Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet has approved plans for the construction of a new public play area to replace the one that will be decommissioned when construction of the Chartist Gardens development commences.
A report was considered by Cabinet at a virtual meeting on 22nd July. The council has approved that they will construct a new play area off the Courthouse car park on the B4251 in Pontllanfraith before the existing play area is decommissioned when construction work starts on the Civic Centre site in 2021.
The Chartist Gardens development was agreed in principal in July 2020 and it is anticipated that construction will start in 2021 (subject to no Ministerial objection to the scheme). The development includes a central recreation area and whilst the planning consent for the development did not explicitly require that a second off site play area be provided, it was proposed that a more accessible play area is constructed to maintain the current local public amenity provision. It is estimated that the new approved play area will cost between £90,000 and £110,000. The play area will be linked to the Courthouse car park via a fenced path.
Cabinet approved the proposal of the construction of the replacement play area in the location recommended and further approved the use of Capital Earmarked Reserves to fund the works. Cabinet also approved the review, as part of the wider scrutiny of car parking changes, of the parking charges for the Courthouse car park. Specific consideration of free parking for the first three hours was recommended.
Cllr Lisa Phipps, Cabinet Member for Homes, Places and Tourism, said: “The approval of this proposal is fantastic for the Pontllanfraith community as it will ensure that the public access play provision in the Pontllanfraith area is not diminished when the Chartist Gardens development is constructed.”
She continued: “We want all children in the borough to have the opportunity to live a healthy lifestyle and the construction of this play area will ensure that the children who use the current park can continue to exercise and have fun outside in a more modern, updated play area.”
