£3.5M Cumbria Countryside Access fund launched today

A new £3.5M fund to help repair and improve footpaths has been launched today, following damage from floods.

Floods Minister, Rory Steward has today launched a £3.5M fund which will help repair and improve Cumbria’s public rights of way, after Storm Desmond devastated the area.

The Cumbria Countryside Access Fund aims to help bring tourism back to Cumbria, by making it easier to explore the Lake District and Cumbria’s countryside on foot as well as directly benefiting residents.

It will provide £3M for reinstating and improving pathways in the Lake District National Park, and £500,000 for pathways in rural areas of Cumbria outside of the National Park.

This is part of the EU funded,  Rural Development Programme for England.

Individual grants are available from a minimum of £100,000 for landowners or public bodies who will reinstate and improve right of way for rural towns and villages, visitor attractions, long distance trails and those passing through environmentally sensitive areas such as Sites of Specific Interest.

A maximum of £500,000 can be offered in rural areas of Cumbria outside of the Lake District National Park, and a maximum of £1M in each of the North East and South Lake District Areas.

The A591 was reopened last week, restoration from the damages caused by the floods. Floods Minister Rory Stewart has ensured the Lake District will be open for business this summer.

Floods Minister Rory Stewart said: “This money will help re-open many walks and areas that suffered in the dreadful December floods, providing a great boost for local communities and getting the message out loud and clear that Cumbria is very much open for business.

“The county’s landscapes are some of the most precious and beautiful in the country and I would recommend to anyone that they come and see what they have to offer.”

Chief Executive of the Rural Payments Agency Mark Grimshaw said: “The Cumbrian countryside, including the Lake District National Park, includes some of the most beautiful scenery that England has to offer and is a major feature of the local tourist economy.

“Creating this new Cumbria Countryside Access Fund will help restore rights of way popular with locals and visitors, as well as protect them from any future instances of flooding.”

 

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