A VISION of transforming part of Newtown has received a huge £1.1million funding boost from the Big Lottery.

The Going Green for a Living consortium came together in response to Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council’s call to look at new and more sustainable ways to manage the open spaces of Newtown.

They have been offered long term secure tenure of around 130 acres of land, to be held in a Community Land Trust, making this one of the largest community asset transfers of amenity land in Wales.

Chairman of Going Green for a Living, Stuart Owen, said: "Newtown will be pioneering a different approach, exploring how open spaces can be managed more imaginatively by the communities that use them to deliver significantly more benefits for residents and visitors alike.

Stuart explained: “Whilst retaining and enhancing the beautiful open spaces, the plans include opening up access to the river for paddle sports and fishing, provision of youth facilities; BMX ‘pump’ track, greatly improved play park, construction of a Mountain Bike Trail, improved picnic areas, heritage and nature trails, food growing spaces and the building of a community hub to facilitate and enable access to our green spaces. "Protecting and enhancing the special wildlife & biodiversity we have in our town will be of paramount importance and this will feature across the entire project.”

Cllr. Sue Newham, Mayor of Newtown, said, “The Town Council is proud to be in a position to take over the land from Powys County Council, which has enabled Going Green For a Living to bid for £1.1m.

"As landlords, we look forward to working closely with Going Green in the future.

We know through consulting local people that the green spaces and the river are very important to them.

"This is our opportunity as a Town Council to be part of something different. It is a chance for Newtown people to take ownership and control of the things they value.”

Cllr Edwards said: "I am really excited that all the hard work and effort put in by the team has been acknowledged with the award of this bid.

This marks the start of an exciting period in Newtown’s history.

"It shows what can happen when we come together as a community with a common aim.”

Cllr Phyl Davies, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for Property, said: “I am delighted that Powys County Council’s involvement in this project, by agreeing to grant a lease of an area of recreation land nearly as big as the Vatican City in Newtown, has enabled the community to be successful in this exciting bid. "

Big Lottery Fund Wales Director, John Rose, said: "We aim to create more sustainable communities; supporting asset transfer to enterprising organisations that actively involve and benefit the communities they serve.

"It is about improving services and facilities for communities in Wales that are sustainable.”