A Connected Active Travel Network for North East Essex
The Sunshine Coast Greenway is a comprehensive walking, wheeling and cycling network linking Manningtree, Colchester, Brightlingsea, Clacton, Frinton, Harwich, and Walton
It is designed to connect existing isolated active travel infrastructure to make communities more connected, support everyday travel, and unlock the economic and health potential of North East Essex.
This is not just a tourism route, or a leisure route. It is strategic infrastructure that helps local residents and visitors alike.
What Is the Greenway?
The Greenway is a connected active travel route around Tendring and North East Essex, designed to:
- Promote walking, cycling and wheeling
- Enhance local transport options
- Improve health and wellbeing
- Boost the local economy
- Reduce car dependency and congestion
The aim is to launch a route that is “good enough” quickly, then improve it over time.
This is about delivery, not perfection.
A Pragmatic, Deliverable Approach
We are realistic.
The aspiration is:
- A single coherent walking and cycling route
- Fully wheelchair accessible
- High quality greenways
- Safe crossings
- Strong continuity
But we also recognise that:
- Some sections will initially use minor roads
- Some improvements are needed
- Missing links must be resolved
- It can be phased
The principle is simple:
Launch as soon as it is good enough. Improve continuously.
What Makes a Route Attractive?
The Greenway focuses on what people actually want to use:
- River and sea views
- Traffic free or low traffic sections
- Gentle gradients
- Clear signing
- Safe road, rail and river crossings
- Good continuity between sections
These attractors are what make a route usable for:
- Families
- Older residents
- Wheelchair users
- Everyday commuters
- Leisure users
- Visitors
What Needs Fixing?
The route quality assessment we have done has identified real and practical issues:
- Steps, stiles and barriers
- Muddy, narrow or overgrown paths
- Busy roads without cycle facilities
- Lack of safe crossings
- Missing links
- Poor signing
This is exactly why the Sunshine Coast Greenway matters.
It identifies problems and provides a framework to fix them systematically.
View the presentation here to see how the Sunshine Coast Greenway can transform our region.
The Economic Case
The economic case is substantial.
Based on our modelling:
Tourism Revenue
Estimated annual economic impact:
£6.57m to £19.71m
Local Economic Impact
Savings and spending from increased active travel:
£9m to £25m annually
Active travel infrastructure is not just transport policy.
It is economic development policy.
Coastal cycling and walking networks elsewhere in the UK have demonstrated sustained visitor growth, extended stays and higher local spend.
North East Essex can do the same.
The Health Case
Regular physical activity:
- Reduces the risk of chronic illness
- Improves mental health
- Reduces pressure on the NHS
- Supports independent living in older age
The Greenway makes physical activity part of everyday life rather than something people have to schedule.
It lowers the barrier to participation.
The Environmental Case
- Fewer short car trips
- Reduced congestion
- Lower emissions
- Cleaner air
- Safer streets
Active travel networks are a core part of meeting local and national carbon reduction commitments.
The Community Case
Beyond economics and health, the Greenway supports:
- Civic pride
- Safer routes to school
- Stronger community links
- Educational opportunities
- Family activity
- Intergenerational use
It becomes shared infrastructure that people value and protect.
Already Recognised in Policy
The route has been recognised in the draft Tendring Local Plan, demonstrating that the concept is already being taken seriously at district level.
The next step is ensuring Essex County Council treats it as strategic active travel infrastructure. We’ve started the ball rolling with £10k of seed funding from the council, but we need more support to make this a reality.
That requires political backing.
This Is Strategic Infrastructure
The Sunshine Coast Greenway is:
- A transport project
- A health project
- An economic project
- An environmental project
- A community project
It aligns with:
- Active Travel policy
- Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans
- Public health objectives
- Economic regeneration goals
- Climate commitments
It is long term infrastructure for North East Essex, an area which hasn’t had much investment in recent years.
What We Are Asking For
We are asking County Council candidates and elected members to:
- Support the development of the Sunshine Coast Greenway in principle
- Recognise it as strategic infrastructure
- Work to secure funding for key missing links
- Support phased delivery
The Greenway is deliverable.
What it needs now is political will.