Project Description
The Outwood Forest Park Project aims to reclaim and restore 80 hectares of former colliery, brickworks, railway and industrial land to provide an environmental, recreational and ecological asset for the benefit of the community.
The Council have now spent several years reshaping the derelict and neglected land between Outwood and Radcliffe into an area which will once again be an asset to the local community and an amenity resource for both active and passive recreation. In its better days, Outwood Colliery and the nearby industrial and railway land provided a major driving force for the economy and business life of the town, but since the closure of the colliery in the 1930's, and the axing of the railway line by Beeching in the 60's, the area lay derelict for many years. The Viaduct itself is a Grade 2 Listed Structure for which British Rail were refused Listed Building Consent for demolition in 1987. It was originally built by Andrew Handyside & Co. of Derby in 1881 at a cost of £4225, for the use of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company. The structure consists of five cast iron arches on brick pillars with stone abutments, formerly overlain with a wooden deck and rails.
The viaduct required masonry and brickwork repairs to the substructure, the extensive repair of cracked cast iron superstructure members, and the installation of a new concrete deck to replace the largely missing old wooden deck. Finishing works were required to allow the viaduct to be opened as a public pathway. The access ramp which connects the viaduct with Radcliffe town centre has also been remodelled ,and new handrails, posts and decorative artwork have been incorporated into the design in keeping with the key position the Viaduct occupies on the Irwell Sculpture Trail.
Progress to Date
Thanks to Lottery, Landfill Tax and Government Regeneration Grants, most of the regeneration work is complete, and with the help of its funding partners the Council has been able to reclaim the old colliery, to further extend the Outwood Trail, and perhaps most significantly to restore the dilapidated Outwood Viaduct which can now be used as a public footpath, bridleway and cycletrack as an access on to the Outwood Trail and the Irwell Sculpture Trail directly from Radcliffe town centre.
The Outwood Forest Park was officially opened to the public on 25 June 1999, and the re-opening of the Viaduct was the focus of this event. The trail across the viaduct has quickly established itself as a new and popular gateway to the countryside around Radcliffe. All works associated with the Viaduct and Trail will be completed by March 2002. Further development works may be undertaken to the Trail in the future as part of the larger Outwood Forest Park Project, or more specifically to meet Access for All or National Cycle Route specifications.
Funding
English Partnerships 590,407
Heritage Lottery Fund 701,000
Single Regeneration Budget 125,000
Arts Lottery Fund 20,286
British Rail Property Board 38,499
Railway Heritage Trust 30,000
Pilsworth Environmental Company 90,000
Radcliffe Renewal - Subsidy 47,080
Total Grants/External Funds 1,642,272
Radcliffe Renewal 47,080
Planning Capital 30,474
Total Financed £1,719,826
Outputs
The Outwood Forest Park project, including the viaduct, contributes to the Council's Corporate objectives, and the following strategies and initiatives being pursued by our environmental partners :
- Unitary Development Plan
- Croal Irwell Valley Plan
- Red Rose Community Forest Partnership
- Mersey Basin Campaign
- Borough Cycling Strategy
- Sustrans National Cycle Network
- Milestones Strategy (Rights of Way)
- Irwell Sculpture Trail Access Strategy
- Countryside Recreation Strategy
- Sport & Recreation Strategy
- Irwell Sculpture Trail
