Work under way on £3m revamp at country park

WORK is under way on a £3 million revamp of the former Snibston Colliery.

The former mine site in Coalville is to have a new cafe as part of the existing Century Theatre.

Leicestershire County Council is behind the scheme intended to regenerate the former industrial area.

A ground-breaking ceremony place recently.

Once the cafe is built it will open during the evenings with themed events to complement the theatre’s programmes.

It is intended to be a plastic-free zerowaste hub for community events and recreational activities such as cycling.

County council leader councillor Nick Rushton said: “Our bold plans to redevelop the park at Snibston have reached another milestone.

“Not only will this work make the park more attractive for families, dog walkers and cyclists to explore, but it will also reconnect the site with the town and in the future provide muchneeded housing to the area.

“We want Snibston Country Park to be an asset for the community, which stays true to the site’s mining heritage roots.”

The site will also feature solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.

Coun Rushton added: “We are a green council and tackling climate change is one of our top priorities.

“We take our commitments to reduce carbon very seriously and this redevelopment will help towards our goal of took becoming carbon neutral by 2030.”

The council is also planning to include a new heritage trail, improved country park, a play area, open space and picnic site.

There will be cycle routes, mountain bike trails and a new interpretation of the historic colliery site.

The Conservative county council shut down the former Snibston Discovery Museum five years ago saying it could no longer afford to run the attraction.

It has since been demolished make way for 144 new homes.

Construction company Fortem were chosen to deliver the project on site.

Fortem managing director Mick Williamson said: “The works will help reconnect the site with the local community by creating a new-build café extension, a new cycleway, as well as refurbishment to various heritage areas on the site.

“It’s always great to carry out work on sites with such heritage, and utilising our energy services and sustainability expertise we’ll be able to bring Leicestershire County Council’s vision to life.”

The county council is also working with the Snibston Heritage Group to provide access to the historic colliery buildings and the story of Coalville.

The authority expects to complete the project in phases by the end of August next year. to