Corridor 3 of 12
Swaffham Greenway
Renamed in the singular in February 2026 — because Swaffham Prior fell out of the scheme.
In design or planning
What became of the 6 proposals for this corridor
What the 2016 review asked for
- New off-road route Stow-cum-Quy to Lode, 2.2 km
- New off-road route through Stow-cum-Quy, 1 km
- New off-road route through Swaffham Bulbeck, 500 m
- Upgrade 4 km of substandard path between Lode and Swaffham Prior
- Upgrade the Newmarket Road Park & Ride and Ditton Lane junction
- Investigate the Lode–Horningsea–Milton route
What happened
- 2019First consultation, run jointly with Bottisham and Horningsea.
- 27 Feb – 24 Mar 2023Public engagement on updated plans.
- June 2023Executive Board approves the updated plans.
- 6 November 2025Route alignment revised: the greenway now runs Swaffham Bulbeck – Anglesey Abbey – Lode – Stow-cum-Quy, joining the Bottisham Greenway.
- February 2026'The Swaffhams Greenway was descoped to become the Swaffham Greenway.'
- May 2026Planning launch.
- November 2026Full business case due at the Executive Board.
Where it stands, November 2026
In design, with land procurement under way. A planning application for the sections that need permission (CCC/25/091/FUL) is undetermined, with no target date, according to local campaigners. There have been two public consultations, in 2019 and 2023; the 2023 material said construction would begin in 2024, nothing has been built, and no explanation of the delay has been published. The descoping removed Swaffham Prior — the village the 2016 review used to make the case, at 13 km from central Cambridge but close to Marshalls — and local campaigners report the route will now stop at the western edge of Swaffham Bulbeck, leaving the narrow B1102 through the village as it is. The off-road path from Stow-cum-Quy past Anglesey Abbey to Lode already exists and has since about 2020. Both B1102 crossings, at Stow Road in Quy and at Anglesey Abbey, are planned as uncontrolled crossings with a central refuge; LTN 1/20 treats those as suitable only on roads of 30mph or less with low traffic, and they are hard going for less confident cyclists and unusable for many riders on horseback. Swaffham Bulbeck Parish Council has publicly accused the GCP of ignoring its concerns.
Sources for this page
- GCP — Swaffhams and Bottisham Greenways brochure, 2023 (PDF)
- GCP — Greenways update, November 2025 (route revised)
- GCP — Greenways update, December 2025
- CycleStreets photo — the Anglesey Abbey to Stow-cum-Quy path, May 2021
- CycleStreets photo — the B1102 refuge crossing at Anglesey Abbey, May 2021
- Department for Transport — LTN 1/20 Cycle Infrastructure Design (PDF)
- Cambridge Independent — Swaffham Bulbeck Parish Council accuses GCP of ignoring concerns
Every proposal on this route
| Proposed intervention (2016) | Type | Scale | Status 2026 | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New off-road route between Stow-cum-Quy and Lode | New route | 2.2 km | Built and open | Already built: an off-road path from Stow-cum-Quy past Anglesey Abbey to Lode has been in use since about 2020, crossing the B1102 by the central refuge the 2016 review described. Local cyclists call that refuge inadequate; LTN 1/20 (Table 10-2) treats uncontrolled crossings, with or without a refuge, as suitable only on roads of 30mph or less with low traffic. The redesigned Anglesey Abbey crossing in the current plans has a near right-angle turn with no inner radius on a 3m path, tighter than LTN 1/20's reference cycle (Table 5-1) can comfortably follow. The Swaffham Greenway now uses this path, with changes planned only at its ends. |
| New off-road route through Stow-cum-Quy | New route | 1 km | In design or planning | Described in 2016 as a challenging route needing landowner consent; still pre-planning. |
| New off-road route through Swaffham Bulbeck | New route | 500 m | Not in current programme | Not in the current scheme. Since the November 2025 realignment the greenway starts at Swaffham Bulbeck, and local campaigners report it will stop at the western edge of the village: the footway through the village is to be resurfaced but stays a footway, because land for an off-road path has not been pursued. An existing public footpath could be upgraded to a bridleway and surfaced instead. Swaffham Bulbeck Parish Council has publicly objected to GCP's handling. |
| Upgrade substandard sections between Lode and Swaffham Prior | Upgrade | 4 km | Not in current programme | Removed when the Swaffhams Greenway was descoped to the Swaffham Greenway in February 2026. |
| Upgrade the route through Newmarket Road Park & Ride and the Ditton Lane / Fison Road junction | Upgrade | — | In design or planning | Transferred to the Bottisham Greenway, which now carries the shared Cambridge-end section. |
| Re-align the approach to the A14 underpass | Upgrade | — | In design or planning | Absorbed into the Bottisham Greenway design. |