Celebrations mark completion of first phase of Restoring Stover Park Project

A celebration has been held at Stover Country Park near Newton Abbot today (Friday 15 November) to mark the completion of the first phase of improvements made through the Restoring Stover Park Project.

Invited guests attended the event to officially unveil a number of the Restoring Stover Park Project schemes which have been made possible thanks to a grant of £2,084,600 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, together with National Highways, Devon County Council, Devon Remembers, Teignbridge District Council, Bovey Tracey Town Council, Kingsteignton Town Council, and Friends of Stover Park.

The visitor centre, which has been extended and upgraded, was formally opened, along with a newly built community workshop, which will be available for use by Stover Country Park volunteers and community groups.

A photographic exhibition created by volunteers from Newton Abbot Photographic Club was on display in the visitor centre to show the progress of the Restoring Stover Park Project to date.

In addition, guests enjoyed watching the premier showing of the new ‘Tribes N’ Vibes’ short film produced in partnership between Red Herring Productions, St Catherine’s Primary School and Stover Country Park.

During the launch guests also explored the conservation work which has been carried out on the historic Grade II listed gatehouse as well as learning about the de-silting project at Stover Lake.

Both of these elements of the initiative were backed by National Highways’ Environment and Wellbeing Funding, and significant funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

This is the second phase of the environmental and biodiversity work within the Site of Special Scientific Interest funded by National Highways. In 2019, it installed a giant reedbed filtration system to help capture and filter water run-off from the A38 which has improved water quality and enhanced habitats within the Nature Reserve. It's hoped the initiative will see white water-lilies return to the lake.

Councillor Andrea Davis, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, said: “The Restoring Stover Park Project has been extremely successful and it’s been good for everyone to see the results of the project today. All of the partners involved have been working closely together and we've had excellent support from volunteers and the local community. We're fortunate to have such a special country park in the county. It's 40 years since Stover Country Park was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and this project will ensure that Stover's habitats, environment and features are conserved and remain in a healthy state for more people to continue to enjoy what makes it such a unique location.”

Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We are delighted to celebrate the achievements at Stover Park in Devon. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, a £2million grant has enabled the restoration of the Grade II* listed Gatehouse, desilting of the lake, and will greatly improve walking routes around the park, meaning a wider range of people can access its beautiful grounds. Regenerating and conserving public parks remains a high priority for us as we commit to promoting more environmentally-sustainable heritage and increasing people’s health and wellbeing.”

Ian Ellis, National Highways’ South West Programme Delivery Manager, said: “We’re delighted to have invested in and worked on such successful environmental and cultural heritage schemes – it was a great collaborative effort involving Devon County Council and the Stover Country Park team.

“The initial reed bed filtration system has bedded in well, helping to improve the park’s water quality, and we are expecting the de-silting scheme, delivered by Murlac Limited, to further improve water quality and enhance biodiversity.

“Our Designated Funds programme was developed so that we can invest in projects beyond our traditional road build and maintenance, and this is a glowing example of how this funding can have a positive impact on the environment, and for people and communities living alongside the National Highways road network.”

Members of the public who have successfully applied for a limited number of tickets will attend a public launch event tomorrow (Saturday 16 November) from 10am-5pm.