Stevenage Town Centre Gardens given £1.7m

Residents in Stevenage will soon see the benefits of a new £1.7 million Lottery grant, it was announced yesterday.

The local council received the cash award to help it improve and regenerate the Town Centre Gardens as part of a £14 million funding package for public parks across the UK.

Councillor John Gardner, who is portfolio holder for environment and regeneration, explained the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund money would come in extremely useful.

"This project will not only reinvigorate the green lungs of Stevenage, but the heart of the community as well," he asserted.

Developed in the 1960s, the gardens are considered the most formal and important of Stevenages green spaces.

The renovation scheme will restore some of the parks original historic features and create a new arrival space and garden areas.

Londons Victoria Park and Horniman Gardens have both been granted cash totalling £367,000 to help with their regeneration plans, the Big Lottery Fund announced today.