Delays warning as council set to back ‘Cinder Track’ restoration

THE £3.5M restoration of a historic former railway line on Yorkshire’s coast is set to be given the go-ahead amid warnings that urgent action is needed to prevent the overgrown route from being lost forever.

The scenic line between Scarborough and Whitby, which dates back to the 19th century, will be transformed into an attraction for walkers, horse riders and cyclists under the scheme.

Revised plans were drawn up for the 21-mile Cinder Track after original proposals which would have seen parts of the route widened and covered in asphalt sparked a public backlash.

The new plan will maintain the track’s current width and see chicanes installed to limit the speed of cyclists.

Coun Hazel Lynskey, who chairs Scarborough Council’s scrutiny task group, said the restoration was needed to prevent the track’s surface from deteriorating.

She said: “The draft restoration plan highlights how valuable the track is as a green space, recreational facility, wildlife corridor and traffic-free transport route.

“We are at a crossroads with the track and the status quo is not an option. Leave the track as it is and it will gradually erode further and become more overgrown.”

A report to the council’s next cabinet meeting recommends that £70,000 is made available for annual maintenance work, along with a further £20,000 for ecological surveys.

Coun Lynskey said: “The principal risk is that the Cinder Track is left to erode further and become more overgrown. Investment in the track is necessary to preserve it as a valued resources for years to come, with all the public health, community, environmental and economic benefits it brings to the borough.”

The original plan for the track, drawn up by the cycling charity Sustrans, led to more than 3,000 people signing a petition and was dropped by the council last month. Concerns included the loss of trees along with route, safety risks caused by fast cycling and the track’s appearance if asphalt was used.

The original railway line was built in 1872 and trains ran on it from 1885. In its heyday the scenic route was used by thousands of holidaymakers. It was shut down in 1965 under the Government’s Beeching Review, which saw the mass closure of railway lines and stations around the country. The line was then bought by Scarborough Council with the aim of turning it into a walking route.

Revised plans for the Cinder Track, also known as Scarborough to Whitby Old Railway, will be discussed by the council’s cabinet today.

Organisations involved in drawing up plans for the future of the track included North York Moors National Park, the Ramblers Association and the British Horse Society.

We are at a crossroads and the status quo is not an option. Scarborough councillor Hazel Lynskey.