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A £2m boost for Calderdale bid to rival Cotswolds
PLANS to transform the South Pennines, including vast swathes of Calderdale, into a major tourist centre to rival the Cotswolds or Peak District have been given a £2 million boost.
The money will be used to turn the area into an "eco-holiday" hub where tourists can enjoy outdoor sports, carbon-offsetting projects and high-quality local food.
It will be spent over six years with early proposals suggesting Calder-dale's reservoirs could become water-sport destinations, while the countryside around Todmorden could be earmarked for tree-planting schemes designed for corporate breaks.
Hebden Bridge may become a specialist 'foodie' town with restaurants and shops given incentives to stock large amounts of local produce.
Pam Warhurst, chairman of Pennine Prospects, the multi-agency organisation behind the scheme, said: "The South Pennines has some of the most gorgeous rural countryside in Britain but for too long we haven't banged our drum loud enough.
"Why do places like Cumbria or the Cotswolds get so much attention compared to us? It's because we haven't pushed ourselves forward – but no longer."
The funding will come from EU and Defra with a further bid currently in place for another 2 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
It is hoped with a population of nearly 7 million people living just one hour away from the area – which stretches from Bolton is the west to Keighley in the east – it could become a destination for holidaymakers and day trippers.
Transport links and local infrastructure would be developed under future funding initiatives, while the area would be promoted across the country.
Mrs Warhurst, describing the plans at meeting of Calderdale Council's Regeneration and Development Scrutiny Panel, said: "Sustainable tourism will become a massive growth industry as people want to reduce their holiday's carbon footprint – and we have a real chance to make Calderdale and its surroundings a truly attractive destination for these people."
Barry Collins (Lab, Illingworth and Mixenden) said: "This is going to do so much good for Calderdale."
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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