Cinder Track Restoration Burniston to Cloughton

The Cinder Track is to be restored between Burniston and Cloughton.

Scarborough BC Meeting

An Executive meeting of Scarborough Borough Council on Tuesday 17th January 2023 decided to give the proposal the green light.

A grant of £700,000 was available from Sustrans, and Scarborough BC agreed to accept the funding and enter into a contract with Sustrans so that Sustrans can deliver the improvements.

The Cinder Track – Background

The council report notes:

‘Since its closure as a railway the track has been maintained as an informal path and, for most of it length, a permissive bridleway. The name ‘Cinder Track’ was adopted locally as the track bed was originally laid on cinders and clinker rather than the more traditional crushed stone.’

Para 3.2 of the council report

The Cinder Track is part of NCN Route 1 and the European North Sea Cycle Route. Much of it is in a very poor state of repair, but there has been a very vocal campaign against resurfacing, despite a 2016 consultation revealing that 77% of users wanted to see improvements.

The Works

The latest works involve resurfacing and widening a 2.5km stretch of Cinder Track between Burniston and Cloughton. They include the provision of a new bridge over Burniston Beck.

They follow on from a £490,000 restoration of the Scarborough to Burniston part of the track in 2022.

The council’s draft Local Plan specifies that the Cinder Track should be improved so that it has ‘…a well-drained surface, suitable for use by pedestrians and cyclists, with a minimum width of 3m.’

Further requirements include ensuring that the track is usable in all conditions, and that improvements should be ‘…sympathetic of its rural surroundings and take into account heritage, biodiversity and appearance.’

It is worth noting that such requirements are never applied to roads – including dual carriageways and motorways – that pass through rural areas. Roads are given the best surface for driving on, whether they pass through rural areas or not.

Flexi-Pave

The surfacing will be done in Flexi-Pave.

It is a rubber-bound porous material made from 50% recycled vehicle tyres and 50% stone aggregate. One of its key features is that it allows water to drain through it.

Councillor Grieve

Scarborough BC Councillor Jim Grieve, reported by the BBC, said:

‘Since we improved the surface between Falsgrave and Burniston over the past couple of years it has changed he way it is viewed and has opened it up to accessible options.’

cllr grieve