A review of the design of cycling infrastructure at the Wellesley development is urgently needed before "money is spent on substandard and potentially dangerous" plans, according to the secretary of the Rushmoor Cycling Forum.

The forum was set up by Rushmoor Borough Council in 2009 and exists to support and promote cycling in the borough.

Making a deputation at a Hampshire County Council meeting, Rushmoor Cycling Forum secretary Sarah Wood said the group has "serious concerns" regarding the recent changes to Queens Avenue.

A section of Queens Avenue near the Aldershot Centre for Health has been remodelled, with carriageways narrowed by the removal of on-road cycle lanes. Shared Use Paths (SUPs) have been made on each side of the road for pedestrians and cyclists to use.

Ms Wood said: "We are asking HCC to urgently review the design of cycling infrastructure in the development before more money is spent building substandard and potentially dangerous infrastructure."

She went on to explain the concerns the cycling forum have.

She said: "Considering the anticipated number of pedestrians and cyclists the SUPs will result in chaos and conflict with dissatisfaction all round.

"Cyclists using the SUPs must give way at each side road. This is a real inconvenience for cyclists. Cyclists have to reduce their speed and stop, then look in all directions before crossing the road.

"This increases journey time for cyclists and coupled with pedestrian conflict will lead to many cyclists choosing to remain on the carriageway."

Councillor Sean Woodward, of Hampshire County Council

"Because of the carriageway narrowing, overtaking is made more difficult and this increases the chance of collision," she added.

"Transport for London would consider this a critical flaw and the scheme would not go ahead. The problem is compounded by gradients, over a distance, that slows cyclists down.

"This is a very busy bus route, currently every 10 minutes in each direction and predicted to eventually become every five minutes. It will not be possible for a bus to pass a cyclist unless they move into the lane for oncoming traffic."

She made three requests for the development: "Firstly, stop implementing any more substandard cycle infrastructure.

"Secondly, put in place a process to ensure that best practice is always adopted. This could be done by working with Rushmoor Cycle Forum and other interested parties. Certainly the forum would be very pleased to be part of this process and can make recommendations.

"Thirdly, upgrade the infrastructure already implemented to the current state of the art."

Executive member for economy, transport and environment, Cllr Sean Woodward, was also invited to visit and meet with members of the cycle forum to discuss their concerns.

The development is being built by residential property business Grainger PLC. Grainger's development manager at Wellesley, Alan Chitson, said: "Wellesley's cycle strategy has been designed in discussions with Hampshire County Council and Rushmoor Borough Council, approved by both authorities and meets government design standards.

"We believe it creates a safe environment and gives cyclists the option to keep off the main highway if they wish. It is simply wrong to describe them as substandard and dangerous.

"Previously, roads in and around Wellesley, such as Queens Avenue, were built to an over-engineered standard for military purposes."