Networking: MULTI-MILLION LANDMARKS FUNDING PUTS CORNWALL HEARTLANDS ON THE MAP

The multi-million pound scheme, led by Kerrier District Council, has been given backing by the Big Lottery Fund to transform 7.5 hectares of former mining land in Pool, between Redruth and Camborne, into a World Heritage Site and parkland.

Mark Cotton, Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for the South West, said: "The Fund is delighted to announce the success of Cornwall's Heartlands. This follows a lot of hard work by the project - and some extremely tough decisions by the Fund's Living Landmarks committee.  I am looking forward to seeing this truly ground-breaking project come to life and capturing the imagination of the people of Cornwall and individuals across the country. This award will create a truly great place to live, work and play."

Heartlands is a community-led vision to transform Cornwall's most derelict urban area into a truly inspirational cultural landscape. The site will include formal gardens, exciting play-space, performance space for events for over 4,000 people and new cycle links to local trails.  Heartlands will include stunning new public art with a range of water features, sculpture and contemporary architecture directly complementing the Grade 2 Listed Robinson's Shaft mine complex.
 
There will be new education and health facilities for local people and the scheme has been designed to be a positive part of everyday life.  Heartlands will act as a catalyst for the wider regeneration of the Camborne-Pool-Redruth area. 

Heartlands is one of  three successful projects that are sharing awards totalling just over £70 million from the Living Landmarks programme. The other projects are The Greater East Belfast Partnership's Connswater Community Greenway that has been awarded £23.5million, and Falkirk Council's The Helix that receives £25million.

The aim of the Living Landmarks programme is to provide funding of up to £25 million to create major new capital projects that transform, revitalise and regenerate their communities. In August 2006, 23 projects made it onto the final Living Landmarks shortlist and were each awarded up to £250,000 to develop their proposals, leaving them much better placed to take their schemes further.

Projects that applied were given extensive scrutiny by the Living Landmarks Committee, which included experts in the areas of architecture and regeneration, and have substantial professional experience of large-scale capital projects.

In this extremely competitive funding programme the three successful projects were selected from a total of 313 initial applicants.

An even bigger grant from the Big Lottery Fund of up to £50 million is to be decided in December as part of The People's £50 Million contest.  ITV1 proposes to screen four projects during the week commencing 3rd December, before being put to the public vote to decide which project wins the cash. In the running are Black Country as Urban Park; The Edge at the Eden Project; Sherwood: The Living Legend; and Sustrans' Connect2.

For further details on the The People's £50 million contest follow the link.