Information on Loughborough

Watermead Success

Posted on 14/12/2007
P. Klein

lottery bid

THE LEADER of Charnwood Borough Council will last night praised the £50million funding for improved pedestrian and cycle links across the UK, with £700,000 going towards a £1.4million investment into Watermead Country Park.

The funding from the ‘People’s 50 Million’ was awarded following a public online and telephone vote and will ensure that pedestrian and cycle links are improved, making it easier for more people to get fit and active in parks and the countryside.

Connect2 is a national project, led by Sustrans. The voting was held nationally between 26 November and 10 December. The Sustrans Connect2 bid won by securing over 40% of votes.

The Leader, Cllr Richard Shepherd (Conservative councillor for Quorn & Mountsorrel Castle), made a celebratory announcement at the Borough Council’s Cabinet meeting held in Loughborough. Cllr Shepherd said: “Locally, the project had the backing of hundreds of residents and was up against stiff opposition from three other projects including Sherwood Forest, the Black Country and the Eden Project.”

Watermead Country Park one of approximately 70 projects nationally that will benefit from Sustrans success in securing the £50 million. Work on the improvements is expected to start before summer 2008.

Cllr Peter Lewis (Conservative councillor for Loughborough Nanpantan), Cabinet Lead for Leisure, said: “43,000 people live within one mile of the park and countless visitors come from further afield, so winning the money is good news for a lot of people.”

Cllr Richard Shepherd, added: “We are thrilled with this legacy for the Park’s future. Without the public vote, this could not have happened. The real winners will be those thousands of people”