Warwickshire County Council's cabinet is being asked to release funding for an active travel link between Leamington and Rugby that will cost more than £800 per metre to install.

The Reform UK panel of councillors in charge of major service areas meets on Thursday with county officers – the employed professionals – recommending the release of £322,710 set aside to upgrade a 400-metre section of the Lias Line, a disused railway route that now serves as a greenway that links to the wider cycle network. 

The money comes from the government's active travel fund with the council acting as the conduit for site owners and active travel charity Sustrans to utilise the grant, although it is Warwickshire County Council that will be on the hook if there are any cost overruns. 

A council report states that a cost-benefit analysis showed the project to be "very high" value for money, adding to a route that has had a series of upgrades in recent years.

"The overall Lias Line project is expected to support the growth and development of the rural economy, bringing increased trade for pubs, cafes and other businesses from leisure users attracted to the route," states the report. 

"The development of the route also provides an opportunity for start-up businesses such as bike hire and cycle maintenance as well as within the hospitality sector. A new café has already opened adjacent to an earlier section of the route."

At Fosse Way, the Lias Line connects with the county council-owned Offchurch Greenway which extends west to the Grand Union Canal close to Radford Semele.

This is one of a series of projects with the aim of creating a network of accessible traffic-free greenways connecting Rugby, Leamington Spa and Long Itchington.

This element would upgrade the part from Birdingbury Road, turning the single-track footpath into a three-metre wide multi-user greenway with a 1.5 metre strip for horses as well as providing a new stepped access.

Sustrans are said to expect to deliver the extension "during 2026" with planning permission already in place.

The report adds: "Design work is at an advanced stage and some preliminary works have been completed. 

"Sustrans has significant local and national experience of delivering schemes of this type. As with the first two phases of the Lias Line, Sustrans will utilise in-house network development and engineering teams to complete the scheme design work and project manage delivery and will commission construction contractors to undertake the scheme build."