Southern stretch of the Hayling Billy Trail is next for upgrade works

11 September 2026

The southern end of The Hayling Billy Trail still turns to mud after rain. That is the stretch Hampshire County Council now wants to treat the same way as the rebuilt northern kilometre: a sealed all-weather path up to three metres wide for walkers and cyclists, with a soft verge for horses.

Active Travel England has confirmed a £500,000 grant under its ATE-9 programme, channelled through the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust.

Havant Borough Council says the money will cover about 1,100 metres running north from the Station Theatre, the old Hayling Island station goods shed. Most of the build is intended before Christmas, with the final surface dressing left until warmer weather in spring 2027. The scheme went to a county council Decision Day on 7 September.

The first phase, about 1.2km from the Havant Road car park opposite the Applegreen garage down to North Hayling Halt behind the Esso, reopened in early 2025. That work cost about £600,000 from Active Travel Fund round 4.

Cycle Hayling, which has argued for a weatherproof surface since 2010, says the north was done first only because the grant had a one-year spend deadline. The wetter, more eroded lengths needed extra engineering and nature consents.

Councillor Kirsty North said she had seen first-hand how well the northern upgrades had been received and wanted to build on that. The trail follows the Hayling Island branch, closed after the last public train on 2 November 1963. It now forms part of the Shipwrights Way and National Cycle Network Route 2, and is the only traffic-free cycle route off the island.

The long-term aim remains the full 4.5km (2.8 miles) between the northern car park and Sinah Lane. A joint £100,000 feasibility study has already produced designs for the remaining lengths. The middle, still stony and muddy and in places exposed to harbour erosion, will need later money. Havant’s civil engineering team has been told to keep those schemes shovel-ready.