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£18 million boost for tourism in the South West
21 July 2010
Tourism in the South West of England is set to receive an £18
million boost after a joint public and private sector initiative to
make the most of the region’s landscape and features.
The Sustainable Rural Tourism programme aims to attract more
than 300,000 extra overnight visitors into the region each year.
Its six projects will focus on the opportunities for tourists - to
the benefit of south west businesses and residents - to make the
most of the South West Coast Path, Cornish Mining World Heritage
site, inland water bodies, cycle & multi-use trails and the
natural habitat.
More than £14 million of the investment is being provided by a
grant from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), with
the remainder contributed by the private sector and the
organisations leading delivery of the projects. Around half of the
funding will be spent in Cornwall, although the split within
individual projects varies. The six projects are:
· 1 South West – A partnership led by the Forestry Commission
will create easy access trail hubs to develop South West England as
a world-class region for adventurous off-road cycling. With some
trails suitable for absolute beginners, the hubs will enable
enjoyable cycling activity throughout the year. This work will be
enhanced through improved information for off-road cycling across
the region, providing a platform for further development.
- Enjoy Water – A partnership led by the South West Lakes Trust,
and involving the Cotswold Water Park Trust and the Environment
Agency, it aims to develop water-side recreation - ranging from
wildlife watching to regional racing and canoe safaris - at six
interlinked hubs situated at reservoirs and lakes across the
region.
- Unlocking our Coastal Heritage – A partnership led by the South
West Coast Path Team to conserve, enhance and interpret 30 sites
along the South West Coast Path National Trail. It aims to improve
the quality of the visitor experience and increase the economic
benefits to the associated tourism industry.
- Discover the Extraordinary Project – The Cornish Mining World
Heritage Site has ambitious plans for developing the quality and
appeal of the World Heritage mining landscape and attractions in
Cornwall and West Devon.
- Rural Sports Tourism – A partnership between the British
Association for Shooting and Conservation and Westcountry Rivers
Trust will be looking to develop the full potential of the region's
country sports market and its related supporting industries.
- TRAC (Tourism and Rural Access in Cornwall) – Cornwall Council
is working with businesses to develop links between the Camel and
Tarka multi-use trails, particularly on the Devon and Cornwall
border, to help diversify tourism facilities and interest to areas
in the less traditional tourist ‘hotspots’.
As well as the lead partners, South West Tourism, Sustrans, the
National Trust and other local partners are involved with the
projects.
Shortlisting of the six projects was carried out by a panel of
experts who looked at more than 50 expressions of interest. They
chose bids they considered had the strongest potential for
achieving the overall aims of the RDPE programme in the region.
“To achieve maximum benefit from the investment, the South West
Regional Implementation Plan (SWRIP) is targeting investment
towards the key features that we think will have a greater
impact on the industry as a whole, rather than grants to
individual businesses,” said Mike Johns, Programme Manager for the
South West RDA, the organisation responsible for delivering RDPE in
the region.
“With a predicted increase of 300,000 extra visitors staying
overnight each year, the investments will undoubtedly provide good
value for money and the economic benefits will be visible to many
rural tourism businesses.
“For me though, the most exciting success is seeing the flood of
good ideas flowing between the partners as they start to
collaborate and share. It is this aspect that will ensure continued
and long term benefits beyond the life of this programme. It’s
still early days and we know that many other businesses in the
region are keen to get involved. We expect to have more information
by the autumn about how they can do that.”
More work is now being done on the details of the projects.
South West Tourism is working with project leaders to ensure that
proposals minimise their carbon impact and where possible join
forces to maximise value for money and the impact on rural
businesses.
Kirsty Cumming, Head of Marketing and Deputy Director for South
West Tourism said: “The Tourism Vision for the South West is a
place for people to go and be active regardless of age and ability.
Thanks to this strategic RDPE investment and the partnership with
the private sector, the rural areas are now leading the way towards
achieving this vision.”
ends
Note to editors
For more information, please contact Mike Johns at the South
West RDA on 01392 229626 or Kirsty Cumming, Head of Marketing and
Deputy Director at South West Tourism on 07951 553371. News release
issued by Hilary Allison, South West RDA press office on 07901
994103.
