Broads hopes to bid for share of £150m

The Broads Authority is preparing to bid for a slice of National Lottery cash which would be used for some wide-ranging projects across the park.

There is £150m available in total, and the authority hopes to bid for about £10m.

And if the cash is forthcoming, it will be used for work which has been described as “bold and ambitious”.

The lottery fund – which aims to support 20 projects across the country – says bids must include a protected landscape (National Park or National Landscape) and are encouraged to “integrate urban communities”.

In a report to members, the authority said the money would allow projects which were “much greater in scale and geographic scope” than before.

Possible ideas include providing small grants to farmers to improve the quality of water run-off into the rivers, providing better access and facilities for people with disabilities, encouraging more health and wellbeing activities, and working with Norwich City Council on the River Wensum Strategy to improve links between the city and the Broads.

The expression of interest will be filed at the end of February and the bidding process will start at the end of the year.

If successful, the authority could start the work in 2028.

Wheelchair access to the boardwalk at Barton Broad. Photo: Broads Authority/Bill Smith