Plans unveiled for £120k children’s destination play park in Melton

Melton Town Estate, which maintains the parkland, wants to create a destination play park which will engage more local youngsters and attract families from further afield to use it and visit the town.

The proposals were highlighted at the annual town meeting at St Mary’s Church with an application for funding being made to FCC Communities Foundation.

Some of the existing play equipment has been there for 110 years and it will all be upgraded and modernised in phase two of the project.

The first programme of work will involve the installation of a new multiplay unit which can be used by up to 42 children at once, including those with disabilities, and will involve features such as a speed slide, spinning gyro and turbo slide.

John Southerington, chair of feoffees, told the Melton Times: “The first phase of work for the destination play park would be on the old paddling pool area next to the existing play equipment.

“We hope to hear whether we have the funding before Christmas and then have it built by next August.

“This would be a real uplift for the town and allow groups of children and families of children to play together all at the same time.”

The upgrading of the existing play equipment is reliant on money contributed by developers in section 106 agreements for new houses.

Mr Southerington stepped down as senior townwarden at the meeting with Ian Wilkinson elected as his successor.

Tim Webster was appoined junior townwarden.

The meeting was told that the town estate lost nearly £10,000 income during the year to March 2019 due to having to cancel nine street markets because of bad weather.

The town estate’s investment portfolio has increased to £2,343,356, the meeting heard, largely as a result of the sale of land to the north of Melton for housing.