Archived press release

Date Published: 03/07/07

Plans for new play facilities at Bedgrove Park in Aylesbury have been given the go ahead by AVDC. Children and young people are set to benefit from a state of the art multi-use games area and play area as part of a plan to revitalise the park. E...

Plans for new play facilities at Bedgrove Park in Aylesbury have been given the go ahead by AVDC.

Children and young people are set to benefit from a state of the art multi-use games area and play area as part of a plan to revitalise the park.

Extensive consultations have taken place with many young people – and their parents – over the design of the new play facilities.

The multi-use games area will include an artificial pitch, goal ends and basketball hoops. It will be installed on the site of the existing children’s play area and will give budding sports stars a safe place to practice their skills.

The new children’s play area will cater for toddlers to youngsters aged up to 12. A wide range of play equipment will be provided, including slides, swings, horizontal bars, a double hammock seat and suspension bridge.

The whole play area will be fenced off to prevent dogs from fouling and safety surfacing will surround the play equipment. The facility will be installed on land between the car park and Bedgrove Junior School, following consultation with residents.

AVDC is spending £140,000 on the new play area and the cost of the £100,000 multi-use games area is being met by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Sheltered seating will also be built in the park as part of a community project funded by the Bedgrove Residents and Community Association and AVDC’s community safety team.

The council will start work in the next few months to build the new play facilities so that young people can enjoy a variety of activities. It is likely that these exciting features will be installed by Christmas. Once built, the new play facilities will be maintained and operated by the district council.

Councillor David Thompson, Cabinet Member for Leisure, said: “The new play facilities will be terrific additions to the park and will meet the needs and expectations of both children and their parents. I’m sure these facilities will bring a new dimension to the park and I would like to thank everyone for their help in moving this project forward.”

Councillor Penni Thorne, Chairman of the Bedgrove Residents and Community Association, said: “The new play area will be a vast improvement on what is currently there and the children will get far more value out of the new facilities. It’s a lovely park and we want to enhance and improve it for the benefit of all age groups.”

AVDC’s cabinet gave its support to the provision of a new multi-use games area and play area at Bedgrove Park at a meeting on 26 June.