Councillors will next week be asked to approve the phased delivery of a £280,000 Ecopark project in Whitwick.

The scheme, details of which were released by North West Leicestershire District Council in April, is proposed for the Hermitage Recreation Ground.

Details of the Ecopark and its funding will be put to the council's Cabinet meeting in Coalville next Tuesday (July 25).

The Council says it has directly secured £182,860 of funding and has used this to leverage in a further £100,000 of investment to be delivered by third party partners to create a £282,860 scheme.

A report will also say that the Ecopark "can be delivered with no negative capital or revenue implications for the Council. This is due to the external funding streams available to support delivery of the project, and that maintenance obligations for the area will not be increased."

Councillors will be updated on the proposed design for the Ecopark and how delivery of the project will be managed.

Approval will also be sought to deliver the scheme.

The meeting will also hear that the National Forest is to provide additional funding - along with Everyone Active, the company which manages the new leisure centre in Coalville.

The former Hermitage Leisure Centre in Whitwick has been demolished. Photo: Coalville Nub News

Councillors will also be asked to approve a transfer of £130,000 of UK Shared Prosperity Funding which is held in the council's 2023-24 Capital Programme and earmarked for the Ecopark development.

A report prepared by Cllr Michael Wyatt, Portfolio Holder for Community Services, says the scheme comes after the former Hermitage Leisure Centre was demolished earlier this year following the building of the Whitwick & Coalville Leisure Centre.

It also says a housing plan for the former Hermitage Leisure Centre site has still to be decided.

The report says: "The Council Delivery Plan for 2021-23 identified the commitment to develop a framework of opportunities for the land adjacent to the new leisure centre, the Hermitage Recreation Ground and the now demolished Hermitage Leisure Centre Building, the intention being to create a destination site that retains and enhances the green and open space but also finds the best future use of the footprint of the HLC building and site."

The new Whitwick and Coalville Leisure Centre was opened 18 months ago. Photo: Coalville Nub News

It adds: "The Cabinet highlighted the following two areas within the masterplan for further development.

• Ecological Park Zone (Ecopark): This area of the site is seen as one that could receive a positive regenerative boost to its environmental credentials whilst increasing biodiversity, with enhancements to improve the ecology and biodiversity of the lake and woodland area, including indigenous tree planting, defined footpaths, boardwalks, activity nodes, perimeter fencing with gated access and lakeside reed and iris planting. 

• Active Community Zone: Proposals for this area continue the focus on encouraging more people to become active in the outdoor environment, building on the paths used in the Ecological Park Zone. It would provide a destination for the community with a series of features that promote activity, including a community and visitor centre including a small food and beverage operation, a flexible exhibition/event space, and controlled access to a pier feature accessing the lake, children's active play facilities, a community orchard and wildflower planting and an improved landscape. The concept retains the synthetic training pitch (3G pitch), the miniature railway, the grass pitches, the car park and existing footpaths in their current configuration. 

"The report also noted that the future developments at Hermitage Recreation Ground could be financially supported through the release of funds to the Council's general fund through the appropriation of the Hermitage Leisure Centre site to the Housing Revenue Account (HRA)."

It adds: "As such, the business case for the Active Community Zone will not be brought forward until there is a defined Council housing design for the old leisure centre site as it is only then that the potential funds could be identified for a future scheme to create the proposed Active Community Zone. This work is progressing and will be the subject of further engagement at a later date."