Popular Leighton Buzzard splash park could be set for refurbishment
A popular splash park could be set to get a £150k makeover.
A proposal to refurbish the splash and play park facility at Parsons Close Recreation Ground in Leighton Buzzard is set to be discussed at a town council committee meeting next month.
The splash and play park was installed in 2011 and is open daily throughout the summer months, typically from early May until the end of September.
At its meeting, scheduled for Monday, September 1, Leighton Linslade Town Council’s Grounds and Environment Committee is being asked to approve the refurbishment and upgrade of the facility.
It is estimated that the refurbishment of the splash park would cost £150,000, with a proposal that the money would come from council reserves.
Another recommendation being put forward to the committee is that the project is completed in phases over three years – the installation of a footbath and pump room in year one, a new floor in year two and railing and external decoration in year three.
A report prepared for the committee details how the splash and play park attracts around 250,000 visitors each year.
It also explains that the site has become difficult to manage in terms of chemical usage, and that detritus on the feet of park users is being carried into the splash park from other attractions.
A review of operations at the park has also found that the system is using twice as much chlorine and acid than needed, because it is never reaching a state of balance with the water quality.
Members of the council’s grounds team are also having to dump 1,000 gallons of wastewater per day as part of resetting the system.
The report also details how the surface is becoming worn due to high foot traffic and that the surrounding railings are peeling and in need of repair.
Among the proposals to improve the facility are installing a footbath, replacing the floor surface and creating a mural on a brick wall by the facility, which could be designed by local schoolchildren and then painted on by an artist.
The meeting will take place at The White House on Hockliffe Street starting at 7.30pm. Members of the public are welcome to attend the meeting, which will be recorded.
The LBO has approached Leighton Linslade Town Council for comment.