Thetford Forest at Great Hockham. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY.

Norfolk and Suffolk MPs have today (Friday) thrown their weight behind a £2m bid to enhance and protect the stunning Brecks landscape.

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The New Anglia LEP (local enterprise partnership), Visit East Anglia and the Breckland Partnership have applied to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the funding as part of the Landscape Partnerships grant programme.

Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman, south west Norfolk MP Elizabeth Truss and west Suffolk MP Matthew Hancock have written to tourism minister John Penrose to back the bid, which could bring long-term social, economic and environmental benefits to the distinctive area while boosting tourism.

Ms Truss said: “The Brecks is an area that incorporates stunning forests and heathland, unique bio diversity and wildlife. Superb recreational activities combined with charming towns and villages, as well as flourishing food producers and farm shops, all create a fabulous landscape for tourism to thrive.

“Securing the £2 million of Heritage Lottery Funding will provide a tremendous boost to the local economy. Today’s letter to him illustrates the support from Norfolk and Suffolk and I will be pressing the minister to ensure he is fully aware that only a couple of hours along the M11 from his building in Westminster sits the Brecks.”

The Landscape Partnerships programme focuses on restoring the built and natural features which create the historic landscape character, increasing community participation in local heritage, providing more training activities in local heritage and improving access to and learning about the area’s heritage.

“The Brecks has one of the most distinctive landscapes in the UK,” Mr Freeman said. “It is full of history, wildlife and there are so many things to see and do.

“Already a fantastic attraction for visitors, support from the Heritage Lottery Fund will help to protect The Brecks and provide a boost in tourism for years to come.”

Mr Hancock added: “The Brecks are strikingly beautiful, have a remarkable history and with this investment could realise their huge potential.”

The Brecks, known as the flint capital of the UK, is steeped in human history stretching back to the Stone Age and includes Brandon, Mildenhall, Swaffham, Thetford and Watton.