Shire of Ashburton’s Post

In the past two years, multiple sections of a hoped-for 76-mile rural cycling and walking route spanning Somerset have sprouted up around the small town of Shepton Mallet, seemingly every few weeks. These new routes are popular. One 300-metre section of path in the heart of the town, for example, uses one of Historic Railway Estates’ bridges for the first time for a cycle route (an organisation usually more given to infilling its structures). The path, with its smooth surface and artwork, ducks under a busy road that was previously terrifying for walkers and cyclists to have to cross. Now a large housing area is safely connected to schools, shops, parks and local businesses. Within a year, digital counters detected 104,000 trips – in a town of fewer than 10,000 people. Another new cycling and walking route has connected two small villages, Westbury-sub-Mendip and Easton, both with fewer than 800 inhabitants, that were previously linked only by a narrow, fast A-road, with no pavement. There are expected to be 30,000 trips in its first year. In 2022, they began experimenting with using “permitted development rights” the separate process that a farmer uses when building a new track through a field. Once they have been decided on, the paths can then be built by local volunteers, with expert guidance, for far less than it would cost a government organisation. While it can cost £1m per kilometre for a National Highways-delivered cycle route, groups such as the Strawberry Line, using G&C’s expertise, can deliver one for £170,000/km. Volunteers help to build and maintain them. As well as clearing brambles, and building drains after this year’s incessant rain, and planting thousands of trees, volunteers help in path construction, doing the work machines can’t. Other volunteers rebuild fences, and removed dead tree stumps. It’s a situation very much like the network that oversees the country’s bridle paths. Is this sustainable? #cycle #activetravel #sustainability #environment #education #community #volunteers #climatechange https://lnkd.in/eu-cg72C

Variety of challenges, concerns and hesitations - But, with urgency in mind, these opportunities are Well worth exploring. #ActiveDesign #ActiveCommute #BikeSchemes #GreenInfrastructure #ClimateResilience #Adaptation #Community #PlaceMaking #RegenerativeAgriculture #Empowerment

#PermittedDevelopmentRights. A game changer for accelerating the development and lowering the cost of #cycling and walking #infrastructure. Using the same process farmers use when building a new track through a field The Strawberry Line network of paths in Somerset has found a way to speed up planning permission and harness the goodwill of the community....and with the hard work of volunteers a kilometre of new route can be opened in six weeks.. Under this model, planning permission needs to be granted only for those sections of path that meet roads, which can cut delivery from decades to weeks. Once they have been decided on, the paths can then be built by local volunteers, with expert guidance. While it can cost £1m per kilometre for a National Highways-delivered cycle route, groups such as the Strawberry Line can deliver one for £170,000/km. The project is driven by the force of nature behind the National Cycle Network, John Grimshaw with Caroline Levett. #activetravel #infrastructure

Devonbosch is a community designed for today - built for tomorrow. At Devonbosch, the vision of a holistic lifestyle is already taking shape, but what’s here now is just the beginning. With exciting future developments on the horizon, the community is on a path to becoming one of the most vibrant and self-sustaining destinations in the Winelands. Currently, Devonbosch offers adventure and wellness at every turn. The GOAT mountain bike and Mini-GOAT trail running trails provide exhilarating outdoor activities for thrill-seekers, while e-foiling on pristine dams adds a unique water adventure. For something a little different, extreme golf offers a playful twist on the traditional sport. These amenities reflect Devonbosch’s dedication to active, healthy living, with every opportunity to stay connected with nature. Dining at Devonbosch is also a feast for the senses, with SuperSconto Italian Restaurant and Ischia Authentic Italian Cuisine bringing authentic European flavours to the community. These culinary gems serve as social spaces where neighbours meet and shared experiences flourish, fostering a lively, connected atmosphere. The future holds even more. Plans are already in motion to introduce schools, medical facilities, and even a university, ensuring residents have easy access to top-tier education and healthcare without ever leaving the community. These developments will also add significant value to the broader Winelands region, driving growth and accessibility. Retail offerings will also grow, with boutique stores and retail centres expanding the convenience and variety of shopping experiences available. From day-to-day needs to high-end retail therapy, the expanding shopping options will make Devonbosch a hub of commerce and convenience. With a focus on arts, fitness, and overall well-being, Devonbosch is committed to creating spaces for creativity and personal growth. Whether through future fitness centres, wellness facilities, or artistic venues, the community will offer residents endless opportunities to pursue a balanced, enriched lifestyle. This forward-thinking approach truly embodies the “Life Unlimited” philosophy that drives every aspect of Devonbosch’s development. Come see what’s here today - and stay for what the future will bring. #LifeUnlimited #DevonboschLiving #FutureReadyCommunity #HealthyLiving #ActiveLifestyle

