As part of the council’s more than £1 million investment in its parks, four new play areas have opened across the borough of Chesterfield.
The Mayor of Chesterfield and the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire officially opened a new play area on Cottage Close in Poolsbrook on Wednesday 15 May.
New play areas have also been installed in Tapton Park, Thirlmere Road and Devonshire Avenue North. All three replace existing play areas that were no longer fit for purpose.
The new play areas all include a range of equipment and have been created in consultation with children from local schools. In Poolsbrook equipment has been installed to suit every age including larger adventure style items such as a zip line and giant climbing frame.
Funding for the new play areas has been secured through a combination of funding, including the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the Valencia Communities Fund and the Community Infrastructure Levy which is a charge on certain developments in the borough.
Councillor Jonathan Davies, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “It is fantastic to see our planned investment in play areas across the borough being delivered. We are proud of the fantastic green spaces we have throughout the area and our commitment to further investment in these spaces aims to ensure our parks are a feature that our residents will be able to enjoy for many years to come.
“We’ll be continuing to deliver our Parks and Play strategy over the next three years, and this will see even more investment in play spaces across the borough.”
Cottage Close play area in Poolsbrook was officially opened by the Mayor of Chesterfield, Councillor Jenny Flood and Colonel John Wilson OBE DL, the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire.
Councillor Jenny Flood said: “It was wonderful to be able to open this new play area and meet the children who will benefit from it. It will be fantastic for the children to see the fruit trees grow in the park and eventually be able to harvest the communal fruit. This was a great way to start my Mayoral year, both me and Heather have been involved in Youth Work for many years and we understand the importance of providing spaces like this that the whole community can benefit from.”
Originally hailing from Poolsbrook, Colonel John Wilson OBE DL and his brothers and sisters have provided for the planting of thirteen trees in the play area, to represent his parents and their eleven children.
John said: “It was very special for my family to have these trees and a new picnic bench in Poolsbrook; all eleven of us went to the primary school next to this play area and to create a living memorial is something we are very pleased to have been able to do.”
The new play areas have been partially funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the Valencia Communities Fund, and the Community Infrastructure Levy.
Chesterfield Borough Council has been awarded £2.693 million from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The money will be spent over the next three financial years (running until 2024/25) on a range of projects which will benefit local residents and businesses.
The Valencia Communities Fund provides funding from the landfill tax credits and is used to provide funding to community projects across the country.
The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a levy that local planning authorities can charge on certain types of new development in their area. The money is used to support necessary development by funding infrastructure that the Council local community and neighbourhoods have identified through the Local Plan, such as new road schemes, park improvements or new primary schools.
Did you know residents in Chesterfield have better access to green spaces than anywhere else in the country? Find out more at: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/about-chesterfield/living/
