Ever struggled to get a buggy or bike into Grant Park? Active Travel Forres is changing that! They’re overhauling the St Leonard’s Road entrance for easier access, better visibility, and to tackle flooding. Imagine smoother journeys and a greener community. What impact will these upgrades have on your visits?

Active Travel Forres has embarked on a significant initiative to transform the St Leonard’s Road entrance to Grant Park, aiming to vastly improve accessibility and safety for all members of the **Forres** community. This crucial **community infrastructure** project represents a commitment to fostering a more inclusive and user-friendly public space, directly addressing long-standing issues that have hampered park access for years.

Currently, the existing entrance presents numerous obstacles that deter easy passage. These include restrictive barriers that prevent access for wider wheeled transport, such as buggies and bicycles, leading to congestion, especially during large-scale events held within the park. Furthermore, the presence of loose gravel can pose difficulties for those with mobility challenges, while high surrounding walls severely limit visibility for both park users and passing motorists, creating potential safety hazards. The current setup also contributes to local flooding at the bottom of St Leonard’s Road.

To counteract these challenges, **Active Travel Forres** has put forth comprehensive **urban planning** proposals. A cornerstone of these plans involves widening the pavement leading into the park from its current 1.6 metres to a spacious 4 metres. This substantial expansion will be achieved by relocating the existing wall further back into the park, thereby creating ample room for seamless movement and accommodating a greater variety of users and transport methods.

In addition to the widening, the project includes crucial enhancements to the path’s gradient and drainage. The existing paths will be meticulously re-aligned to provide a much gentler 1:15 gradient from the road level up to the park level, significantly easing passage. A new 1:40 camber on the redesigned paths will ensure efficient water runoff, diverting most water back into the park’s grasslands. Crucially, a dedicated drainage channel, silt trap, and a newly constructed soakaway system will effectively manage water flow, mitigating the perennial flooding issues.

The **Grant Park** upgrade proposals were met with overwhelming public support during a recent consultation at the Forres Highland Games. Out of 44 attendees who reviewed the plans, a remarkable 96 per cent expressed their approval via a questionnaire. This robust public endorsement underscores the community’s desire for these enhancements and affirms the strategic importance of the project, with all collated feedback set to influence the final design decisions.

The immediate benefits of these **accessible paths** are numerous and far-reaching. The introduction of a wider entrance, coupled with gentler slopes and a proper, durable surface, will dramatically enhance the ease of use for everyone. Improved visibility will not only make the entrance safer for pedestrians and cyclists but also for motorists, fostering a more harmonious shared space and reducing the risk of accidents.

Beyond the practical improvements, this initiative promotes sustainable transport and offers significant environmental and health advantages. By systematically removing physical obstacles to active travel, the project aims to make walking and cycling the most convenient and appealing options for park access. This shift is anticipated to decrease reliance on private cars, leading to substantial savings for individuals, a reduced carbon footprint for the area, and, most importantly, improved public health outcomes through increased physical activity.

Ultimately, the revitalized St Leonard’s Road entrance will stand as a testament to proactive **urban planning** and **community infrastructure** development. It envisions a future where **Grant Park** is not only more beautiful but also genuinely accessible to all, encouraging a healthier, more connected, and environmentally conscious community in Forres.