SEVENOAKS has a lot of potential for cycle routes, according to David Young, who is currently looking at the area to see what can be improved and built.

According to the Sustrans' South East regional co-ordinator, one of the most viable ideas is to put a cycle route along the River Darent.

"A riverside route has real potential," Mr Young said.

"If you could cycle all the way along the river from Sevenoaks to Dartford how great would that be?"

However, he warned such a project would be costly and time consuming, saying in some areas, Sustrans has had to wait 20 years for permission to buy land or permission to let the route be built through it.

"A lot of land negotiations and public consultation is required," he said.

"With it costing £100,000 per kilometre for a shared-use cycling and walking path we can see that it's also expensive." But there is hope for the future.

Mr Young said: "In partnership with Kent Countryside Access, we will look at the Darenth Valley path and see how that can be developed and opened up.

"There are plenty of lines on the map via Farningham through Eynsford and there's quite a lot of stuff that could be done if there is a political appetite for it.

"Kent will be looking at that in a fair bit of detail this year."

He added: "One of the other things I have looked at with public rights of way is to extend the route from Tonbridge to Penshurst Place and utilise bridleways to Hever Estate and at some point on to Edenbridge."

Another possibility is a cycle path around Lullingstone Country Park, something Mr Young said Kent Countryside Access was looking into.