• Heritage of Coalville's mining past will be remembered as site is transformed

• A ceremony took place on Thursday to mark the start of work at the Colliery

• A link with the Century Theare in Coalville will form part of the redevelopment

• The new development is expected to be completed in stages by August

Work has officially started on an ambitious project to transform the former Snibston Colliery site - and it has been tipped to be "an asset for the community, which stays true to the site's mining heritage roots".

A ceremony took place on Thursday to mark the occasion which signals the start of a £3million regeneration of the area to include a new heritage trail, improved country park, new cafe and play area.

As part of the plans, the site will also feature solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.

Snibston Discovery Museum was closed by Leicestershire County Council in 2015 as part of plans to save millions of pounds from its budget.

The work currently taking place is part of plans to build a new environmentally-friendly cafe which will form part of the Century Theatre and open during the evenings with themed events to complement the theatre's programmes.

Once finished, the cafe will aim to become a plastic-free zero waste hub for community events and recreational activities like cycling.

 

Nick Rushton, leader of Leicestershire County Council, said: "Our bold plans to redevelop the park at Snibston have reached another milestone.

"Not only will this work make the park more attractive for families, dog walkers and cyclists to explore, but it will also reconnect the site with the town and in the future provide much needed housing to the area.

"We want Snibston Country Park to be an asset for the community, which stays true to the site's mining heritage roots.

"We are a green council and tackling climate change is one of our top priorities. 

"We take our commitments to reduce carbon very seriously and this redevelopment will help towards our goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030."

Cllr David Stevenson, chair of the planning committee, told ITV News: "We value the heritage of Coalville's mining past and are pleased to be able to support the development that will not only protect the monuments and listed buildings on the site, but will provide a country park and links to the town centre.

"We look forward to the development, which will continue Coalville's urban renaissance."

The authority is also planning to include a new heritage trail, improved country park, a play area, open space and picnic site.

Visitors will enjoy cycle routes, mountain bike trails and a new interpretation of the historic colliery site.

Construction company Fortem was chosen to deliver the project on site.

Mick Williamson, managing director at Fortem, said: "We're delighted to be partnering with Leicestershire County Council to deliver the work at Snibston Country Park.

"The works will help reconnect the site with the local community by creating a new build café extension, a new cycleway as well as refurbishment to various heritage areas on the site.

"It's always great to carry out work on sites with such heritage, and utilising our energy services and sustainability expertise we'll be able to bring Leicestershire County Council's vision to life."

The county council is also working with the Snibston Heritage Group to provide interpretation and access to the historic colliery buildings and the story of Coalville.

The authority expects to complete the project in phases by the end of August 2020.