Public asked for opinions on St Thomas Pleasure Ground improvements
People are being asked to comment on plans for play facilities in Exeter.
A number of different options have been put forward for St Thomas Pleasure Ground and now Exeter City Council is keen to hear what people think.
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One of the options for a water play feature in St Thomas Pleasure Ground
The children’s play area at St Thomas Pleasure Ground is one of the most important and well-used in Exeter, visited by many people across the city. Both the paddling pool and play area are showing their age and the pool has become increasingly more expensive to run in order to comply with more stringent water quality standards.
The Council has earmarked £150,000 towards improving play facilities in the park, with a particular wish to improve water play. The Council is operating a survey in order to obtain opinions as to how the money should be spent, and to invite comment on future improvements.
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There are essentially three options for developing the paddling pool area:
* The first is for the pool to undergo a major refurbishment, but remain in its current size and layout. This would be similar to the upgrade recently undertaken at Heavitree Pleasure Ground Paddling Pools.
* Alternatively the paddling pool could be replaced with an exciting 'splash park' water play facility, this type of facility would consist of a series of water jets and spray features located on a colourful rubber safer surface area. There would be no pool as such, but this would put a modern twist on water play. This in itself consists of two options, the first being a small splash park, the second would be a more comprehensive one utilising the entire available budget.
The three options have different cost implications, and any money remaining, after the water play is provided, would be spent on improving the ‘dry’ play facilities within the children’s play area. People need to consider this when taking part in the survey.
Cllr Greg Sheldon, Lead Councillor for Environment and Leisure, said: "We have been consulting local communities about play area improvements for many years and always take the views of local residents very seriously. St Thomas Pleasure Ground is such an important site within Exeter and is one of the very few places where we still have water play available so we really wanted this consultation process to be made available to as wide an audience as possible. I look forward to seeing the feedback we receive and I’m sure that with the assistance and advice of local residents we can improve the site to make it one of Exeter’s best equipped play facilities once again."
For more details ,go to www.exeter.gov.uk/stthomasplay,or for paper copies of the questionnaire, contact the Parks & Open Spaces Department on 01392 262 630.
The survey is available now and further public consultation will take place throughout the autumn, with a view to the actual improvements being undertaken during the winter and being ready for use in spring 2013.
Comments
by AdrianFullam
Thursday, September 13 2012, 9:02PM
“I would encourage anyone who uses St Thomas park to go onto the website and express their preferences - it really will make a difference to the final decision about what goes in.
I have expressed doubts about the ongoing borrowing of the Labour Council for projects such as this - nice as they are. If people thinks their tax covers it, it just doesn't. Tax will pay for some improvements, but not to this extent. Interest payments are planned to rise, displacing money spent on other services and so there will be more cuts or taxes.
However, Labour will blame the coalition government and most will believe them, without really knowing either way. I don't suppose anyone will want to see the figures (available, but buried in on-line Council papers), just go with gut feeling instead.
Anyway, on a positive note, we'll have some new equipment for a few years!
Cllr Adrian Fullam (St Thomas)”
by exebomb
Wednesday, September 12 2012, 9:00AM
“I hear what you're saying globalloon, my experience is from years living on cowick and can time my watch by the obligatory Friday night rumble outside KFC, it's not that bad but the transition from the cosmopolitan and modern city centre in either direction just shows that the council like the centre to look like a new pin but ignore the rough streets on the outskirts, in my opinion they need to tidy it up and as you say making it pedestrianised would make it more desirable for better retail shops and yes for sure it would be very desirable but it does seem to be a 70s time capsule that's at the moment.”
by globalloon
Tuesday, September 11 2012, 8:44PM
“come off it exebomb - cowick st has fairly heavy traffic but the residential streets around the park are really pleasant. My kids have spent many many happy days playing in the paddling pool - for free!
If it wasn't for the traffic and resulting polluted air I think St Thomas would be one of the most desirable places to live in the city - I would love to see cowick st being pedestrianised and a tramway being built provide commuters with a link to link the city from the suburban streets and A30 - but unfortunately Britain is rarely this visionary and bold”
by exebomb
Tuesday, September 11 2012, 5:23PM
“everything is nice apart from walking the grimey streets of st thomas to get there, a few of the locals could do with a good dip in the paddeling pool..the dog ends would have to be removed at a later stage of course”