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Work starts on £3.8m Bury woodland scheme
A new 71-hectare (175-acre) community woodland is set to be created in Bury, Greater Manchester, as part of a £3.8m regeneration scheme incorporating the town's Waterdale and Drinkwater parks.
The Forestry Commission has started work on a former industrial site between Prestwich and Clifton to improve the local environment and create a number of new recreational facilities, including 12km (7.5 miles) of leisure trails. Work on multi-purpose waymarked trails, which will be used by walkers, horse riders and cyclists, is set to get underway next month, while plans also include wetland wildlife habitats and fishing ponds.
A new mountain bike track, the illumination of a viaduct running through the site and the introduction of information signs outlining the area's history are also set to feature as part of the community woodland. Funding for the woodland, which will form part of a major community woodland across Salford, Manchester and Bury, is being contributed by the Forestry Commission and the North West Regional Development Agency through the Newlands initiative -a £59m NWDA-funded land regeneration scheme.
A 97-hectare (39-acre) community woodland in the Agecroft area in Salford as part of the Lower Irwell Valley Improvement Scheme (LIVIA), which includes the Bury site and has received £4.75m from the Newlands scheme. The Forestry Commission's Richard Topley, a project manager at the LIVIA Bury site, said: "There will be plenty of opportunities for everyone to enjoy the outdoors, whether it's cycling, running, fishing or horse-riding.
"The project also includes a 20-year management plan so people can be confident that this new woodland will be kept in good condition."