Communities in Warwickshire affected by the construction of the London to Birmingham HS2 railway have received £1.4m from HS2 for projects to enhance their local area and benefit their communities.
Since the funds opened five years ago - and with the support of Warwickshire County Council – 28 projects in the county have now secured HS2 funding from the HS2 Community and Environment Fund (CEF) and the HS2 Business and Local Economy Fund (BLEF) worth £1,400,093.
Successful projects include village hall refurbishments, new play areas, nature reserves improvements, better sports facilities and town centre promotion.
Among the most recent projects to receive funding from the HS2 CEF are:
- Knightcote Children’s Play Area Trust secured £50,000 to upgrade and replace 20 year-old playground equipment. The play area is well used by local children, families from surrounding villages and also local groups including cubs, scouts, girl guides and Rainbows/Brownies for learning about camp craft, nature and other outdoor activities.
- Radford Semele Parish Council secured £30,000 to provide an outdoor gym for adults and those aged over 14 years old on the village playing field.
- Warwick Arts Centre secured £250,000 towards its refurbishment including the transforming the entrance and foyer, creating a new three screen cinema and relocating the Mead Gallery from the first floor to the ground floor, improving accessibility.
Other communities that have received funding are Wormleighton, Ladbroke, Eathorpe, Southam, Burton Dassett, Harbury, Long Itchington, Cubbington, Offchurch, Kenilworth, Coleshill, Water Orton, Kingsbury and Bodymoor Heath. To find out more about any of the projects funded in Warwickshire visit: https://hs2funds.org.uk/home/projects-funded-by-hs2-funds/
The HS2 community and business funds have been created to add benefit to communities along the route that are demonstrably disrupted by the construction of HS2.
Cllr Wallace Redford, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Transport, said: “We are delighted people are pulling together and successfully bidding for HS2 funding. We wish them well with delivering the projects and hope they will be enjoyed by local communities for many years to come.
“Whether people agree with the HS2 scheme or not, it is important that Warwickshire is allocated a fair share of this funding pot. I want to encourage more local groups to bid for a share of HS2 funding to gain some benefit for the places affected by the construction and operation of the railway.”
The majority of the successful projects have sought practical support and expert guidance from the county council’s HS2 Project Team in preparing their submissions.
Communities and businesses can continue to apply for grants from the HS2 Community and Environment Fund (CEF) and the Business and Local Economy Fund (BLEF). Find out more on the website https://hs2funds.org.uk/
More information on HS2 in Warwickshire can be found on the county council’s website at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/hs2 and via our twitter account @Hs2Wcc. To apply for the funds visit www.groundwork.org.uk/national-grants/grants_hs2-funds/