Good news for Audlem on new regional park

There was good news for Audlem last night at the first new-style Annual Village Meeting when Shea O'Neill, the project manager of the Weaver Valley Regional Park, announced that the boundaries of the new park had been re-drawn to include Audlem. Originally it had been reported that the park was to extend from Frodsham in the north to Nantwich in the south. The change of heart and boundary was warmly welcomed at last night's meeting in the Public Hall.

Audlem Online likes to think it may have played a part in this decision. When the park's boundaries were first reported in December by the Nantwich Guardian, we ran a strong article pointing out that the Weaver yet again appears to 'bubble out of the ground in Nantwich.' The following week's Guardian picked this story up and ran a front page lead story with the headline 'What About Us Then' and described how Audlem was a key part of the Weaver Valley. To their credit, the planners of the park have responded very positively. Shea told the meeting that one of their council, John Gittings, had advocated Audlem's case very strongly.

Shea described how the new park, with 111km of navigable waterways, would help promote recreation and tourism by providing access to quality landscapes and wildlife. There would be a programme to create unique spaces and places to visit and the Weaver Way would become a north/south route for walking, cycling, rowing and canoeing which would have Audlem at its southern end.

The park's planners are looking to raise £100 million over the next twenty years and would be looking to work with a local Audlem partner, such as the Parish Council, in developing facilities. While the Cheshire County Council team working on the project was small, Shea estimated that 200 to 300 people in various partner organisations were getting involved in the development of visitor attractions and facilities along the Weaver valley.

There were other presentations at the meeting on the newly formed Audlem Village Traders' Association (AVTA), ADAS and ASET, and a report on progress with the Audlem Parish Plan. Further reports on these presentations will be on Audlem Online today and tomorrow.

This article is from our news archive. As a result pictures or videos originally associated with it may have been removed and some of the content may no longer be accurate or relevant.