Agenda item

1.     The project to install a Splash Park in Gadebridge Park be approved. The location of the Splash Park and new Play Area are shown on the plan in Appendix 1 of the Cabinet report.

2.     The virement of capital underspend from the Play Area Improvements Project to the relocation of the Children's Play Area be approved.

3. The Splash Park opening in spring 2018 be approved
4. That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director (Neighbourhood Delivery) in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Environmental, Sustainability and Regulatory Services to award the contract for the supply and construction of the Splash Park and Play Area

1.     The project to install a Splash Park in Gadebridge Park be approved. The location of the Splash Park and new Play Area are shown on the plan in Appendix 1 of the Cabinet report.

2.     The virement of capital underspend from the Play Area Improvements Project to the relocation of the Children's Play Area be approved.

3. The Splash Park opening in spring 2018 be approved
4. That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director (Neighbourhood Delivery) in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Environmental, Sustainability and Regulatory Services to award the contract for the supply and construction of the Splash Park and Play Area

Reason for Decision

For Cabinet to review and approve the recommendations for a new Splash Park in Gadebridge Park.

Corporate Objectives

Clean Safe and Enjoyable Environment – Splash Parks are very popular facilities which give families a safe enjoyable place to visit.

Monitoring Officer/S.151 Officer Comments

Monitoring Officer:  

The project officers must ensure that an appropriate form of supply and construction contract is completed prior to commencement of the works and early consultation with the legal team is advised to ensure that this is completed in time for commencement.

S.151 Comments

The proposed scheme can be met from within existing approved budgets of £1m. The additional funds required to deliver the refurbishment of the play area can be funded subject to Members authorising the virement for the use of the £150k underspend from the Play Area Improvement project to this.

Further works to consider the scale and cost of resurfacing and enlarging the existing car park will need to be brought back for member consideration once the Environment Agency confirm the requirements and potential implications of the relocation of the river have been considered and confirmed

Advice

Councillor Marshall gave the following introduction to the report:

I seek Cabinet approval to proceed with the installation of a Splash Park in Gadebridge Park together with creating a new play area near the splash park, so enabling the car park to be extended.   £1.5m Capital has been set aside; £1m will cover the cost of the installation of the Splash Park and ancillary works, including toilets, a concession kiosk and signage.  The underspend from the Play Area Improvements programme of some £150K will cover the new play area.  The remaining £500K should be sufficient for the renovation of the White Bridge, for which DBC will be obtaining a consultant’s report on its current condition and options available.

The Splash Park will fulfil the Council’s long standing commitment to install a water play feature to replace the paddling pool.  Because of its sensitive location, behind St Mary’s Church and the Walled Garden, it will not feature fluorescently coloured high poles & the like spraying water down; instead the water will come up from the ground through various nozzles which can shower, spray, rain, mist, shoot streams of water & so on and the colour of the ground area will be again sympathetic to the surroundings.  The new play area nearby would enable the existing play area to be closed and thus the car park be extended.  The existing play area is at the moment prone to flooding.  The new play area and the splash park will be outside the flood zone, even with the Gade running along its existing course.  The plan on page 20 illustrates this.

The position of the Splash Park is on the croquet and petanque courses and the building to house the pump and infrastructure, etc. is on a corner of the public (as opposed to the Bowl’s Club’s) bowling green.  All of these are very very lightly used and not of good quality.  The adjoining crazy golf is slightly more popular but again is rather jaded.  If funds allow, it is hoped to be able to put a more attractive crazy golf course on the public bowling green.

As you know, the Environmental Agency is working on a plan to relocate the River Gade between the White Bridge and Queensway, the effect of which will cut off the car park and basically split the park up to the White Bridge from the rest of the park.  The Agency’s proposed plan is on page 21 of the report.  The Environmental Agency propose to construct a new pedestrian bridge where the Bowls Club building is.  Nevertheless there could still be an issue about people being inhibited from accessing the facilities of the park due to lack of access points from the car park.

Having put that dampener, I still recommend that the Council proceeds with the Splash Park and play area with a view to opening in spring 2018, rather than wait for the Environmental Agency.

Councillor Williams supported the recommendations and felt that we should press on with it as its been in development for some time. He noted that the council needed to keep in mind the Environment Agency plans for the River Gade and monitor the access points to the new parks.

Councillor Sutton asked if car parking spaces would be lost as a result of the Environment Agency plans and if so, could we replace them elsewhere.

He also asked if an external operator would be encouraged for the crazy golf.

Councillor Williams said that there would be an opportunity to extend the existing car park into the existing play area site.

J Guiton added that they had met with the Environment Agency regarding the car park to ensure spaces are not lost. He explained that the bowls green could be looked at separately if funding was unavailable and can therefore be done retrospectively.

Voting

None.