The Forestry Commission is set to hand a grant of almost £300,000 to a landmark scheme that aims to create a ‘green’ cycling and walking route around Preston.

The Preston Guild Wheel is a 21-mile route that encircles the city. The three-metre wide, continuous, barrier-free route passes through six areas of woodland.

The Wheel’s route passes through a varied landscape, including the city centre, historic parks and gardens, coastal estuary, rolling farmland, a river valley, reclaimed quarries and woodlands. It also links to all the major urban areas of Preston providing access to schools, places of work and other local services.

The Forestry Commission funding, if accepted by Preston council chiefs at their meeting on Thursday, will be spent on improving access to these woodlands, as well as on other landscaping along the Wheel.

“This is a fantastic visionary project that will provide residents of Preston with a wonderful, environmentally friendly transport network that can be used by commuters or as a leisure destination in its own right,” said Forestry Commission woodland officer James Bickley.

“The Forestry Commission is continually working to improve public access to areas of woodland as they are recognised as being great for our wellbeing.

“We are also really keen on encouraging people to take up healthy exercise in our forests and woodlands and the Preston Guild Wheel is a fantastic example of a scheme that will tick both of those boxes.”

The Forestry Commission’s cash would provide almost 3.5km of cycleway, footbridges, 13 benches, picnic tables, waymarkers, interpretation boards, natural play equipment, fencing and gates as well as tree planting and maintenance.

Preston Guild Wheel project Peter Ward added: “I think that this is a magnificent grant offer by the Forestry Commission and a very important one.

“Their funding would have a significant impact on the landscape and infrastructure and help us deliver a quality scheme for the people of Preston.”

The Preston Guild Wheel is the legacy project for the 2012 Preston Guild civic celebrations that are held every 20 years in recognition of the city being granted the right by King Henry II in 1179 to have a guild merchant.