ACTIVE travel campaigners are asking Cheshire East Council to work with HS2 to create a greenway network north of Crewe to Middlewich and Winsford.

Peter Foster, of Active Travel Crewe, has highlighted HS2's environmental statement which states the aim of creating a green corridor along the new railway, in particular by providing funds to help local people realise their own green infrastructure projects.

The campaigner told last week's meeting of Cheshire East Council that the group's vision was for the creation of a greenway network north of Crewe via Wimboldsley to Middlewich and Winsford.

Mr Foster said: "North of Crewe, given the proposed land take and scale of engineering works, there is a great opportunity to turn these words into reality.

"A greenway is a continuous tarmac path for pedestrians and cyclists similar to the Crewe-Nantwich route, no steps, no barriers, easy for all to use.

"The core of this would be a greenway running parallel with HS2 from the Parkers Road area to the proposed depot three miles away and onto the Shropshire Union Canal."

Mr Foster, who is the former northwest director of Sustrans, said such a greenway would bring economic and health benefits as well as boost tourism.

"We hope the council will negotiate with HS2 and the DfT to seize this opportunity and we're very willing, as volunteers, to help the council with this," he said.

Cllr Craig Browne, chair of the council's highways and transport committee, said: "You're absolutely right, there is an opportunity to turn words into reality here.

"We are discussing the petitioning process with respect to HS2 Phase 2B, and the opportunity to secure the greenway along the lines of which you're seeking does exist as part of that petitioning process.

"As a council, we are actively engaged in responding to consultations on the design refinements for HS2 Phase 2B. This will include consideration of all necessary mitigations to impact on the local road network as well, of course, for some potential routes for active travel."