About this evaluation

Safe and accessible pathways are crucial for our daily lives, whether it’s commuting to work, exercising, or simply reconnecting with nature. Delapre Park now boasts 1,300 metres of new pathways that connect Far Cotton with Brackmills. These pathways include cycle parking, new seating, and additional wayfinding signs that will be installed in the future.

The project was funded through the Active Travel Fund Grant 2022/23 – from Active Travel England to West Northamptonshire Council, in partnership with Delapre Abbey Preservation Trust.

A year on from the installation of these pathways, researchers from the University of Northampton, Nottingham Trent University, and University of Manchester have been evaluating their impact. The goal of this research was to understand what people value about the new paths, identify areas for improvement, and assess whether the new route enhances outdoor activities.

Throughout the evaluation process, members of the local community played a vital role in guiding the research. An initial research event in October 2024 allowed residents to suggest topics for the evaluation. Following this, participants had various ways to share their views:

• 194 people completed an online survey
• 124 people participated in ‘Intercept Surveys’ conducted in the park
• 47 people attended more in-depth focus groups.

Researchers also gathered anonymous GPS data from Strava and Place Informatics to measure the frequency of pathway use.

Now that the evaluation is complete, the Active Quarter partnership is sharing the findings with you. You can download the full evaluation report using the link at the bottom of this page, watch a short video summary below, or read on for some of the key findings.

Watch the video summary

Successes for the new paths

People liked that the paths don’t get water-logged, muddy or slippery. This made it easier for people to plan their visit – no more planning an alternative route in the rain, packing spare shoes, or cleaning up when you get back home.

We learnt that people managing long-term illness or recovering from surgery felt safer because of this. And others told us that, because the paths are wider than before, it felt easier and safer to pass other park visitors.

The growing popularity of the paths meant people felt safer when travelling alone or in darkness.

Most people thought the materials used were in-keeping with the natural environment. For visitors using the park to escape the stresses of urban life, this is particularly important. People want to feel like they can connect with nature to support their physical and mental wellbeing.

Improvements for the future

During the evaluation process, we also learnt about ways the pathways could better serve the community. Based on this feedback, we passed some recommendations onto decision-makers.

Some people said that the top-layer materials used along the route could have been firmer under foot. This was true for some cyclists and those riding horses in particular. We’ve recommended that the paths are monitored over the summer to see how well these materials compact down or if extra work is needed, subject to funding being available.

People really appreciated the new benches, and we heard from participants that they’d like to see even more places to rest along the paths:

The impact so far

Overall, have the new pathways helped more people enjoy getting outdoors? It’s been too short a time to more deeply understand the impact, but our evaluation so far suggests the new paths are making park visits more likely – particularly for those who didn’t visit the park frequently before the new paths were installed.

Community groups benefited from the new paths too. The improved accessibility was attracting new members – and leaders didn’t have to cancel their groups after wet weather.

We want to keep monitoring how people use these pathways so that future projects can continue to have a positive impact in our local area. So, visit them yourself and share your thoughts with us.

We’ve also made recommendations in response to the feedback received during the evaluation, and grouped these into ‘short-term’, ‘medium-term’, and ‘further’ recommendations. These have been shared with decision-makers so we can all keep improving access to outdoor spaces in the area.

Additionally, the final part of the funding from Active Travel England will go towards the installation of new signage along the route. We’ve passed along the views of local residents to Delapre Abbey Preservation trust, who’ll be completing this work.