Overview for Monmouth Strategic Scheme

The Active Travel team of Monmouthshire County Council have many schemes in the works to help improve walking, wheeling and cycling across the whole of Monmouthshire and Monmouth is no different. The vision is to create an “Active Travel spinal route” through Monmouth to give people the chance to access schools, shops, doctors, and leisure centres as quickly, efficiently and as safely as possible. Once completed the route would allow someone to effectively travel from Wyesham through the centre of town and to the bottom of Kingswood Gate on an active travel path. The spinal route has been broken down into several sections, some already built, some in the process of being built and some are for future construction.

Scheme description

1. Kingswood Gate Meadow Safe Routes in Communities Fund £338,000 in funding secured for 2025/6 

Detailed designs of the entire route across the meadow have been completed including a new small bridge that connects the meadow to the Kingswood Gate. These designs are for a 3m wide shared use path that includes low level lighting. Funding for the construction of this path was applied for in December 2024 and MCC recently received the news that the application was successful and full funding has been granted.  The tender package for the scheme has been created and is ready to go out once all areas are finalised.  

Once the land negotiations have been completed the tender package can go out and will take around 4 weeks to complete. Once a contractor has been appointed then the construction should take around 12 weeks to complete. The aim is for construction to be done in the summer of 2025 to avoid the bad weather and potentially soft ground making work more difficult.  

Once complete, the route will connect to the already improved Williamsfield Lane and recent Wonastow Road/Drybridge Street active travel paths meaning that there will be a safe, direct and comfortable route for pedestrians and cyclists to get to and from the centre of Monmouth. 

The scheme looks to provide: 

• A shared 3m path (with localised narrowing where vegetation width doesn’t allow full compliance). 
• A new crossing from the meadow into Kingswood Gate estate 
• New signage for path 
• SUDs drainage features 
• Connection into previously constructed phases and crossing. 
• Low level lighting suitable for local habitats

2. Williamsfield Lane / Wonastow Rd industrial estate crossing 

A new toucan crossing has been built in January 2024, to allow safe crossing of the industrial estate road for pedestrians and cyclists. 

3. Williamsfield Lane – Constructed 2021/2022 

This section was constructed in 2021/2022 with Active Travel Funding and provided a 3m shared use path leading from the Wonastow Industrial estate to the junction at Drybridge house. This route allows easy and safe access to Overmonnow Primary School as well as a route for public to use away from the busy Wonastow Road. The path is well lit with low level lighting and a play park in Kings Fee was also constructed as part of this phase. Continuous monitoring of this route shows very high usage levels at peak times of the day showing that the route is well used. 

4. Williamsfield Lane Town Centre Links – Construction 2023/2024 

The construction of this scheme was completed in June 2024 and has already made an immediate impact on the surrounding area. Early data collection shows that pedestrian and cyclist use of the paths has increased significantly as a result of the scheme. Along with the implementation of the 20mph speed limits the traffic speed appears to have reduced in the area and the toucan crossing giving pedestrians and cyclists priority use of the space in a previously vehicle-dominated junction. There is still some work to do to try and encourage large lorries and delivery vehicles using the Link Road to access the Wonastow Industrial Estate instead of Drybridge Street. The new shared use path links nicely from the Williamsfield Lane path to Monnow Street allowing people to get to and from the centre of Monmouth much more safely.  

The scheme: 

• Replaced a mini roundabout with a T junction to aid active travel crossing and dissuade HGV users from using Wonastow Road and use the provided link route 
• Installed a toucan crossing on Rockfield Road 
• Deleted some on street parking to gain required widths for the shared use path 
• Provides an additional link up to recreational facilities, such as the skate park and nature space. 
• Allows for priority crossing over side entrances. 
• Provides new signage for the shared use path 
• Installed a toucan crossing on Wonastow Rd Industrial Estate

5. Monnow Street – Currently with the Regeneration team 

The regeneration and placemaking team are still looking into the development of Monnow Street and have recently (March 2025) carried out some consultation work on initial design ideas. The results and feedback of this consultation are yet to be released at the time of this update (April 2025). 

