The final phase of redeveloping Sherwood Avenue Play Park is now underway

After the enormously popular Play Zone opened in August, featuring 10 pieces of new, accessible play equipment, work has now commenced on the last stage of improvements.

The District Council’s Street Scene Team is currently on site to prepare the area for the installation of a new Active Zone and Nature area, with completion expected by early 2025.

The Active Zone will focus on fun and fitness and will be accessible to all ages and abilities. It will feature a brand new, state of the art skate park in the site’s old lido, developed with the help of local skate groups; a skate park rest area; a multi-use sports pitch; a free ride area for biking and skating; and a fitness trail with a selection of outdoor exercise equipment

A Silver Birch avenue will lead park visitors into the new Nature Zone along a wheelchair-friendly path made from recycled materials such as brick, slate, wood and gravel. Visitors will be able to peacefully enjoy nature on a bench or with friends on the recycled tree log seating areas.

This area has been designed with biodiversity and wildlife at the heart of the plans, with new habitat areas such as log piles, insect houses, bat boxes and hedgehog hides all included. An extensive planting programme will also take place to benefit pollinators and foraging wildlife including the creation of 500 square meters of wildflower meadow and the planting of 40 new trees, 250m of hedgerow, 5000 bulbs and a fruit bearing orchard.

Councillor Emma Oldham, Portfolio Holder for Biodiversity and Environmental Services at Newark and Sherwood District Council said: “We know how important outdoor spaces such as this are to our residents, and we are committed to investing in our green spaces and parks, such as Sherwood Avenue Play Park, to improve our district and benefit our communities.

“I’m so excited to see the plans beginning to come to life, and with opportunities for imaginative play, exploring nature and getting active, I know this park will be a vibrant, well-loved asset to our community.”

Newark Town Mayor, Councillor Diane Ledger, said: “It is great to see the work developing especially with the skate park. A number of local skaters have been extremely supportive in developing the design for the skate park and I know they will be extremely excited to see their vision finally come to fruition. The play zone has been very popular since opening. As a parent of young children myself it is always nice to be involved in a project that brings a smile to a child’s face.”

The plans to reinvigorate the site were developed using the results of a public consultation alongside feedback shared by residents, local community groups and schools, and the District Council and Newark Town Council have worked closely to ensure these ideas were captured in the plans. The redevelopment is also part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, with £250,000 contributed towards the project.

The feedback received also highlighted some concerns about anti-social behaviour in the current park and the councils have worked alongside the Police to ensure the plans addressed these concerns.

Councillor Paul Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Community Relations at Newark and Sherwood District Council, offers reassurance on this: “We are committed to tackling ASB and our programme of works to do so includes improving and enhancing the tools at our disposal to deter and identify offenders. That is why we are installing upgraded CCTV to Sherwood Avenue Play Park to ensure high-quality image capture, alongside the strategic improvements we have made to the park’s sight line to offer enhanced visibility around the park and a more open and safe feeling space. We also worked with our partners from the Police on changes to entrances and exits with deterring offenders in mind.

“Children, families and residents should be able to enjoy our local parks feeling safe and secure, and I hope the work we have done at Sherwood Avenue Play Park, and other locations around the district, reassures residents that we are as committed as ever to clamping down on ASB.”