THERE are still more than five weeks for Standard readers to have their say on where £70,000 worth of funding for Droitwich is invested.
We revealed last week how we had been tasked by Droitwich Town Council to canvass residents’ views about which projects should net the New Homes Bonus cash.
There are four projects in the running for the money – The Shepherds Hill Play Park, the Salwarpe Pavilion Refurbishment, The Old Library Community Garden and the Droitwich Spa Pavilion.
Shepherd’s Hill Play Park
A DANGEROUS patch of land which has attracted rubbish and anti-social behaviour has inspired housing association Fortis Living to request £33,553.36 from the NHB in a bid to transform the plot into a children’s community play park.
The triangle of scrubland at the back of the houses on Shepherd’s Hill. Drover’s Way/Place, Ploughman’s Place and Thatcher’s Way, is part rough concrete and part grassy hill and is not the safest place for children to play on.
Fortis wants to change all that and make it into a safe place for young people and young adults.
Among the equipment that has been suggested for the community play park is swings, climbing frames, a slide, goal posts, a basketball hoop, outdoor gym equipment, benches and litter bins.
A survey of local people showed a lot of concern over the lack of nearby places for children to play and the majority of households had a member who would use the play area almost daily.
The project has received ample support from all members of the local community who agree to make it a safe, alcohol-free zone.
Locals believe their project will not only put an end to anti-social and illicit behaviour, but also provide locals, especially children, with a focus for physical activity.
Salwarpe Pavilion Refurbishment
THE KINGS George V Sports Community Interest Company (CIC) has appealed for £75,000 so the derelict pavillion at the King George V playing fields can be refurbished, extending the first floor and restructuring it into a function room for 80 to 100 people.
The popular playing field is used by almost 50 teams each week and, with that becoming more in the future, a place is needed for people to meet and socialise.
The CIC is made up of the four directors from the four clubs which use the fields – – along with an independent chairman and independent treasurer / secretary.
The King George Playing Fields has recently had a £200,000 new astroturf, paid for by Wychavon District Council, installed for teams to play hockey and five-a-side football on. The leisure centre has been revamped and plans are in the pipeline for a new 3G football pitch, which will cost up to £800,000.
Those behind the scheme want to turn Droitwich into a sporting centre of excellence and, they say, with 2,000 new homes coming into Droitwich over the next few years, the pavillion is needed more than ever.
Visit www.droitwichspakgvsportsassoc.co.uk for more on the scheme.
The Old Library Community Garden
THE DROITWICH Spa and Rural Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) has appealed for £4,650 from the New Homes Bonus (NHB) so they can transform a derelict piece of land into an environmentally-sustainable Community Garden.
The plot is behind The Old Library and has been unused and abandoned for a number of years.
Staff and residents have discovered the area is unregistered and therefore no one claims responsibility for its upkeep.
The people behind the scheme believe it presents a golden opportunity to transform it into a garden that could be used creative and educational purposes.
Ideas for the area include a garden with planting and seating areas constructed from recycled materials and traditional perennial and annual planting.
Other ideas include strategies to increase the habitat potential for birds and insects.
The garden project also presents great value for educational purposes in terms of design, construction and maintenance.
It will also encourage the development of skills, social awareness and appreciation amongst the centre’s student NEETS (not in education, employment or training).
Young people who use the Old Libarary Centre are often perceived as disruptive and anti-social. Many have little parental support or social interaction.
This project will provide them with an opportunity to become more socially-aware and community oriented.
For more on the project, search for ‘Droitwch Spa and Rural Council for Voluntary Service’ on Facebook.
The Droitwich Spa Pavilion
MEMBERS of Droitwich (St Peter’s Fields) Association through Droitwich Spa Town Council are hoping to net £10,000 from the NHB pot.
The cash would be used as part of a £145,000 project to refurbish and extend the existing clubhouse at St Peter’s Fields, St Peter’s Church Lane, to transform it into the Droitwich Spa Community Pavilion.
The clubhouse supports members of the association – Droitwich Spa Boys and Girls Football Club, Droitwich Spa Cricket Club and, to a lesser extent, the town’s tennis club.
The fields are used by 230 young footballers, aged between five and 11, 135 members of the cricket club, aged between seven and 64, and local community groups – such as nurseries, playgroups and after-school clubs.
Youth groups also use the site and it is anticipated, with so much new housing earmarked for Droitwich, there will be plenty of new groups which would also want to use the new building in the future.
The new pavilion would enable the cricket and football clubs to increase their memberships and provide a place where young people, parents and community groups could meet.
A survey saw 300 signatures collected from local residents backing the plans, it gained support from members during a full Droitwich Town Council meeting in 2012 and was nominated as the Droitwich Mayor’s charity in 2013.
Residents can submit their choices in the form below, online by e-mailing [email protected] or by having have their say through our www.facebook.com/DroitStand Facebook page.
They can also send messages to @DroitStand on Twitter and visit www.droitwichspa.gov.uk/news.html – the news section of the Droitwich Town Council website.
Residents should put the projects in order of their preferred priority and can, if they wish, outline why they feel their chosen project should receive the amount requested.
They can also vote for their number one choice by taking part in our online poll by checking out last week’s story on our www.droitwichstandard.co.uk website.
The story on our website, which has already been shared 600 times, also provides more details on each scheme and how much those behind them have asked for to help make them happen.
The deadline for votes is November 30.
