Pleasure boats idea in £1.5m package to improve Ludlow

Pleasure boats and picnic areas along the riverbank could form part of a £1.5 million package of improvements for Ludlow, it was revealed today.

Town council clerk Veronica Calderbank said it was looking for grant funding for projects to improve the town, including a number at the Linney on the banks of the River Teme.

They include a new park, children's play area, picnic area, jetty, pleasure boats and an enlarged car park.

It is hoped the grants will help revitalise the area, which has lost eight feet of river bank due to erosion over the past four years.

Other ongoing schemes include the repair and refurbishment of the Buttercross with a view to bringing it back into community use as an educational facility.

Many of the plans are detailed in the document Ludlow Future, which outlines the town's plan for 2010 to 2015.

Measures to be taken include completing a skate park and new facilities for the town's boxing club at Wheeler Road, as well as the town council engaging with young people through social networking sites such as Twitter. A new town centre manager role could also be created.

Ms Calderbank said: "The funding we are seeking from different bodies for these projects is more than £1.5 million, which includes interim projects such as the Buttercross and Castle Gardens which are ongoing."