Happy Friday! What a week it's been at Commonplace. We've had a quite a few launches, so let's take a look at some of the newest projects: 📍Ovenden Green Consultation & Brow Bottom Consultation: These are identical Commonplaces looking at placeshaping two different sites. Put together by Place Capital Group, these straightforward projects are here so that local residents can affect the places directly outside their homes as well. 🔗https://hubs.ly/Q02mQqcD0 🔗https://hubs.ly/Q02mQnvj0 📍Let's Talk about Elmhirst Park Toddlers' Play Area: Launched by South Hams District Council & West Devon Borough Council, this hyper-local survey aims to gather the thoughts of parents and grandparents on specific improvements to Elmhirst Park toddlers' play area. 🔗https://hubs.ly/Q02mQqpK0 📍Haringey Dockless Bikes: Haringey Council have launched a completely revamped site for the next phase of their Dockless Bikes trial. They've used a map with custom pins to show the locations of all the parking locations. 🔗https://hubs.ly/Q02mQk6X0 📍Tetbury 20mph Zone: "Reduced traffic speeds will make Tetbury a safer, quieter and more pleasant place to live, work and play." Tetbury Town Council are capturing views about a 20mph speed limit being proposed across all the residential areas of Tetbury. 🔗https://hubs.ly/Q02mQgmr0 📍Exmouth Placemaking consultation: East Devon District Council want to hear from local residents about their draft Plan for improving Exmouth! Following on from their 2022 consultations, they now have a draft Exmouth Town and Seafront Placemaking Plan. This presentation outlines potential ideas, proposals and focuses for the town and what it could have for the next 10-15 years. 🔗https://hubs.ly/Q02mQgnm0 And that's a wrap for this week! As always, chat with one of our engagement experts if you'd like to learn more about any of them or plan your own! https://hubs.ly/Q02mQmGN0 #DigitalEngagement #CommunityEngagement #OnlineCommunity #SocialMediaEngagement #DigitalStrategy #CommunityBuilding #EngagementMarketing #DigitalMarketing #CommunityManagement #OnlineEngagement #DigitalCommunity #AudienceEngagement #TechInnovation #CustomerEngagement #VirtualCommunity #DigitalExperience #CommunityRelations #DigitalPresence #InteractiveContent

Yesterday marked a historic milestone for parkrun, with Bushy Park becoming the first event to reach 1,000 events! It was a fantastic morning, and despite running with a cold, it was one of my favourite events this year. Bushy Park has always been a favourite of mine, and I’m not alone! Many runners from all over the world have visited where it all began in 2004. Since it started 20 years ago as a small social run with just 13 people, Parkrun has grown into the largest health and wellbeing initiative on the planet. Think about that for a moment... It made me think over the weekend and I couldn't help but think about the work I do and the overlap. It reminds me of the power of building strong, engaged partnerships. Just as Parkrun has thrived by bringing people together with a shared purpose, successful partnerships are built on shared goals, mutual understanding, and a commitment to making an impact. What makes Parkrun truly special is its commitment to accessibility—no subscriptions, no membership fees, just a mission to better mine and many other people's health and happiness. I particularly think about how the best partnerships, (like Parkrun) prioritise people, purpose, and long-term value. I feel very fortunate to be a local to the birthplace of Parkrun. Long may it continue, long may it inspire, and long may we run! #Parkrun #Partnerships #Worklifebalance

Outdoor recreation in the US is a big deal—$1.1T per year. As communities built around extractive industries began to diversify as a way to make their economies more resilient, many have become tourist destinations. Many of the amenities built and maintained for recreationists also improve the quality of life for locals, which can help those communities attract new businesses and workers. A 2019 study by Headwater Economics found that more people were moving to rural counties with recreational amenities; those counties without recreational opportunities lost population. The ability to attract higher-paying jobs has helped communities achieve success. #outdoorrecreation “Recreation is key to their future … A lot of the people who live there live there because of the access to public lands, whether they walk, ride a horse, ride a motorcycle or hop in a jeep and go. That’s super important to their lifestyle and well-being.” —Greg Williams, Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship https://ow.ly/6NBe50QIz45

