Extra cash approved for new Bideford play area at Victoria Park

More funding has been approved to ensure all parts of Bideford’s new £320,000 play park are finished at the same time.

Torridge District Council’s community and resources committee agreed this week to allocate £33,000 from its play area fund to the Victoria Park project, together with the cost of widening the pathway.

The play park will have 85 features including a 30-metre racing zip wire, two dedicated areas for different age groups, flumes, trampolines, slides, roundabouts and multi-unit centrepiece.

It has £280,000 of external funding from Bideford Bridge Trust, Bideford Town Council and the Rural Prosperity Fund, as well as £1,000 of community fundraising.

Play area specialist Kompan has designed it and the council says there will be ‘huge improvements’ to the play space.

Committee members were told additional money is needed to complete the ‘Bidefort’ and infant areas. By completing everything at the same time it would save costs.

Additional work includes:

Safety surfacing for basket swing and current slide – £5,500

Mini trampoline – £13,000

Widening the planed pathway from 1.5m to 1.8m to allow additional wheelchair/pushchair space – costs currently unknown

Lockable safety hatch for new tower, limiting anti-social behaviour and damage – approximately £2,000

Benches in the infant area (replacing old concrete wooden benches) and picnic-style benches – approximately £2,000

Replacement item in junior area – approximately £10,000.

Torridge District Council’s play area strategy was put in place two years ago. It still has money to spend on play sites which need improving over the next two or three years.