A PETITION to restore the disused railway line from Chepstow to Tintern to create a shared use cycle path is gathering momentum.

The petition, which has been running since May 2014, has amassed over 3,500 signatures, and has developed into a proposal which would link communities through a safe shared-use path from Caldicot through Chepstow and out into the Wye Valley. A path from the Severn Bridge and a new link footbridge across the river Wye have been added to the railway line proposal, with retired Chepstow-based consultant Alan Hayward drawing provisional plans for the footbridge.

Campaigners and petition creators Jennifer Goslin and Nik Peregrine have partnered with Paddy Daly, experienced in PR and tourism, to create organisation A-B Connecting Communities to move the campaign forward. The group now seeks funding and planning permission, and want to spread awareness for the petition and proposal.

Mark Hand, Head of Planning for Monmouthshire County Council, said: “Monmouthshire County Council welcomes the principle of this cycle path which would help deliver the council’s aspiration to develop the county as an attractive cycling destination and grow the benefits of cycle tourism. We recently invited Sustrans to meet us to discuss ways that we can work together to move this project forward.  It was a productive meeting and we look forward to working with Sustrans and other interested parties, especially given the considerable public support for this project locally.”

For more information on the campaign, and to access the petition, visit A-B Connecting Communities’ page at facebook.com/AtoBcon

nectingcommunities