Once a month, 6% Never, 3% How often would you engage with the identified route? Daily Several time a week Once a week Rarely Once a month Never
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Yes 85% No 10% Unsure 5% Do you believe improvements to this area will make people more likely to walk, wheel, cycle etc? Yes No Unsure Improved cycling infrastructure 24% Traffic calming measures 15% More rest areas / seating 9% Wayfinding / signage 10% More, or safer crossing points 19% Bicycle parking or storage 11% More, or improved drop kerbs 10% I don't think this route needs anything Improvements Required Improved cycling infrastructure Traffic calming measures More rest areas / seating Wayfinding / signage More, or safer crossing points Bicycle parking or storage More, or improved drop kerbs I don't think this route needs anything
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Land Acquisition 4.20. The delay in award of 2024/25 funding and the requirement to tender for a new design team to complete the design resulted in a hiatus in relation to providing information requested by landowners including, for example, detailed drainage designs. Officers have written to affected landowner to inform them of the appointment of CTP as the design team. 4.21. Officers continue to engage with colleagues in Legal Services to seek them to commence the necessary documentation to develop a CPO for approval from Council for the remaining sections of this important route. Construction (stage 5) Cardross Rail Station to Geilston Burn 4.22. Cardross Rail Station to Geilston Burn. The Council’s Roads and Infrastructure Service have completed installation of most elements of the cyclepath through Cardross Park, with only a small amount of fencing still to be installed. 4.23. With the changes to the active travel funding model for 24/25 onwards, it is expected that the costs for the remaining fencing work will require to be covered from, as yet to be identified, internal Council budgets. 4.24. To protect the public, the bridge over the Geilston Burn has been fenced off until access is agreed to further land on the west side of the Burn to construct the path through to an accessible destination. Yes 26% No 59% Unsure 15% Do you feel safe when engaging in active travel on the identified route at present? Yes No Unsure
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Risk 4.25. Risk refers to events which have not yet happened but which could impact on the project if they were to happen. A risk can be negative or positive to the project. Risks are identified through the lifetime of the project and, where possible, mitigation is planned to minimise negative impacts or maximise positive impacts. As risks evolve relatively slowly through the lifetime of a project, it is not expect that the tables below will alter significantly within the current stage of work. 4.26. Project risks relate to risks which could affect the overall project. Table 1 provides the top 5 identified project risks and planned mitigation. Table 1: Selected Project Risks Risk Risk Description Risk Level Mitigation Land acquisition Inability to secure agreement for land required within an acceptable timescale and cost. High 1. Engagement with landowners to gain acceptance of design. 2. Use of Council’s Estates Team to lead land acquisition. 3. Consideration of option of a CPO. Funding Inability to secure necessary funding to pay of either (a) design work; and/or, (b) construction costs. Medium 1. Close engagement with external funders to ensure project meets their funding requirements. 2. Officers continue to explore potential alternative funding sources. 3. Early engagement with Members to identify potential sources of construction match funding. Programme Inability to meet challenging programme timeline. High 1. Regular review of programme. 2. Work with key stakeholders to understand programme drivers and barriers. 3. Establish realistic timescales for each package of work. Community support Loss of community support for the project. Low 1. Consult the community on key design decisions as appropriate. 2. Seek to deliver project which meets community’s key requirements. 3. Keep community informed via project updates at appropriate times, including publicly available quarterly committee reports. Funder requirements Failure to meet external funder requirements, thereby losing funding. Medium 1. Engage with funders to fully understand their requirements. 2. Ensure project outcomes/outputs meet funders’ requirements. 3. Review funding options regularly to ensure funding sought/secured is most appropriate to the project. 4.27. Design risk refers to risk that the design fail to meet the required standards and/or design conditions imposed by external factors, for example environmental requirements. Design risks, if allowed to occur, can become issues which may mean the project design has to be changed, which can
