Shoppers and staff at Rushden Lakes commended for green travel

The shopping and leisure attraction has been awarded a bronze STARS accreditation for its travel plan

Rushden Lakes would like as many people as possible to leave their cars at home

Rushden Lakes has received an accreditation for its sustainable travel plan, making it the first retail and leisure destination to achieve the endorsement.

Modeshift STARS (Sustainable Travel Accredited and Recognised) accredited Rushden Lakes with a bronze level for its sustainable travel plan, implemented last year.

The plan aims to reduce car journeys to the out-of-town Rushden Lakes by seven per cent, and make active and sustainable travel a ‘feasible’ choice for as many visitors as possible.

About five million shoppers visited Rushden Lakes in the first year of trading.

Jo Francis, property management director at The Crown Estate, said: “As part of making our places more sustainable in the future, we need to work with partners to develop resilient travel infrastructure that offers people more options to either walk, cycle, use electric vehicles or easily access public transport.

“It is great to see the hard work of the team at Rushden Lakes accredited through Modeshift. We look forward to continuing to work collectively with everyone who use our spaces to help shape our sustainable travel plans for the future.”

Initiatives to promote sustainable travel include free bike repairs and maintenance sessions, bike safety training, and providing vouchers from AJ Cycles and Decathlon.

The Crown Estate, working with Savills, has also been making improvements across all its places, to facilitate and promote more sustainable modes of transport for everyone travelling to its destinations.

Modeshift STARS is the Centre of Excellence for the delivery of effective travel plans in education, business and community settings. The scheme recognises schools, businesses and other organisations that have shown excellence in supporting cycling, walking and other forms of sustainable and active travel.

A spokesman for Modeshift said: “Here at Modeshift, we have seen a record number of accreditation approvals and are very proud to have 1,182 sites currently accredited, including 406 workplaces.

“Rushden Lakes is the first shopping centre to achieve National STARS Accreditation, and due to their hard work and commitment to sustainable and active travel, have achieved a good travel plan standard. We look forward to seeing how their travel plan develops and the positive changes they can have on their workforce, and the community around it.”