A new £3.5m fund to help repair and improve Cumbria’s public rights of way damaged by Storm Desmond in December was launched on 16 May by Floods Minister Rory Stewart.
The Cumbria Countryside Access Fund will help to attract tourists back to Cumbria by making it easier to explore the Lake District and Cumbria’s countryside on foot as well as directly benefiting residents.
Individual grants from a minimum of £100,000 are available for landowners or public bodies and will cover reinstating and improving rights of way for rural towns and villages, visitor attractions, long distance trails and those passing through environmentally sensitive areas such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
The maximum grant that can be offered is £1m in each of the North, East and South Lake District areas and £500,000 in rural areas of Cumbria outside of the Lake District National Park.
The fund launch comes after Floods Minister Rory Stewart reopened the storm-damaged A591 on the week of 9 May – ensuring the Lake District is open for business this summer.
The Cumbria Countryside Access Fund will provide:
- £3m for reinstating and improving pathways in the Lake District National Park,
- £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 and the fund will be open for applications from Monday 16th May and will close at 5pm on 13th June.
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.”
