Parish play area scheme progresses

EFFORTS to establish a parish play area at Farriers Way in Widegates are progressing slowly but surely.

Morval Parish Council clerk Samantha Pengelly has now upped the council’s bid from £150,000 to £200,000 for a share of money from the Government’s £7.6-million Community Levelling Up Grant fund; the lease for taking over the land from the Harding family has come back from solicitors and could be signed by councillors once any small legal issues are resolved, and independent consultant Richard Liddle, of Lydcott Glamping, Widegates, whose knowledge and experience in playground design and provision has been a real blessing for the council, has obtained preliminary quotes from five playground equipment companies.

The council has also discovered that planning consent may be required for some of the proposed equipment on the the site (although that should be a formality since a play area was always included in the original Farriers Way development plans) and about 20 lorry loads of top soil will probably be needed to be sourced, after it was confirmed that an earth mound elsewhere on the Farriers Way estate cannot be used.

Councillors at their November meeting also confirmed that it had already been saving funds over several years to help with the provision of a play area and a sum in the region of £50,000 could be available from reserves.

An 800-sq.m plot of land has been marked off at Farriers Way – the plot just off the A387 road through Widegates village can be seen clearly from the gateway opposite the Morview Road estate entrance.

The council is now keeping fingers crossed that its application for funding is successful – although, of course, that is by no means guaranteed.

But even if the grant is forthcoming, a play area is unlikely to be provided overnight, given the time it takes to order, supply and install the necessary equipment.

17th November 2023