Cheshire East is seeking funding to develop the Greater Bollin Trail walking, wheeling and cycling route in the north of the borough.

The route would provide connections between established trails, such as the Middlewood Way, Bridgewater Way and the Trans Pennine Trail, to public transport nodes and links to towns, villages and places of interest including Lyme Park, Quarry Bank Mill, the proposed Tatton Services, Tatton Park and Dunham Massey.

It would also provide links to key employment connections including Manchester Airport, Adlington Business Park and Altrincham.

A report to yesterday's (April 3) meeting of the highways and transport committee, said it would also link into the Handforth Garden Village and, 'in part, relies on this development coming forward'.

Committee chair Mark Goldsmith (Wilmslow, Ind) told yesterday's meeting: "When we get devolution, and the government have made it quite clear that is a when, not an if, we will need reports like this to get the money into our area as well, because those decisions for things like this will be increasingly made in the North West and not in Whitehall.

"I know people will say, well there's no money for this, why should we bother?  Well, because we have to have the plan to get the money.

"A lot of these organisations want to see how we'll spend it, have we got the detailed thinking behind it, that they can then fund it."

He said it would also be completed in phases.

Cllr David Edwardes (Macclesfield, Ind) said he was in favour of such routes, but he hoped developing it wasn't as 'chaotic' as the active travel in Manchester Road in Macclesfield.

"It keeps on being moved around because staff leave and so on. I do hope that we go into it really focused, and it does actually come to fruition," he said.

Disley councillor Sue Adams (Con) said: "I'd just like to thank the officers concerned for their hard work over quite a long period of time with this project.

"I think it's absolutely fantastic.

"I wish I could see more of this sort of strategic thinking from the council, and it's the sort of thing we need, isn't it?

"Let's hope we can gradually make this happen over time."

The committee backed the concept and objectives of the trail and gave the go-ahead for officers to work with key stakeholders 'to identify, develop and submit external funding bids to take forward to delivery elements of the route'.