Cheshire East is to go out to public consultation on its draft proposals on active travel and cycling and walking infrastructure plans.

The council has developed local cycling and walking infrastructure plans (LCWIPs) for Middlewich, Sandbach, Nantwich, Poynton, Knutsford and Handforth.

 Plans for Crewe, Congleton, Macclesfield and Wilmslow were developed and approved in 2021.

The plans were discussed at last week's meeting of the highways and transport committee, which began with a tribute and a minute's silence in memory of Cllr Chris Hilliard, who died suddenly this week.

Committee chair Mark Goldsmith was choking back the tears as he said: "Cllr Hilliard served the council and our community with dedication, integrity and compassion.

"Chris cared deeply about helping others and about cycling too, which is why Chris was our cycling champion who advocated for many of the initiatives we'll be discussing today.

"It is for this reason that today's meeting was not cancelled, as we do not want to delay the hard work Chris put into bringing these schemes to the committee."

As the meeting got underway, members of the highways and transport committee were told the delivery of the prioritised LCWIP routes is not funded at this stage.

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Cllr Goldsmith (Wilmslow, Ind) said: "If you don't have the plan, you won't get the money.

"Therefore, you have to get the plan, even if you don't have the money to implement it, but that then opens up opportunities to go out and secure the money at a later date."

Cheshire East has so far been allocated about £800,000 of funding to help with its active travel plans.

Richard Hibbert, head of strategic transport and parking, said the council had to demonstrate it had a clear plan in place for active travel to unlock more government funding.

He said one of the things it must do is complete two schemes which are funded but not yet finished.

"One is on Manchester Road in Wilmslow through to Handforth and one is in Manchester Road from Macclesfield to Tytherington.

"They will both be completed in the current financial year," he said.

Alderley Edge councillor Craig Browne (Ind) said: "I know that Cllr Hilliard would have been absolutely delighted to have that confirmation in respect to Manchester Road in Wilmslow, which is due to go through what was his ward and it's obviously tragic he's not going to see that scheme come to fruition.

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"However, I hope that it will be seen as part of his legacy."

He then said that while members of the public might have other priorities when it came to highways, it was important to stress any funding for active travel was ring-fenced and has to be spent on active travel.

"Discretionary funding for active travel simply cannot be allocated to other priorities, however valid those priorities might be," said Cllr Browne.

"We either comply with the terms of the grant or we return the money. It's that straightforward, really."

The committee was unanimous in agreeing that the draft active travel strategy and LCWIPs be put out for public consultation.