The Stour Valley has been considered a potential area of strategic greenspace since the 1980’s.
The Stour Valley’s location along the edge of the UK’s 9th largest conurbation (by population size), means that the valley has great potential as a multifunctional landscape that can improve opportunities for recreation, health and well-being, as well as providing a multitude of benefits for wildlife and biodiversity.
In 2013, plans for making better use of our parks and open spaces were drawn up which included improving the footpaths and connectivity along the Stour from Hengistbury Head to Longham.
In 2017 on the completion of these improvements a wider partnership was established (The Stour Valley Park Partnership) of statutory bodies, charities and trusts.
In 2019, BCP Council and the Bournemouth Parks Foundation successfully bid for £700k of Future Parks Accelerator funding to make the parks in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole fit for the 21st century and beyond. The Stour Valley Park forms an integral part of these proposals and benefits from the additional support of the National Heritage Lottery Fund, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the National Trust.
From 2020 to early 2022, plans for the future design and vision of the Stour Valley. The outcomes of this project development phase have been summarised in strategy documents available to view here. The contents of these documents reflect the outcomes of numerous stakeholder engagement activities hosted during this phase. The video below was created to communicate the aims of this project development phase at the beginning of Landstory's involvement.
Armed with our vision, we are now looking at how best to deliver the Stour Valley ambitions. We are working with partners and the local community to bring the Stour Valley vision alive.
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