£39k secured for Learmount

Derry City Council's Environmental Services Committee heard on Thursday how ARC North West - a body charged with delivering rural development under the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme (NIRDP) 2007-2013 - offered to provide 39,632 towards the Learmount Biodiversity Trail section of the wider Faughan Valley Heritage Trail.

In February of this year Council asserted a public right of way at the pathway in Park and recommended that officers work with Learmount Community Development Group Ltd. and other interested parties with the view to enhancing the said path for recreation and amenity.

Consequently, progress has been made with ARC North West offering to provide the bulk of the money required for the development.

A report to the committee advised: "As part of the development of the Faughan Valley Heritage Trail, Council Officers in partnership with Learmount Community Development Group Ltd. and other interested parties identified Learmount Forest and adjacent pathways as a key destination for accessing and interpreting the Biodiversity and natural history of the Northwest.

"In February 2010, Members endorsed an application to ARC Northwest under Measure 3.6 Conservation and Upgrading of the Rural Heritage towards the creation of the 'Park Village and Learmount Biodiversity Trail' as part of the wider Faughan Valley Heritage Trail.

"For Members' information, Council in partnership with the Learmount Group has now secured a letter of offer from ARC in the sum of 39,632.00 towards the total project cost of 52,843.00 + VAT.

"It is proposed that the remaining 13,211.00 will be secured from the Faughan Valley Landscape Partnership Scheme. Subject to the successful outcome of the HLF application, this scheme is therefore being delivered at no cost to Council."

Earlier this year members of the Environmental Services Committee gave the green light to a proposal to apply for almost 2million to develop the Faughan Valley Heritage Trail.

Members were then told that 1.2million was ringfenced in Heritage Lottery money to create the trail, and that a study would be carried out by the Rural Area Partnership (RAP) in Londonderry.

The idea is to develop the long-distance, multi-use route that would link the city with the rural landscape heritage as well as with other regional and national trails. Completion date for the entire Faughan Valley Heritage Trail is May 2015.