A BRAND new community facility costing nearly £1 million has taken a step closer to fruition with the granting of planning consent at Roadford lake.
Permission has been given to South West Lakes Trust to build a new visitor centre and community hall at the lake.
Director of South West Lakes Trust, Evelyn Stacey, said: 'This is a wonderful opportunity for the trust to share its facilities with the local community, as well as providing information and high quality facilities to our visitors.
'The visitor centre will enable us to illustrate the history of the valley and to explain the importance of the trust's work.'
She added local schools and colleges would be able to use a modern hall with meeting and IT facilities and this would increase the opportunities for all types of recreation and provide a much needed meeting place.
'We would like to thank the parishioners of Broadwoodwidger for their support,' she said.
The proposed community hall will be to the left of the existing tea shop.There will be a round house between the two which will be the visitor centre.
There will also be a small IT resource room.
The new facilities mean the season at the lake can be extended — the tea rooms will also be upgraded to a restaurant .
There is also the possibility of reconstructing a 'lost village' using traditional methods, which visitors could watch or join in with.
Julia Moysey, the trust's head of development, is now working to secure funds for the project, which will need nearly £900,000.
'We are hoping to get funding from a variety of sources, including the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme, the Community Fund, South West RDA and Objective 2,' she said.
'The scheme will be really good in terms of interpreting local heritage and the environment and for public access.'
The Trust also hopes to create a forest cycle route across their land, using lanes in the area and hopefully linking to Cookworthy Moor, Halwill.