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Bike hire on the Stratford Greenway could get planning permission for a permanent base. Mercia Cycles has applied to Stratford-on-Avon District Council to use land at the Greenway picnic area, off Seven Meadows Road, for storing, hiring out and maintaining bikes. The application was first sent in December 2024 and was accepted as complete on 17 September 2026. Updated plans arrived in August and a new statement of how the business runs in late September.
What the Greenway bike hire plans involve
The company’s statement says it already runs a small bike hire business from the Greenway, and describes it like this:
- about 35 bikes, kept locked in a shipping container on site when they’re not out (the previous operator had 55)
- open 9am to 5pm at weekends and in school holidays
- around 10 customers a day on average, who hire a bike, ride and bring it back
- routine checks, cleaning and small repairs on site, with no heavy lorry deliveries
The Greenway is the 5-mile former railway line from Stratford to Long Marston, popular with walkers and families on bikes. Its northern end, by Seven Meadows Road, has the car park, picnic area and old railway carriages.
What consultees have said
Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council supports the plan, saying it will encourage cycling and complement the Greenway’s existing facilities. The council’s environmental health team, the county’s rights of way team, its minerals and waste planners and the Ramblers have no objection. District councillor David Curtis also recorded no objection.
In October 2025 the county council’s highways team formally objected until it got more information. It had no objection in principle, but asked whether the business would grow and bring more cars to the Greenway car park, which opens onto the A4390 Seven Meadows Road, and whether the car park could cope without queues backing onto the road. The company’s new statement, received in September 2026, answers that the operation is small, with fewer bikes than before. Highways hasn’t published a new response yet.
How to comment
You can read the plans and comment on the council’s planning website (24/03200/FUL). The main consultation closes on 19 October and the published notice on 29 October. The council aims to decide by 12 November.
The plan was first in this week’s New in Stratford. For other applications near you, see Planning near me and all our planning news.
Alex Harrington
Alex Harrington grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and runs What's up, Stratford? as an independent guide to the town.
