MPs’ plea for £2m Brecks support
THREE MPs have urged a government minister to back the Brecks’ bid for £2 million of funding.
Elizabeth Truss, MP for South West Norfolk, Matthew Hancock, MP for West Suffolk, and George Freeman, MP for Mid Norfolk, have written to tourism minister John Penrose in support of a bid for money from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The money – requested by Anglia LEP, Visit East Anglia and the Brecks Partnership – would be used to revitalise tourism in the area.
Ms Truss said: “The Brecks is an area that incorporates stunning forests and heathland, unique biodiversity and wildlife.
“Superb recreational activities combined with charming towns and villages, as well as flourishing food producers and farm shops, all create a fabulous landscape for tourism to thrive.
“Today’s letter to him illustrates the support from Norfolk and Suffolk and I will be pressing the minister to ensure he is fully aware that only a couple of hours along the M11 from his building in Westminster sits the Brecks.”
According to outline plans from the bid, the money would be used for a range of restoration projects and a focus on increasing access to the Brecks. Protecting the area’s heritage is key to the bid.
Mr Hancock said he ‘wholeheartedly’ supported the bid for Lottery cash.
“The Brecks are strikingly beautiful, have a remarkable history and with this investment could realise their huge potential,” he said.
According to Neil Featherstone, Brecks Partnership manager, the money will give the area greater exposure.
“It’s a little known area – even within the county. The problem is a lot of people drive through the Brecks and it’s constrained by the A1075 and A11 routes.
“But the Brecks has a terrific story to tell and the bid could provide a way for us to tell it,” he said.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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