Funds in pipeline (From Evesham Journal)
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Funds in pipeline
8:00am Friday 26th August 2011 in News
Cotswolds Conservation Board director Martin Lane; National Grid project officer Tim Vaughan; and CCB Chairman Jeff West in front of one of the reinstated dry-stone walls along the gas pipeline corridor.
A GAS pipeline stretching across the Worcestershire and Gloucestershire border has led to £1 million worth of funding for the Cotswolds.
The 28-mile pipeline between Wormington, near Broadway and Sapperton in Gloucestershire, runs through the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and was seen as a major project which had many implications for the Cotswolds landscape.
However, thanks to a good working relationship between the Cotswolds Conservation board and National Grid, which was carrying out the work, nearly £1 million of funding and in-kind contributions were negotiated by the board to help mitigate the impact of the pipeline on communities and the landscape within the AONB.
The pipeline project provided £400,000 of funding towards the rebuilding or reinstatement of dry-stone walls; £100,000 of funding for community projects and nearly £100,000 towards a range of climate change projects.
In addition to the National Grid funding, landowners, farmers and communities have contributed to these sums. Walling grants have already meant an additional £343,000 towards 3,130 metres of restored walls.
Martin Lane, director of the Cotswolds Conservation Board, said: “This was a major construction project taking place in a protected landscape, yet thanks to a close working relationship with National Grid, we were able to not only ensure minimal impact on the landscape, but also help lever in significant resources for the benefit of the AONB.”
Tim Vaughan, project manager with National Grid, said: “Inevitably there have been a number of challenges, but these have been overcome with the support of the CCB and local communities. We hope our commitment to initiatives within the AONB will leave a lasting legacy.”
