Update on play area
The end is in sight
At the Planning Committee meeting on 14 July a resident asked for an update on what is happening about the play area at Hawthorn Meadow, whether it would be open for the school holidays, and why it was taking so long. Councillors shared residents’ frustration that the play area is still not open and agreed to provide an update: here is our understanding following more discussions with GreenSquareAccord over the last couple of weeks.
Background
The developer is responsible for providing a play area and amenity space as a condition of being granted planning permission to build the houses. Once complete, it must obtain RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) safety sign-off and Wiltshire Council’s agreement that the work is ‘finished’ – this is part of the conditions related to the original planning permission to build the development. At that point, the play area and adjacent amenity land will be handed over to the Town Council.
The latest stop date in the original, agreed plan had been March 2025, at which point either party could pull out of the agreement. However, the Town Council does not want to pull out: we are ready to take on and open the play area and have a funded plan in place ready to go, which includes creating a path to link the amenity area to Bay Meadows nature reserve.
Latest situation
The good news is that remedial action should be starting on 4 August.
- The Town Clerk has been in regular communication with GreenSquareAccord right through this development.
- On 21 July, the Town Clerk and our Grounds Manager conducted another site visit (see photos for current condition of the play area and amenity land).
- The Town Clerk has been in communication with GreenSquareAccord regarding a list of concerns about landscaping, site management, timeline etc.
- Yesterday (23 July) GreensquareAccord were very apologetic and explained the frustration at their end because they have been struggling to get firm commitments from their contractor which is required to finish this project. They have now engaged a landscape company to carry out maintenance to the play area; their remit is to conclude the remediation of the play area and to clear the site of any debris. They have also been tasked with replacing anything which has failed within the landscaping design, but trees will not be replaced until the optimum planting season to give them the best chance (October, if weather permits).
- The work is programmed to begin on Monday, 4 August. The ROSPA sign off will then hopefully follow.
Once certified safe and signed off by Wiltshire Council, the land can be handed over to the Town Council and opened to the public.
What next?
Once we have taken on the land, which is adjacent to open space we already own at Tin Pit, our priority will be to create a compacted path to join the path (in photo) to the path at Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s Bay Meadows nature reserve.
There is a soakaway pond to the immediate south of the large hedge that separates the play area from the ‘meadow’. A natural thick hedge will be left to grow to surround the pond acting as a natural safety barrier.
Two dog waste bins will be installed at the entrances to Tin Pit and Hawthorn Meadow.
Improved gate/access arrangements will be installed where the Tin Pit land section adjoins the Hawthorn Meadow land to provide our staff with tractor access for maintenance purposes (shown in the plan, below).
The existing grass path along the border of Tin Pit will remain as a mown path, but slightly wider.
The perimeter fence around the Tin Pit land section will be assessed and made good; in particular the section running parallel with the tarmac path.
Thames Water have works planned to upgrade the pipeline that runs through land at Tin Pit. Creating access for heavy plant via the access path at Rabley Wood View, Thames have suggested that any works to instate a suitable gate and access, and associated fencing could be done to dovetail with and support any plans the Council may have for the land at Tin Pit and Hawthorn Meadow. Additionally, they have suggested they have funds for community benefit and often seek ways to use these to offset the impact of their work; this is yet to be confirmed. They will be surveying the area for this in the coming weeks.
We hope this helps explain the way forward and, like residents of the north east of the town, hope that there will be activity on site very soon for the final push to get this work finished and open to the public.
