MORE than £1m has been awarded to a project which aims to preserve the landscape and heritage of the Lower Severn Vale Levels.

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) announced that a partnership of private and public organisations, hosted by South Gloucestershire Council has been granted £1,017,200 for the 3.5 year Landscape Partnership project ‘A Forgotten Landscape’.

The project will start in January 2015 and aims to restore the heritage of part of the Lower Severn Vale Levels - a term used to describe the foreshore and coastal floodplains from Avonmouth up in to South Gloucestershire.

The partnership encompasses the natural environment, archaeology, local history, local food production and traditional farming practices.

Historic and modern-day transportation facilities such as the ferry at Aust, the two Severn bridges and the community railway from Temple Meads to Severn Beach are also within the project’s scope.

The project will restore a range of wildlife habitats across the area to benefit its rich array of wildlife, including wetlands, hedges, wildflower grassland and orchards.

It will also help people interact with the natural heritage of the Levels and Estuary through a range of volunteer programmes including wildlife identification classes and training in traditional skills.

The project also aims to provide new learning opportunities for school children and wider age groups and to increase public access to the Levels landscape by rail, bike and on foot.

Savita Custead, chair of the partnership, said: “It’s wonderful news and we’re absolutely thrilled that the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded us this grant.

“It is a beautiful and distinctive landscape with a long, fascinating history of human interaction with it and the funding will ensure that both local communities and visitors to the area can help conserve, enjoy and learn about the area’s rich heritage”.

Nerys Watts, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund South West, said: “Over the past decade, we’ve had great success with our Landscape Partnership Schemes, especially in the South West, and many threatened landscapes are already on the road to a more secure future.

“Supporting projects such as ‘A Forgotten Landscape’ is particularly important for us at HLF as they bring together both community groups and public bodies with a shared passion of caring for our incredible natural environment.

“Today’s HLF investment for this historically significant landscape will not only strengthen those partnerships but also capture the enthusiasm of local communities and help reconnect them with this wonderful slice of nature.”