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cause delays and cost increases. Defects or failures in the design can also result in an increase in future maintenance costs. Table 1 provides the top 5 identified design risks and planned mitigation. Table 2: Selected Design Risks Risk Risk Description Risk Level Mitigation Ground Conditions Lack of Ground Investigation (GI) limits understanding of the ground conditions the route will be constructed over. High 1. Design route to be as robust as practicable. 2. Undertake Ground Investigation works at earliest practicable date. Ecological Impacts Working adjacent to the Inner Clyde SSSI and RAMSAR site results in additional ecological requirements which the designs must meet. High 1. Engage with regulators, e.g. NatureScot, at early stage in design. 2. Undertake comprehensive ecological surveys to inform design. 3. Develop full Habitat Regulations Appraisal to ensure ecological requirements taken into account in design. Drainage Constructed at the foot of the slope, the design will require to cater for all run- off and drainage from the slopes above, while satisfying regulatory requirements. Medium 1. Develop drainage designs through design process. 2. Engage with regulators, e.g. SEPA, at early stage in design. 3. Engage with landowners, as repository of knowledge of existing conditions, during design development. Flood Risk The route is close to and, in locations, within areas identified as at risk from 1 in 200 year flood events. Medium 1. Develop flood risk assessment at early stage in design process to identify key areas of risk. 2. Keep flood risk assessment under review through design process. 3. Design of cyclepath to take account of flood risk where appropriate. Proximity to railway The majority of the route is in proximity to the live railway and requires to ensure the designs do not negatively impact on the railway. Medium 1. Early engagement with Network Rail to understand their safety and operational requirements. 2. Seek to agree ‘standard’ approach to mitigating safety and operation requirements which can be applied to all or most of route. 3. Review of designs to ensure railway safety and operational risk is mitigated appropriately. Landowner Engagement 4.28. Landowner searches for Phase 1 (Moss Road, Colgrain to Cardross) have identified the land is held by 5 landowners. The preferred route for Phase 2 (Ferry Road, Cardross to Dumbarton) has a total of 6 landowners identified on it. 4.29. Previous discussions with landowners has confirmed they wish to provide the least land practical to deliver the path. As such, progression of land acquisition requires designs to be finalised in order to firmly identify the necessary land. Once the design process has been completed, the Council’s Estates Team will require to be engaged to progress land acquisition.
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4.30. Engagement with landowners along the route are driven by progress with design work which has resulted in an irregular pattern of landowner contact. It is understood that, particularly over the long timeline this project has been in development, irregular contact can result in uncertainty around the Council’s intentions and likelihood of the project progressing. It is intended that, with the appointment of the CTP to complete the design work, more regular contact with landowners will be attained as the design is progressed and, once the design is completed, with the Council’s Estates Team in order to seek a negotiated land acquisition. Maintenance 4.31. It is a requirement of the external funders that a written maintenance plan including confirmation of how this will be funded and delivered is developed as part of the design process. As such, Members require to decide how the future maintenance of the cyclepath, including sections of route already in place, will be delivered. At present, the Council does not receive any funding for the maintenance of cyclepaths and none of the current external funding sources secured through competitive bidding for active travel include maintenance as an eligible cost. This anomaly has been repeatedly raised by Officers with Transport Scotland Officials and it is recognised to be inconsistent with the Scottish Government’s commitments regarding capital funding for active travel projects. 4.32. Officers have suggested routine maintenance of the cyclepath as a potential role for local community group volunteers, for example cutting back vegetation / mowing the grass. Similar maintenance work is undertaken by community groups for cyclepaths in other locations. However, this suggestion has, to date, not been positively received by the community. As such, Members require to consider alternative options for the long-term maintenance of the path. 4.33. The Roads and Infrastructure Service are the single service within the Council which includes infrastructure maintenance teams appropriately trained and qualified to undertake maintenance of cyclepaths. While it is acknowledged these teams are already near capacity delivering the Roads and Infrastructure Service commitments and that the Roads and Infrastructure Service has previously stated they do not wish to adopt sections of cyclepath remote from the public road, as the only service within the Council with the appropriate teams to maintain a cyclepath, it is recommended that Members instruct Roads and Infrastructure Service to adopt every section of the cyclepath as it is constructed including those sections remote from the public road. Programme 4.34. Appendix 1 provides the current programme of the key stages and forecast timescales for each section of the Phase 1: Helensburgh to Cardross section of the Cyclepath; Phase 2: Cardross to Dumbarton; and, Phase 3: Helensburgh: Hermitage Academy to Town Centre.