6. Town Centre Links – Scheme to be developed 

This section is currently in the very early stages of scheme development and would provide a route through Chippenham Fields as an alternative to Monmouth high street. This route was well used during the COVID-19 pandemic and is still used by many people to either travel to town, school, dog walking or leisure. Whilst there are existing paths in the park, they would require extensive works to meet active travel standards. This scheme of work is scheduled to be looked at within the next five years as it is not as high priority as other areas in Monmouth.  

7. Old Dixton Road 

This scheme gained construction funding in 2021/22, but wasn’t built due to high tender returns and so has been put on hold until both funding and a successful tender have been found. The scheme aims to provide an off road shared used path from the Library/Hub, past the Comprehensive School, to the Leisure Centre in Monmouth as well as a “quiet lane” through the underpass leading to the river side. The designs have been altered slightly after some feedback from our Sustrans Active Travel advisor.  

Due to changes in funding structures, it was not possible to gain funding for this scheme in the Welsh Government’s annual Active Travel Fund (ATF) application process. MCC will explore the possibility of applying for in-year funding from ATF. The scheme remains tender ready with detailed designs having been completed.  

The scheme looks to: 

• Provide a widened footway to meet active travel standards.
• Cyclists to be directed on road with 20mph implementation
• Crossing point at Leisure Centre.
• Priority crossing over carpark entrances.
• New signage for paths 

Adaptations to previous designs to include: 

• Removal of “bulge” in kerb line at pinch point 
• Road to underpass to become a “Quiet Lane” and link with the future Wye Active Travel Crossing
• Promotion of 20mph zone. 
• Relocated traffic calming features

8. Wye Active Travel Crossing – Active Travel Fund £140,000 in funding secured for 2025/6 

Monmouth’s Wye Bridge has long been identified as a severance point for active travel, and MCC has prioritised the development of this route. MCC has developed a plan for an Active Travel bridge upriver of the existing road bridge, to provide a safe and attractive alternative route and encourage modal shift for local trips between Wyesham and Monmouth as a result. The road bridge is a listed structure that carries a heavy volume of road traffic. The footway and roadway are narrow and there is currently little scope to make it more welcoming or safe for active travel. 

The funding gained in 2024/5 was stretched as far as it could to maintain the progress of this scheme. Ecology surveys and monitoring has been ongoing. Land negotiations are in progress. The ECI (Early Contractor Involvement) framework has been completed, and the details and reports are currently being prepared. Early feedback from this piece of work has highlighted a few access issues for the large vehicles and build space for components of the bridge. There are currently several options for resolution of the issues raised under review.  

The funding that has been secured for this year, whilst not as much as hoped it still allows development of this scheme. The funding will be used primarily for carry out a CAT III check which involves an independent company to look at the designs being put forward to ensure they are suitable for purpose. As well as this some of the funding will be used to make an additional amendments to the detailed designs of the bridge using information gathered from the ECI reports.  

The scheme looks to: 

• Provide a 3.8m wide walking and cycling bridge parallel and upstream to the current Wye bridge. 
• Provide a coherent, direct, safe, comfortable, and attractive walking and cycling network from Wyesham to surrounding communities, services, and facilities across Monmouth; 
• Increase levels of sustainable access to employment, health, education, and services;  
• Positively impact actual and perceived pedestrian, cyclist, and wheelchair user’s safety along and across the study area;  
• Achieve a modal shift in Monmouth towards sustainable transport for all journeys; and reduce the negative impacts of transport on the natural and built environment.  
• Provide connections to the Wyesham Links and Old Dixton Rd routes on either side of the bridge 
• This phase of work will move the scheme forwards to a tender ready project. Through ECI and Cat III checks on the structure. The construction of the bridge is planned to be 2 years for 25/26 and 26/27. 

9. Wyesham Links  

Towards the end of 2024 initial design options for the Wyesham Road links were produced. These design gave options for upgrading the pavement from the top of the Wyesham hill, along the Wyesham Road to the entrance of the Kymin View Primary School. The initial design options have been reviewed by officers from various MCC departments which highlighted several changes that need to be done. Once the final design options have been selected then they will go out for public consultation. Due to changes in funding applications for 2025 it was not possible to gain further funding for this scheme so further development must wait until funding can be sourced. The Wyesham Links remains an integral part of the Active Travel spinal route through Monmouth and so its priority remains high. 

Monmouth Active Travel Locality Map

This post is also available in: Welsh