Nottingham City Council has received initial support* from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Big Lottery Fund for its plans to restore and improve the historic Highfields Park, it has been announced.
The project aims to fully restore the Park, build upon its heritage and create a community facility for the 21st century.
Development funding of £280,500 has been awarded to help the Council progress its plans to apply for a full grant at a later date.
The restoration project, expected to cost over £4.2 million in total, will involve the refurbishment and repair of historic buildings on the site including the pavilions and ticket office; the rehabilitation of the lake; new features including adventure golf; vegetation and arboriculture work; and improvements to footpaths and hard surfacing.
The Grade II listed Park provides 121 acres of public space alongside the University of Nottingham campus off University Boulevard and features a large boating lake, landscaped gardens and a children's play area. It was first laid out in 1920 on the initiative of Sir Jesse Boot and fully opened to the public in 1926.
Councillor Dave Trimble, the City Council's Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture, said: "Nottingham boasts some beautiful public spaces and Highfields Park is one of our most historically important and popular. We're delighted that thanks to this initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund we can begin the process of restoring the Park to its former glory and introducing some new features which will ensure it can continue to be enjoyed by generations of Nottingham people in the decades to come."
Hilary Silvester, Chair of the Highfield Park User Group, said: "I am absolutely delighted to hear that our Stage One bid has been successful. The Council's Parks Development staff have worked tremendously hard on the project and we are looking forward to equal success in the second stage of the Lottery bid.
"Highfields is a very special and much-loved park, and the lottery funding will make it even better. I imagine that Jesse Boot, who gave the Park to the people of Nottingham, would be just as delighted to see his gift being so much appreciated.'
Carole Souter, Chief Executive of HLF, said on behalf of HLF and the Big Lottery Fund: "We're delighted to be able to provide this much needed support for Highfields Park, when it could not be more needed. Many public parks are really suffering in the current economic climate so this is particularly good news for Nottingham. Parks are important to all of us and add so much to our quality of life. Highfields Park will help to bring the local community together and now, we can help to secure its future."
*A first-round pass means the project meets HLF criteria for funding and HLF believe it has potential to deliver high-quality benefits and value for Lottery money. The application was in competition with other supportable projects, so a first-round pass is an endorsement of outline proposals. Having been awarded a first-round pass, the project now has up to two years to submit fully developed proposals to compete for a firm award. On occasion, an applicant with a first round pass will also be awarded development funding towards the development of their scheme.
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