Work to build the Copthorne Greenway in Kirkby is due to start on Tuesday 18 August, delivering a new multi-use route that will connect Copthorne Playing Fields with the public open space created as part of the Whitefield Brook development along Valley Road.
What the Greenway will provide
The scheme is planned as a 1.5 kilometre, 3-metre-wide shared use cycleway and footpath running parallel to the M57, from the rail underpass at Copthorne Playing Fields to the new open space on Valley Road. It will include improved links beneath the railway, allowing people to continue on towards the Leeds to Liverpool Canal in Melling.
- Creation of a new walking and cycling route adjacent to the M57
- New access points at Melverley Road, Houlston Road, Westfield Walk, Ingoe Lane, Eastfield Walk, Elsted Road and Conteh Street
- Installation of secure fencing, signage and wayfinding
- Woodland and meadow habitat improvements plus tree planting
- Increased parking for existing residents along Elsted Road, Westfield Road and Eastfield Walk, with works for parking due to start later in the autumn
Council documents note the project is expected to take approximately six months to complete. The parking improvements are scheduled to follow once the main infrastructure work is under way.
Public backing and local benefit
A public consultation held last year showed strong local support; some 80% of respondents backed creation of the multi-user route. For a town that sits between housing estates, green spaces and major roads, the Greenway is being framed as a practical, low-cost way to improve active travel and link communities.
"80% of respondents were in support of the creation of the multi-user route."
Beyond the headline figures, the scheme aims to tackle a cluster of everyday issues residents raise: safer walking and cycling routes away from busy roads, better access between neighbourhoods, and improved green infrastructure. The plans include tree planting and meadow improvements around Copthorne Playing Fields, which local people have said they want to see protected and enhanced.
Practical details and what to expect
Works begin this week and are likely to mean temporary disruption in parts of the area while construction is under way. The council’s timetable places the main Greenway build within a six-month window, with the parking works later in the autumn. No further dates or detailed traffic management plans have been published in the notice supplied with the announcement.
New entrances will be created at seven streets, making the route more accessible from surrounding estates. The simple layout below shows the number of new access points and the overall length:
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Length | 1.5 km |
| Width | 3 m |
| New entrances | 7 |
For people who use Copthorne Playing Fields, parents walking children to school, or cyclists heading towards the canal towpath, the new route should offer a safer, more direct option. The improved wayfinding and signage will also help visitors and those less familiar with the area to navigate from the town towards Melling and the Leeds–Liverpool Canal.
While the announcement contains clear positives, residents will want more detail on phasing and temporary access during construction, plus the precise timing for the parking works promised for Elsted Road, Westfield Road and Eastfield Walk. The council says the parking improvements will start later this autumn once the main infrastructure works are under way.
The Copthorne Greenway is part of a pattern of small-scale public realm and active travel projects being delivered across towns in the region. For Kirkby it represents a modest but meaningful investment in local connectivity and green space — improvements that should be noticed by people living near the playing fields and the Whitefield Brook development over the coming months.
