- Area:
- East of England
- Programme:
- Parks for People
- Release date:
- 15 4 2009
Spring heralds a transformation for the Town Centre Gardens in Stevenage with today’s announcement of £1.7million in Lottery funding.
The award to Stevenage Borough Council to improve and regenerate this much-loved park is part of a £14million funding package for public parks across the UK made by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Big Lottery Fund (BIG) through their joint Parks for People programme.
Cllr John Gardner, Deputy Leader of Stevenage Council and Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regeneration, said: “We are extremely pleased that the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund has decided to allocate funds to the regeneration of our Town Centre Gardens. As our plans have been developed with the local community and voluntary groups, this project will not only reinvigorate the green lungs of Stevenage, but the heart of the community as well.”
Barbara Follett, Member of Parliament for Stevenage, said: “I am delighted to welcome the £1.7 million of lottery funding designated to regenerate Stevenage’s Town Centre Gardens. Through the creation of job and volunteering opportunity, the people of Stevenage are going to benefit tremendously from this funding which will help bring the whole community together in creating an open space that everyone will be able to enjoy.”
Stevenage’s Town Centre Gardens were developed in the 1960s and are the town’s most important formal and ornamental public gardens. This project will reveal the park’s original historic features, create a new arrival space and garden areas to provide new facilities and employ a Community Engagement Officer to develop a wide range of events and opportunities for local people.
The Gardens provide the only recreational green space in the middle of Stevenage, but have suffered from a lack of investment. This regeneration project will transform the park by creating a modern space that will both reflect the original planners’ vision including the pond, planting and design, whilst retaining the hedgerows and historic routes that predate the New Town. The project will also introduce new play equipment, provide greater horticultural interest and improve public safety with better lighting and pathways.
Robyn Llewellyn, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund East of England, said: “This award will reinvigorate the Town Gardens. Parks play a hugely important role in their communities and this additional investment will transform the space into a place people can be really proud of.”
Sara Betsworth, Big Lottery Fund Head of the East of England region, added: “This funding is fantastic news for Stevenage and we’re pleased to be part of the renaissance of its public parks. This project will help to guarantee that both locals and visitors alike get the most of what the Town Centre Gardens have to offer and will help to safeguard this precious green space and the environment for future generations to enjoy.”
Alongside Stevenage Town Centre Gardens, eight other communities across the UK are celebrating today. Grants totalling £14million will be spent on regenerating and restoring the nation’s green lungs in Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire, Perthshire, Lanarkshire, Cornwall, Coventry and Sunderland.
A further £1.6million of development funding has been awarded to 13 other parks across the UK today to help them work up detailed proposals for applications of more than £20million.*
Further Information
For further information, please contact Dervish Mertcan or Alison Scott at HLF’s press office on 020 7591 6102 / 6032
Email: dervishm@hlf.org.uk
Out of hours mobile: 07973 613 820
Helen Harch at the BIG press office on 020 7211 3707
Email: Helen.harch@biglotteryfund.org.uk
Out of hours: 07867 500 572
Notes to Editors
The Parks for People programme uses Lottery funds to support the regeneration, conservation and increased enjoyment of public parks. The programme aims to improve the local environment and put parks firmly back at the heart of community life. In England two Lottery Funds have been working in partnership (2006-2009) to deliver a multi-million pound investment in public parks of £150million. Over the three years the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) is investing up to £80 million (in England only) with £70 million coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the UK.
The Parks for People programme has a two-stage or two-round application process. At the first stage or round, an organisation can apply for a development grant to contribute to the costs of developing the project for a second stage or second round application. The full grant is only awarded if the second-round application is successful.
*The 13 parks awarded a Stage One Pass with development funding today are:
- Cedars Park, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire (£173,000)
- Forest Recreation Ground, Nottingham (£181,500)
- Horniman Gardens, Lewisham, London (£71,500)
- Memorial Park, Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire (£24,300)
- Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets, London (£295,500)
- The Green, Silloth-on-Solway, Cumbria (£106,000)
- Kings Gardens, Southport (£240,000)
- Telford Town Park, Shropshire (£162,000)
- Mote Park, Maidstone, Kent (£124,500)
- Brinkburn Dene's, Darlington, County Durham (£45,200)
- Duthie Park, Aberdeen (£71,500)
- Cambuslang Park, South Lanarkshire (£22,700)
- Brooke Park, Londonderry/Derry (£94,000)
Parks for People programme grants range from £250,000 to £5million with two rounds of funding each year.
Every completed park project will be expected to achieve the annual prestigious Green Flag Award and in doing so demonstrate quality standards of care and upkeep.
HLF will continue to fund public park projects with an approved investment of some £20 million each year from 2009. The next closing date for applications is 31 August 2009. See www.hlf.org.uk for details.
Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported more than 28,800 projects, allocating over £4.3billion across the UK. Website: www.hlf.org.uk
HLF has already invested more than £400million in 300 historic public parks, gardens, squares and promenades right across the UK.
BIG has invested more than £700million on environmental initiatives to date. For more information, visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
BIG rolls out close to £2million in Lottery good cause money every 24 hours, which together with other Lottery distributors means that across the UK most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project. The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004.
Good Causes - out of every pound spent on a National Lottery ticket, 28p goes directly to good causes. BIG is responsible for distributing half of the money to improve communities and the lives of people most in need. HLF distributes 16.67% of the money to heritage projects across the UK. There are 12 other organisations responsible for distributing lottery money to good causes. www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk
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