News on HS2 in Bucks & Oxfordshire

Westbury Parish Council in Buckinghamshire has been awarded £40,574 for a series of community space improvements from the HS2 Community and Environment Fund (CEF) .

The ‘Westbury Investing in the Future’ project will provide upgraded outdoor spaces including a large area to the side of the village hall for young people to play sport, as well as a permanent gazebo on the patio which will offer the ability for all year round events, whatever the weather.

The project is a continuation of other upgrades which began in 2016 with the rebuilding of the village hall, surrounding road improvements and a revamp of existing village play facilities. Their success has driven the need for further work to increase the capacity of the space for community activities. In addition to the physical upgrades, the project will also see improvements made to signposting for the local village trail and an updated booklet, encouraging more people to enjoy the outdoor historic space the village has to offer.

To date, over £7.5million has been awarded from the funds across 125 projects near the HS2 route. In Buckinghamshire, 40 projects have benefitted, sharing over £2.4million between them. The projects range from upgrades to community facilities, to a contribution to the multi-million pound redevelopment of Wendover Woods, where the funds helped build a new café and visitors centre.

Other projects include two that have received grants from the Business and Local Economy Fund including £120,303 for the ‘Open for Business’ project run by the Chilterns Conservation Board which aims to promote tourism in the HS2 central Chilterns corridor, and £75,000 for Buckinghamshire Business First for their Visit Buckinghamshire Business Advisory Service.

Community and Business Funds

As construction of HS2 gets underway, applications for the funds are still being welcomed. The Funds for Phase One support urban and rural, community, environmental and business projects. Our Community and Environment Fund (CEF) and the Business and Local Economy Fund (BLEF) for Phase One are worth £40 million. They give local communities and businesses disrupted by the construction of HS2 the opportunity to receive funding of up to £1 million for projects to improve their local area or support their local economy.

The community and business funds are administered and managed by independent community charity, Groundwork UK. For more information on Groundwork and the funds, including how to apply, visit https://hs2funds.org.uk/ . You can also watch our short videos which explain how to best demonstrate that your project meets the criteria for the funds.

If you have any questions about the Community and Business Funds, HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .