Three new cycling and walking routes costing almost £1m are to be implemented across the county.

Wiltshire Council has been awarded £978,000 from Active Travel England’s Active Travel Fund 4 to create three new cycling and walking routes in the county.

The three schemes are a pedestrian footbridge as part of the Salisbury River Park project; a cycling link between Devizes Road, Hilperton, and the A361/Elizabeth Way Roundabout; and an Amesbury to Larkhill cycle link.

The Hilperton scheme, which costs £320,000, will link to the existing shared use paths and head along Trowbridge Road, with the existing footway widened to create a shared use path for both pedestrians and cyclists. It is expected to be completed in 2024.

The £200,000 for the Amesbury to Larkhill cycle link will fund the development and design of a scheme along Countess Road.

In Salisbury, the pedestrian footbridge, which will cost £458,000, will link the coach park to Central car park, and will be completed by April 2024 as part of the first phase of the project.

When submitting the bid, Active Travel England had indicated a funding allocation of £878,366 for Wiltshire, and so the council received around £100,000 more than the initial allocation.

The council had originally prioritised the Salisbury and Hilperton scheme as the first and second priorities, while the Amesbury to Larkhill was identified as the sixth priority, but Active Travel England decided to award funding for these three projects.

The council will now seek alternative funding sources for the other priority schemes.

Cabinet member for transport Caroline Thomas said: “We’re delighted to receive more than our initial allocation from Active Travel England for these three projects that will offer safer walking and cycling opportunities in Wiltshire.

“Choosing to walk, wheel or cycle can help to save people money, improve health and also reduce carbon emissions, and that’s why we’re committed to active travel as part of our Business Plan.

“We look forward to the Salisbury and Hilperton schemes being constructed, while the Amesbury scheme can move forward to the detailed design stage thanks to this funding.”

All schemes in the council’s bid had to meet a minimum assessment threshold to ensure they promote and encourage walking and wheeling.

To find out more about active travel schemes in Wiltshire, people should click here.