🌲🚴♂️ Marquette County’s Trails: A Vital Resource for Our Community 🌲🚴♀️ With over 900 miles of trails cutting through forests, hills, and stunning coastlines, Marquette County has become a hub for outdoor enthusiasts from all over. But as our trails grow in popularity, we face new challenges to preserve and protect them for future generations. That’s why we’re excited to announce the Greater Marquette Region Strategic Trails Plan, created in partnership with Eagle Mine, Lake Superior Community Partnership, and the International Mountain Bicycling Association. This plan tackles critical issues like securing long-term easements, improving signage and education, and ensuring sustainable funding for trail improvements and maintenance. 🛠️ Key Goals: Preserve the trails with long-term easements Enhance wayfinding, signage, and education for trail users Foster collaboration between local businesses, government, and community groups Strengthen our trails as an economic driver—trail tourism brings $41.5 million to the region, supporting 395 jobs! "These trails are a strong economic driver for us, and we need to protect them," says Christopher Germain, AICP, EDFP, CEO of Lake Superior Community Partnership. "People come here to bike, shop in our stores, eat in our restaurants, and stay in our hotels." For more details, check out the Greater Marquette Regional Strategic Trails Plan linked in the story. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ggyxaDcM

Boosting Rural Economies: Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Launches Third Round of Outdoor Recreation Grants WASHINGTON, D.C. — Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) announced the opening of the third round of its rural implementation grant opportunity for rural communities to grow their local economies and make them more resilient through outdoor recreation. These grants are made possible through funding from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and are part of ORR’s commitment to provide support, information, and resources to rural communities seeking to create economic opportunities through outdoor recreation. This marks the third round of ORR’s successful grant program that debuted in 2021 and comes on the heels of the release of the organization’s updated Rural Economic Development Toolkit at the beginning of 2024. Last year's grants in California, Colorado, Georgia, Montana, and Vermont supported projects including a business support grant to help position a bike shop as a central hub for the community with contemporary renovations, a bilingual outdoor recreation marketing hub and campaign, a statue to mark the beginning of a trail and the region’s significance to the Cherokee people, a centralized/primary information website to provide information about an area’s recreation activities, and the restoration of a trail destroyed by catastrophic flooding. This grant round is open to a wider audience with eligible applicants including any participants in either cohort of the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities (RERC) Program who have not yet received funding from ORR. RERC provides technical assistance to communities who are looking to build or grow sustainable recreation economies and RERC staff have recently completed workshops in all awarded communities. In two rounds of the program, nearly 300 applications were received, indicating the widespread demand for outdoor recreation economy development across the United States. Four grants of $10,000 will be awarded alongside in-kind technical assistance from ORR and its members to rural communities with compelling recreation economy implementation proposals. For communities with big plans and limited bandwidth, grants like these can help unlock federal, state, and local match dollars from programs like USDA Rural Development, state infrastructure funds, and interest from private foundations. ORR works to illustrate the benefits of outdoor recreation to rural communities as well as ongoing needs to support economic diversification and resilience through outdoor recreation. This includes a map of over 160 communities from across the United States actively seeking assistance to achieve their outdoor recreation and economic development goals. https://lnkd.in/gwbZ5WxU

Boosting Rural Economies: Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Launches Third Round of Outdoor Recreation Grants WASHINGTON, D.C. — Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) announced the opening of the third round of its rural implementation grant opportunity for rural communities to grow their local economies and make them more resilient through outdoor recreation. These grants are made possible through funding from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and are part of ORR’s commitment to provide support, information, and resources to rural communities seeking to create economic opportunities through outdoor recreation. This marks the third round of ORR’s successful grant program that debuted in 2021 and comes on the heels of the release of the organization’s updated Rural Economic Development Toolkit at the beginning of 2024. Last year's grants in California, Colorado, Georgia, Montana, and Vermont supported projects including a business support grant to help position a bike shop as a central hub for the community with contemporary renovations, a bilingual outdoor recreation marketing hub and campaign, a statue to mark the beginning of a trail and the region’s significance to the Cherokee people, a centralized/primary information website to provide information about an area’s recreation activities, and the restoration of a trail destroyed by catastrophic flooding. This grant round is open to a wider audience with eligible applicants including any participants in either cohort of the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities (RERC) Program who have not yet received funding from ORR. RERC provides technical assistance to communities who are looking to build or grow sustainable recreation economies and RERC staff have recently completed workshops in all awarded communities. In two rounds of the program, nearly 300 applications were received, indicating the widespread demand for outdoor recreation economy development across the United States. Four grants of $10,000 will be awarded alongside in-kind technical assistance from ORR and its members to rural communities with compelling recreation economy implementation proposals. For communities with big plans and limited bandwidth, grants like these can help unlock federal, state, and local match dollars from programs like USDA Rural Development, state infrastructure funds, and interest from private foundations. ORR works to illustrate the benefits of outdoor recreation to rural communities as well as ongoing needs to support economic diversification and resilience through outdoor recreation. This includes a map of over 160 communities from across the United States actively seeking assistance to achieve their outdoor recreation and economic development goals. https://lnkd.in/gBE3dQMu