Contacts for the six projects are:
1 South West – Paul Hawkins, Forestry Commission – 07795 427660;
paul.hawkins@forestry.gsi.gov.uk
or Kirstie Smith, Marketing & Communications Manager, Forestry
Commission – 01392 834249, Kirstie.smith@forestry.gsi.gov.uk
Enjoy Water – James Platts, South West Lakes Trust - 01566
771930, JPlatts@swlakestrust.org.uk
and Matthew Millett, Acting Joint Chief Executive, Cotswold Water
Park Society Ltd – 01793 752730/752413, matthew.millett@waterpark.org
Unlocking our Coastal Heritage – Alex Green, Communications
& Project Officer, Devon County Council - 01392 382683,
alex.green@devon.gov.uk
Discover the Extraordinary – Sam Snow, Marketing Officer,
Cornwall Council - 01872 322767, ssnow@cornwall.gov.uk
Rural Sports Tourism – Simon Clarke, Head of Press Relations,
The British Association for Shooting and Conservation - 01244
573007; simon.clarke@basc.org.uk or
Jamie Stewart, BASC Director, South West England - 01823 480903,
jamie.stewart@basc.org.uk
and Toby Russell, Westcountry RiversTrust - 01579 372140, 07970
996790, toby@wrt.org.uk
TRAC – Chris Hariades, TRAC Project Manager, Cornwall Council -
01872 326330, chariades@cornwall.gov.uk
RDPE
The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) runs from
2007 to 2013. It is the 2nd pillar of the Common Agricultural
Policy and aims to support the creation of genuinely sustainable
farming, forestry and food sectors, whilst also bringing wider
benefits for the economy, the environment and rural communities. It
provides the major finwww.googlencial vehicle for protecting and
enhancing the environment and securing a range of public benefits
for society. Defra is the Managing Authority.
The RPE has three priorities for rural development:
1. Improving competitiveness of the agriculture and forestry
sectors
2. Improving the environment and the countryside
3. Improving quality of life in rural areas & encouraging
diversification of economic activity
The aims, objectives and priorities for delivering RDPE in South
West England were agreed for the socio-economic investments with
regional partners and these are set out in the Regional
Implementation Plan. On the basis of a thorough analysis of South
West England’s rural characteristics and economy, the Plan sets out
eight themes:
i. Skills development
ii. Social enterprise
iii. Business support
iv. Supply chain and adding value
v. Resource management (soil, water, energy, waste)
vi. Sustainable rural tourism
vii. Biodiversity and landscape
viii. Community-led development
For more information on the RDPE and the schemes see
www.sw-ruralgateway.info
In this region, the South West RDA delivers priorities 1and 3
with a budget of £156.8 million over the seven years. The RDA is
also responsible for ensuring that five per cent of the RDPE
funding is spent on enabling community involvement in rural
development. The RDPE priority for improving the environment and
the countryside is delivered nationally by the Forestry
Commission’s Woodland Grant Scheme and Natural England’s
Environmental Stewardship Scheme. The delivery partners in the
South West aim to ensure that investment in each of the three
priorities will help support investment in the others.
Organisations involved in delivering RDPE
The South West RDA works for and promotes a modern, stronger and
more resilient economy across South West England. Our work involves
creating better jobs, successful businesses, more prosperous
cities, towns and villages within an economy that uses less carbon
and will still be thriving in 20, 50 and 100 years time.
Natural England works for people, places and nature to conserve
and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban,
coastal and marine areas. It conserves and enhances the natural
environment for its intrinsic value, the wellbeing and enjoyment of
people, and the economic prosperity it brings. For more information
see http://www.naturalengland.org.uk
Environmental Stewardship (ES) was launched in 2005, builds on
the very best practice already evident in British farming. During
the period 2007-13 the national budget for ES will be £2.9 billion.
The objectives of ES are to:
- Conserve wildlife (biodiversity)
- Maintain and enhance landscape quality and character
- Protect the historic environment and natural resources
- Promote public access and understanding of the countryside
- Natural resource protection.
The Forestry Commission is the government department responsible
for forestry in Great Britain. It supports woodland owners with
grants, tree felling licences, regulation and advice; promotes the
benefits of forests and forestry; and advises Government on
forestry policy. For further information, visit http://www.forestry.gov.uk/southwestengland