Plans for a rowing lake at Willington surged forward yesterday when the scheme got the green light after years of false starts and preparation behind the scenes.

Bedford Rowing Lake Ltd received county council planning permission for the project, intended to be an international-standard training water.

The lake is also being touted as part of the area's bid to host a national team competing at the 2012 London Olympics.

The thumbs-up was welcomed by Tim Foster, who won gold at the 2000 Sydney games in the coxless fours and spoke for the proposal at a meeting of county development bosses.

He said: "Bedford has provided many Olympic and world champion rowers, but we have done this despite the facilities currently available on the river here.

"The river here would be like the David Beckhams of this world practising their freekicks in Russell Park.

"The rowing lake will be the envy of people countrywide, even of people in the Thames Valley, where rowers tend to congregate."

He added later: "I'm excited because I suppose this is the end of a stage, and we are now at the start of something that will be good for the whole area.

"Rowing is a growing sport and this will give the chance for more people to have a go.
"It's important to still have rowing on the river in the town centre, but our top rowers need to have a training facility which isn't like a single-carriage highway with tractors on it."

Work began on bringing a rowing lake to the Bedford area in 1993, with Willington earmarked as the site the following year.

The plan now approved is for a straight course, 2,000 metres long, with turning space at either end.

It will be at least 100 metres wide and cover an area of 84 acres.

It will stretch from near Bedford Town Football Club to link with the Great Ouse, north of the village.

Yesterday's meeting heard more than half the digging work for the lake would be done during ongoing quarrying at the site.

Andrew Rowe, a member of the consortium backing the project, said the rowing lake was part of a wider aim to create a 2,000-acre country park for Bedford.

He said: "Now we have planning permission we can get the funding, so it's a fantastic decision for us.

"We hope to tap into the Olympic Lottery fund, and it's probable now that we can get contributions from new developments in the area."

Opposition to the lake idea came from supporters of the East-West Rail scheme, which would connect East Anglian ports with the West Country.

They say the cross-country route needs to come along the dismantled line between Bedford and Sandy, which would be cut if the lake is created.

Martin Parker, of campaign group Futurerail, said: "Are we to prejudice the future of our region by blocking forever what could be one of the major props of its regeneration?"