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A multi-million pound facelift at a Preston park will go ahead after an objection to the plans was overcome.
Preston City Council has granted permission for a raft of improvements Waverley Park including upgrades to their appearance and sporting facilities.
They also granted permission for improvements to Moor Park, as reported by Blog Preston earlier this week.
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The blueprint for the overhaul of the Waverley site hit a snag earlier this year when Sports England – the body that exists to promote sport and physical activity – raised concern over the loss of some playing field space that would have resulted from the proposals. The impasse could have seen the matter referred to the Deputy Prime Minister for a final decision.
However, the city authority tweaked its plans for the park – specifically in relation to the creation of footpaths and a wildflower meadow – and Sports England has now dropped its objection.
The council’s independent planning committee had last month given the nod to the Waverley proposal and this week did the same for the Moor Park revamp.
Both projects were drawn up by the city council three years ago as part of its successful bid for £20m from the previous government’s Levelling Up Fund.
The £3.2m Waverley Park scheme will see the replacement of its three football pitches, a rebuild of its skate park, the creation of a new ‘pump track’ for cyclists and the installation of a new play area. A new pavilion will also be built, footpaths widened and the car park remodelled to create 27 new spaces – bringing the total number of bays to 34.
Meanwhile, on Moor Park, £3.9m of works will involve the enlargement of The Serpentine Lake – with new fountains installed and a long-forgotten bridge across the water reinstated.
Elsewhere, the ‘loggia’ outdoor gallery space, which is covered, but open to the elements, will be refurbished and its setting within the park enhanced. A new cast iron fence will run along the edge of the loggia area to act as a safety barrier for the lake.
New wildflower meadows will be created and additional trees and shrubs planted, while the park’s play area and sports pavilion will also be improved.
The lake – which is at least two centuries old – will be drained and de-silted, before its expansion and the installation of a new 26m bridge. The structure will replicate the route of a previous bridge and feature a steel lattice framework and timber deckboards.
Both projects were given a financial boost after money was diverted from controversial plans to create new sporting facilities on Ashton Park, which were abandoned amid both public opposition and over-running costs on all seven of Preston’s Levelling Up Fund projects.
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