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5.0 CONCLUSION 5.1. Completion of the Helensburgh, Cardross and Dumbarton Cyclepath will provide a dedicated, high quality, accessible walking and cycle route linking Helensburgh, Cardross and Dumbarton. This route will provide opportunities for all in the Helensburgh – Cardross – Dumbarton corridor to travel more sustainably and actively by walking and cycling. This will provide a safe alternative to having to use a private car to travel between these communities and help lower Argyll and Bute’s carbon footprint. Funding for these works has been secured from our key active travel partners with further bids being developed to enable the design and construction of further sections of the cycleway as and when land acquisition has been concluded. 5.2. The delivery of the Helensburgh – Cardross – Dumbarton Cyclepath is dependent on completing the design work, securing highly competitive external challenge funding, committing appropriate match funding and securing access to private land for the route. 6.0 IMPLICATIONS 6.1. Policy Completion of this project will support the Council’s Outcomes Improvement Plan outcomes 1: Transport Infrastructure and 3: Community Wellbeing. The project also supports achievement of the Scottish Government’s objectives set out in the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland (CAPS) and Let’s Get Scotland Walking - The National Walking Strategy. 6.2. Financial The design, construction and land purchase will be funded by external competitive funding applications. External funding is not currently available to cover maintenance costs. To date, the Council has not contributed any funding to design or capital costs. There is strong evidence that people who are more active, for example by walking or cycling, have been physical and mental health and are less likely to require social care services in later life which could result in a future saving to the Council or HSCP. 6.3. Legal Continued input will be required from Legal Services to support contractual agreements and land purchase including a CPO should this be deemed necessary. 6.4. HR None. 6.5. Fairer Scotland Duty: 6.5.1 Equalities Completion of this project will provide opportunities for all in the Helensburgh – Cardross – Dumbarton
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corridor to travel more sustainably and actively by walking, wheeling and cycling. The route has been designed to be DDA compliant and will provide a safe and accessible route for those with mobility aids including wheelchairs and parents/guardians with a child’s pram or buggy. 6.5.2 Socio- economic Duty The route, once completed, will offer residents the opportunity to choose to travel using active travel, which are lower cost than alternative modes of transport. The route will also improve access to essential services, retail, leisure and employment opportunities for residents living along the route, with studies demonstrating those who travelled actively had a higher monthly spend in local businesses than those who travel via motorised transport. The path will also offer opportunities for individuals to travel for leisure, again encouraging spend in local businesses along and connected by the route. 6.5.3 Islands There are no adverse impacts. 6.6. Climate Change Active Travel is the least carbon intensive mode of travel. Providing the opportunity for residents and visitors to consider an alternative to having to use a private car to travel between these communities will help lower Argyll and Bute’s carbon footprint. 6.7. Risk There is a reputational risk to the Council if the project is not completed within a reasonable timeframe. 6.8. Customer Services None. 6.9. The Rights of the Child (UNCRC) Active travel is the most accessible mode of travel to young people, as it does not have any minimum age limits, does not require any form of licence, is free to use and is not tied to any fixed timetable. All new active travel infrastructure is designed to be utilised by an unaccompanied 12 year old. Engagement feedback demonstrates even stronger support for the delivery of the Helensburgh – Cardross – Dumbarton Cyclepath from younger members of the community than the already high overall level of community support. Wider engagement with school pupils indicates that the vast majority of pupils strongly support the provision of new active travel infrastructure, even where it would adversely impact other modes of transport.
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Executive Director with the responsibility for Development and Economic Growth: Kirsty Flanagan Policy Lead for Roads, Transport and Amenity, Councillor John Armour 03 February 2025 For further information contact: Fergus Murray, Head of Development and Economic Growth Fergus.murray@argyll-bute.gov.uk Colin Young, Strategic Transportation Delivery Officer Colin.Young@argyll-bute.gov.uk Appendix 1: Helensburgh, Cardross & Dumbarton Cyclepath Programme