The Western Recreation Ground in Hailsham is set to benefit from a perimeter path allowing residents access all year round.
Town councillors considered a draft specification at their meeting held on 29th January for a project to build an all-weather perimeter path at the recreation ground and agreed to allocate £137,511 to the scheme, which will come from Section 106 developer contributions for leisure facilities in Hailsham.
The path will cover the perimeter of the recreation ground and it is hoped that a hard-standing area will be introduced in the future to allow physical activity to take place when the ground may be too wet or soft, together with a scheme of lighting around the path.
The works will commence within the next two to three months, with the aim to complete the improvements by September.
“The Western Road Recreation Ground is a much-loved community site and provides local users with many opportunities to enjoy the vibrant open space for sport, leisure and other activities,” said Town Mayor Councillor Paul Holbrook.
“Local residents and sports groups have stressed the need to improve accessibility at the Western Road Recreation Ground. We’ve listened and I’m delighted to see the perimeter path construction project has been agreed and will go ahead soon.”
Councillor Richard Grocock, chairman of the Town Council’s Assets Management Committee said: “We hold great pride in our flagship open space and work hard work to ensure that the high standards expected from users of the facility are met. We endeavour to undertake necessary maintenance, repairs, restoration and improvement of the recreation ground and make it as accessible as possible for members of the local community.”
Steve Wennington, chairman of Hailsham Active (formerly Hailsham & District Sports Alliance) commented: “We are very grateful to town councillors for supporting this proposal, which we sincerely hope will be the start of more walking and cycling access across Hailsham, linking different parts of the town and providing 365 days accessibility to the recreation ground for all.”
“We have a further challenge of funding for lighting in the winter and we are hopeful of more support for this.”
