Public Consultation: Sandgate and Fell Lane, Penrith - Safety and Accessibility Improvements

Overview

Introduction

We would like your feedback on plans to improve Sandgate and the Fell Lane area in Penrith. 

The improvements aim to make it safer, easier and more pleasant to walk, wheel and cycle between the Scaws residential area, Beaconside Primary School and Sandgate in the town centre. The improvements aim to help people to make everyday journeys, such as travelling to school, work and the shops. They could also make leisure journeys easier, including trips along two National Cycle  Network Routes that pass through the area. 

This will be the first major project to be delivered from the Penrith Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP). 

The LCWIP plan sets out how we can create a better network of routes for walking, wheeling and cycling across Penrith. The aim is to give more people the choice to make everyday journeys in an active way so that it is beneficial for health.

By wheeling, we mean using a wheelchair or other wheeled mobility aids. 

How the project is being funded

Westmorland and Furness Council has secured the funding for constructing the scheme from a number of Government sources including Active Travel England’s Consolidated Active Travel Fund and the Department for Transport’s Local Transport Grant.

What we want the scheme to achieve

The overall aim of the project is to make it safer and easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle, while improving the area for everyone who lives, works, visits or travels through it.

The project aims to:

• Make walking, wheeling and cycling easier and safer, giving people the choice to use these ways of travelling for local journeys
• Improve connections to Beaconside Primary School and residential areas, supporting the growth of the town
• Make junctions safer and easier to use, by simplifying road layouts and improving crossing points
• Help people feel safer (including women and girls), when travelling through the area
• Make Sandgate a more attractive and welcoming gateway to Penrith town centre, and create a more appealing, healthier place for people to spend time

Why your views matter

Have your say

Community engagement and feedback is important and will help to shape our initial ideas, to ensure we can make the proposals the best they can be. 

We would like to consider your feedback and use this to inform the development of the design ready for construction.

Our consultation is open from Monday 12 October 2026 to Friday 13 November 2026. 

• Attend our public drop-in session: You can attend our public drop-in session on Wednesday 14 October 2026 1pm-5pm at Penrith Library to talk to the project team about the proposals before submitting a response to the online questionnaire.
• Complete the online questionnaire: Share your feedback with us by looking at our proposals and completing the short online questionnaire. Click the link at the bottom of this page to access the proposals and the questionnaire. 

Next steps

Following the consultation finishing on 13 November 2026, a report will be published in February 2027 summarising the findings. Feedback from the consultation will inform the detailed design which will commence in Spring 2027. Construction of the scheme is expected to commence in Autumn 2027.