A £6.9m walking and cycling route from Blyth Bebside station to the town centre has been approved. It now avoids Cowpen Road, and work is due to start in January.
A walking and cycling route from Blyth Bebside station to the town centre will be built from January, after Northumberland County Council’s Cabinet approved its final business case on Tuesday 10 November (Cabinet decisions, 10 November 2026).
The route will cost £6.87m to build. It no longer follows the A193 Cowpen Road, as first planned in 2022.
Why the route moved
The 2022 plan was a segregated route along the Cowpen Road corridor. The council’s report says that was reviewed because of “concerns with congestion and construction disruption” (Full Business Case report).
The new line uses quieter residential streets but stays direct, the report says. It follows the government’s cycle design guidance and links schools and housing estates. The report says the change came from talking to residents and other groups.
The report does not name the streets. It says:
- the route runs through the Bebside and Kitty Brewster, Cowpen and Croft wards
- it is built in five phases, starting on Chase Farm Drive and moving east towards the town centre
- it is mostly on council land and adopted roads
- two stretches cross land owned by others, with agreement in principle; there is a fallback design that avoids them
It is also designed to join up with the Chase Farm Link, part of the Blyth Relief Road. The government said in October that it would not fund the relief road, so that connection depends on a scheme with no money behind it yet.
When the work happens
The report sets out a timetable for each phase:
| Stage | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1, Chase Farm Drive | 4 January 2027 | 20 September 2027 |
| Phase 3 | 26 July 2027 | 3 April 2028 |
| Phase 2 | 27 September 2027 | 21 February 2028 |
| Phase 4 | 28 February 2028 | 27 November 2028 |
| Phase 5 | 27 March 2028 | 15 May 2028 |
| Whole route complete | 5 February 2029 |
Only Phase 1 has a detailed design so far. Phases 2 to 5 are based on preliminary designs and costs, which will be firmed up between November 2026 and March 2027.
Road orders are due to be in place by 4 January. The funding agreement is due to be signed by 18 December.
Who pays
The capital budget of £6,869,600 has not changed since Cabinet first approved the scheme in November 2022. It includes more than £1.2m set aside for risk.
- £4.84m comes from the government’s Local Regeneration Fund, formerly the Towns Fund, including £60,000 for work encouraging people to use the route
- £2.12m comes from the county council, all of it in 2028-29, plus a small share of management costs
The regeneration fund money has to be spent by March 2028. If the project did not go ahead, the council would have to give it back, the report says. About £305,000 had already been spent by 31 August 2026.
The report gives the scheme a benefit-cost ratio of 2.76. That means it expects £2.76 of benefit, such as better health and less congestion, for every £1 spent.
The route is part of the £95m Energising Blyth programme.
What it means for you
- If you live near Chase Farm Drive: that is where work starts, on 4 January 2027, and Phase 1 runs until September 2027.
- If you use Cowpen Road: the route no longer runs along it. The council moved it partly to avoid congestion and disruption during building.
- If you walk or cycle to Blyth Bebside station: the full link to the town centre is not due to be finished until late 2028, with snagging into February 2029.
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