A project has been launched to transform a woodland area in Brantry, Co Tyrone.

Mid Ulster District Council and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) are delivering the work with a £170,000 investment.

Brantry Forest will be restored with bespoke children's play experiences, visitor welcoming signage, and interpretation, way-marked multi-use trails for walking and off-road cycling. Other works will include the provision of picnic and barbecue facilities as well as further development of the Game Keeper's Lodge on site for community use. 

Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Sean McPeake, said: "The Council is delighted to work in partnership with DAERA Rural Affairs Division and Forest Service to enhance this popular local recreation site. Simple improvements which are planned can make a marked difference to the recreational value of a forest, and can have a positive knock-on effect on the health and well-being of those who use it. Coupled with the leveraging of economic benefits that investment brings, and the additional resource for community use, this investment will pay dividends for residents and visitors alike in the years to come."

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Fiona McCandless, DAERA Deputy Secretary, added: "This is a great example of partnership working and I am delighted that the Department's Forest Service and Rural Affairs Directorate have worked with Mid Ulster District Council to develop these new recreation facilities at Brantry Forest which will help improve access, health and well-being and tackle rural isolation. This project will contribute to the Departments vision for a living, working, active landscape valued by everyone."

The project will get underway this month and is expected to be complete in late spring 2019.

(CM/MH)