Published: Friday, 2nd December 2022
Sevenoaks District Council remains 100% committed to the restoration of Bradbourne Lakes in Sevenoaks after a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) was well received but unsuccessful.
The bid, made by the Council with support from residents and other organisations, was praised by the HLF for its approach and bold aspirations for the historic site.
The HLF said, on this occasion, they had received many applications and regrettably, they could not fund them all.
However, HLF offered to work with the Council to address any issues when it reapplies for the next round of grant funding in February 2023.
Sevenoaks District Council has already put aside £500,000 towards the improvements, which are expected to cost around £1.9 million.
The five ornamental lakes date back to 1740 and once formed part of the Bradbourne Estate before Sevenoaks Urban Council took over responsibility in 1935.
In the following years, Sevenoaks District Council and the community worked together to maintain the much-loved park.
The Council now has ambitions to give the Lakes their biggest overhaul since they were built to secure their future for generations to come.
The Council employed leisure experts Land Use Consultants (LUC) to seek the views and priorities of visitors, the Bradbourne Residents’ Association and the wider community.
The public wanted action to desilt the lakes and repair the lake edges, repair broken structures and the paths, cut back overgrown vegetation and make changes to support wildlife. LUC drew up a vision to improve the Lakes in accordance with the community’s wishes.
Cllr Margot McArthur, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Cleaner and Greener, says: “While we are disappointed the Heritage Lottery Fund is not supporting our application at this time, we received a great deal of positive feedback about our application.
“This does not dampen our enthusiasm and has made us more determined than ever to improve the Lakes for the benefit of our residents, visitors and wildlife.”
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