PARKS Trust plans new ‘flagship wood’
A new 460-acre (186-hect- are) “flagship wood” will be created between Ashby- de-la-Zouch and Coalville, Leicestershire, in a bid to help mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee next year. Te Woodland Trust (WT)
is behind plans for the pub- licly-accessible woodland and is now looking to raise £3.3m to acquire the site, which is within Te National Forest. It is hoped the woodland
will establish a “living legacy” from the Diamond Jubilee and forms part of the trust’s efforts to double native woodland cover by 2050. Around 10 million people will have “easy”
Te trust is now looking to raise £3.3m to secure the Leicestershire site
access to the woodland once established, while also attracting wildlife species such as the yel- lowhammer and marsh tit. Sue Holden, chief executive of WT, said: “We need help to create woodland for the
nation, to give everyone access to the beauty of the natural world and create a legacy for the Queen’s Jubilee. “It’s a chance to celebrate the reign of one
of our best-loved and longest-reigning mon- archs while educating people about the need to increase woodland cover in the UK.”
Expansion planned for National Parks
Natural Eng l and has announced that it has agreed to adopt recommendations to expand the boundaries of the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks If approved by the secre-
tary of state, the proposals will see a total of 500sq km (193sq miles) of National Park land added across both of the two areas. Under proposals for the Lake District National Park, an area from Birkbeck Falls Common to Whinfell Common in the east and part of the Lyth Valley to the south will be added. Meanwhile, parts of the Orton Fells to the
Te South Bank gardens are set to be overhauled
Work to begin on South Bank’s Jubilee Gardens
Work is to begin “imminently” on a major refurbishment of the Jubilee Gardens on London’s South Bank aſter Frosts Landscape Construction was appointed contractor. West 8 are behind the design of the £3.2m
scheme, which will deliver a new green landscape featuring 70 new trees and flow- erbeds to replace the current gardens. Te refurbishment is being managed by
the Jubilee Gardens Project Board, which includes Southbank Centre; Lambeth Council; the Jubilee Gardens Trust; and Transport for London.
Te Lake District is one of the two National Parks that will be expanded Natural England chair Poul Christensen
north of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and a number of locations on the western perime- ter of the current boundaries will be added.
said: “[Te decision to proceed] represents an opportunity to ensure that these special land- scapes are looked aſter for the future.”
£2.3m HLF grant for Swansea’s Penllergare Valley Woods
Swansea’s Penllergare Valley Woods are to undergo restoration work aſter the trust leading the proposals was awarded more than £2.3m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The Penllergare Trust has successfully secured funding towards the revamp of the
© CYBERTREK 2011
Grade II-listed woodland through the Parks for People programme. Te HLF grant will help provide new visitor
facilities, including bilingual interpretation, and will hopefully lead to an increase in visi- tors to 130,000 a year once work is complete.
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Work begins on Maidstone park overhaul
Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) has
announced that work has now commenced on the multi-million pound rejuvenation of the Kent town’s Mote Park. Construction company Gallagher has
moved on site to undertake the 10-month refurbishment, which has benefited from a £1.8m Heritage Lottery Fund grant. MBC is investing £700,000 in the
scheme, which will comprise the restora- tion of the 1840s waterfall; an upgraded Boat House Area; and the restoration of an 1800s pavilion.
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Additional funding for Welsh National Parks
National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in Wales are to receive a further £1.9m from the Welsh Assembly Government over the next two years. Welsh environment minister John Griffiths said £1.2m would come through the Sustainable Development Fund to National Parks and £700,000 towards the country’s AONBs. Te fund aims to “engage” communities
in sustainability projects and it is hoped that the investment will encourage the development of more schemes.
image: south bank e.g./west8
image: kevin eaves/
shutterstock.com
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