Cessnock council has given the tick of approval to its part of the Richmond Vale Rail Trail in what supporters describe as "an important milestone" for the project.
The project is a 32 kilometre cycleway along the old Richmond Vale railway line from Kurri Kurri to Hexham/Shortland, which traverses Newcastle and Cessnock local government areas as well as a small part of Lake Macquarie.
Cessnock council endorsed a review of environmental factors for a western section of the trail from Stockrington to Kurri, which attracted 127 public submissions, including 124 in favour.
A review of environmental factors is an alternative approval pathway as opposed to a development application.
The endorsement means 27.5 kilometres of the trail has been approved.
A development application for a 100-metre section in Cessnock adjacent to Pambalong Nature Reserve was approved in 2021 after the council received $75,000 in state funding because the land is subject to the Coastal Management State Environmental Planning Policy.
The Newcastle section was approved by the Hunter and Central Coast Joint Regional Planning Panel in 2021, with the exception of two legs at Tarro and Hunter Wetlands Centre, which are subject to separate applications.
The wetlands section requires input from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, while the Tarro connection needs to be integrated with the M1 extension.
Lake Macquarie City Council will also need to separately approve their 2.7 kilometre section.
The preferred option for the western section includes two new bridges, one 15 metres long and the other 70 metres and restoration of three tunnels - two in Lake Macquarie and one in Cessnock.
Richmond Vale Rail Trail Supporters' Group vice-president Terry Lewin said he was pleased the council unanimously supported the proposal, and believed the trail would "be of huge benefit to Hunter communities, supporting a broad range of users and activities across all age groups".
"This is another important milestone in the trail's development," he said.
"However, with a growing appetite for rail trails and active transport in NSW, and increasing competition for government funding, we all need to continue to work together to finalise RVRT approvals and attract state and federal funding - to help make the Richmond Vale Rail Trail a reality."
The group has called for a regional planning and management committee to be created, with representation from Newcastle, Cessnock, Lake Macquarie and Maitland LGAs, which focuses on development, securing funding, construction segments and priorities, and optimising the trail's longer-term benefits for residents and visitors.
Concerns about noise, biodiversity, heritage and impact on nearby landowners were raised in the submissions, which Cessnock council said would be addressed in the detailed design phase.
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