Fantastic News For The Kennet Valley
The Town and Manor of Hungerford, the charity that owns the common and marshes surrounding Hungerford along with sports facilities and other property in the town centre, has announced that its Kennet Valley Wetland Reserve project can begin! West Berkshire Council has now granted full planning consent for the construction of the wetland landscape and its access, alongside outline planning permission for the Education and Information Centre.
Rt Hon, The Lord Benyon of Englefield has agreed to be its Patron, commenting in light of the increasing threats to the environment from climate change that:
“In this regard I particularly welcome the initiative of the Town and Manor of Hungerford to restore some 40 acres of former water meadows in the Kennet Valley, and develop them as a wetland reserve. All of this does of course come at a cost, some £1.5 million, which the Town and Manor hope to raise through an Appeal. I am delighted to support this as its Patron, and would ask you to join me in supporting this most welcome initiative.”
West Berkshire Council has also awarded this exciting wetland project a £100,000 CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) grant that will go towards putting in place the necessary infrastructure to allow public access to the site and for the future development of the Education and Information Centre.
Philip Porter, the Constable of the Town and Manor, and Chair of the Board of Trustees, that runs this ancient charity, says:
“We are truly delighted and excited about our wetland project. The overwhelming support we have received from the residents of Hungerford and the wider community in the Kennet Valley, from our Patron Lord Benyon, from Hungerford Town Council, and West Berkshire Council, and the many countryside agencies, has been most welcome. We now have some work to do on further detailed designs and to meet various administrative requirements before we start development on site. Getting started on shaping the wetland landscape and putting the infrastructure in place has been much anticipated – watch this space!”
To find out more about the Town and Manor of Hungerford and this exciting project, please visit the charity’s website https://townandmanor.co.uk/wetland-reserve.
Photography by Darren Prestoe
