Decision details

To gain the necessary approval to accept grant funds on behalf of the Restoring the Soar partners, in line with the award of The National Lottery Heritage Fund (Heritage Fund) Restoring the Soar Development grant HZ-23-00023. 

To approve:

-that the Council accepts the National Lottery Heritage Fund Grant and acts as Accountable Body on behalf of Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust and the Canal & River Trust;

-the addition of £579k for Restoring the Soar as an immediate start to the General Fund Capital Programme, to be financed by this grant;

The Council has been awarded £579K from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and has the prospect of a further approximately £3million grant on submission of a successful Phase 2 bid in July 2026.

No other options currently exist for this investment in the project area (West Bridge to Watermead). The habitat improvement sites are not on the list of biodiversity net gain opportunity sites.