Masterplan to improve Glebe at Bowness receives funding boost (From The Westmorland Gazette)
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Masterplan to improve Glebe at Bowness receives funding boost
12:48pm Monday 3rd September 2012 in News
A MASTERPLAN to transform one of the Lake District's most visited beauty spots has received a funding boost.
Proposals to make Bowness Bay and The Glebe a world-class park and waterfront have got a £10,000 cash injection from South Lakeland District Council.
Plans were first drawn up to improve the area and attract more events back in 2007 but with cash from The North West Development Agency drying up the original scheme, which would have included a new hotel, cultural centre and retail development, were scrapped.
Now South Lakeland District Council, working with the Lake District National Park Authority, is applying for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to continue with a scaled down scheme.
This would include improvements to the Glebe plus the pitch and putt green space and the foreshore areas. At this early stage, the proposal considers improvements to the foreshore, links to Ferry Nab and Braithwaite Fold Car Park and the pedestrian areas of Glebe Road.
The money put forward by SLDC will come from the Local Authority Business Grant Initiative fund – a pot of money set aside for schemes that help to promote economic and business prosperity.
Coun Ian Stewart, SLDC's Economy and Enterprise Portfolio Holder, said there were many hurdles to clear and hoops to jump through before the scheme materialised but urged members of SLDC’s Cabinet: “Let’s take the first steps towards bringing it about.”
Coun Graham Vincent said: "This is about getting the mechanism in place so we can significantly improve this area which is probably the most visited in the Lake District and is a key area for our economy.
"At the moment it doesn't stand up to its volume of visitors - it needs a lot of attention."
Representatives of the HLF have already visited the site. They indicated that a round one application should be submitted and if successful could provide funding for the further development of the project, prior to a phase two application which would provide funds to deliver the project.
