10.01.06
Objective One investment success for Boscastle gives green light to regeneration plans

A regeneration package for Boscastle worth almost £1.5m has been given the go ahead with the announcement of a successful Objective One bid.

A total of £707,088 of Objective One investment will come from the European Regional Development Fund and this will be match-funded by the main agencies involved to deliver a package of projects worth £1,473,100.

The initiative has been led by the Boscastle Regeneration Steering Group, which was set up by North Cornwall District Council in the immediate aftermath of the floods to co-ordinate the work of the main agencies and local groups and help plan the regeneration of the village.

North Cornwall District Council is the lead partner and the accountable body for the project. The council will be providing match-funding along with its partner organisations, Cornwall County Council, Forrabury & Minster Parish Council and the National Trust.

Over the next couple of years, thanks to this investment, Boscastle will benefit from enhanced features, services and facilities which will make the village more attractive and help support the local economy.

The car park and its surroundings will be landscaped to include a picnic area and will incorporate better facilities for visitors and locals such as public toilets, a bus shelter and tourist information point.

Future visitors will be encouraged to explore more of Boscastle with a new village trail, and the lighting, pavements and road surfaces will be improved to make them more in keeping with the village's historic setting.

The council's visitor centre which was destroyed by the floods will be re-located into an existing building in the harbour area. The Objective One investment will enable the council to improve this popular facility to include an archive area, a new display about the floods and public toilets.

In the harbour area itself, river walls and banks will be restored, seating provided and traditional materials will be used for surfacing, cladding and paving. At the top of the village, the National Trust and Parish Council will be working together to provide a new children's play area with play equipment and seating.

Carleen Kelemen, director of the Objective One Partnership, said: "This project will help to rebuild and improve an historic Cornish village where the residents survived a terrible natural disaster. The combination of restoration, improvement and new build will help to ensure the future for Boscastle by attracting many more visitors, supporting the residents and creating jobs."

Cllr Janey Comber is the district council ward member for Boscastle, a trustee of the Flood Appeal Fund and a member of the Regeneration Steering Group: "This regeneration scheme is not simply about reinstating what was lost in the flood. It is about improving facilities and enhancing the village to boost the local economy and make Boscastle even more attractive for everyone. This is a marvellous way of illustrating how Objective One money can help regenerate an area – especially one that has been as traumatised as Boscastle. All the agencies involved will be working closely together to ensure that the work on these various regeneration projects is co-ordinated with works on any flood alleviation schemes and other infrastructure improvements in the village."

Arthur Bannister, chairman of Forrabury and Minster Parish Council said: "Everyone will be pleased to hear that Objective One money has been made available to fund the requirements of the Regeneration Project. This means that all of the proposals set out in the Business Plan can be undertaken thus providing a safer and more pleasant environment for those who live in Boscastle. People can now look forward to the gradual return of a way of life they enjoyed before."

Ron Muffett, chairman of the Boscastle Chamber of Trade and Commerce said: "Boscastle Chamber of Trade and Commerce is delighted that the bid for Objective One funding has been successful. The success has obviously been achieved through the determination and hard work of individuals and co-ordination of all the agencies involved. Hopefully this co-ordination will continue throughout the years ahead so that the traumas of post-flood Boscastle can be laid to rest and our history in the making will be the prosperity of our next generation."

In preparing the investment bid, the Regeneration Steering Group organised extensive consultations with local residents and all the agencies involved to come up with a package that has widespread support. The consultations included a household survey and public exhibitions in the village.

The village has already benefited from around £94,000 worth of investment to support additional tourism marketing and promotion during 2005.

For further information please contact Annie Moore of North Cornwall District Council on 01208 893318 or email: annie.moore@ncdc.gov.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the Boscastle Regeneration Project through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Editor's notes:

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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