Residents to benefit from new play equipment

30 June 2022

New play equipment on Tatton Recreation Ground is now open for residents to enjoy.

As part of wider development by Chorley Council, including the Tatton Gardens extra care scheme, Tatton recreation ground is undergoing an extensive transformation to benefit the whole community.

The new play equipment, which was opened for use on Tuesday 28 June, includes: climbing frames and slides for both early years and juniors, a variety of swings, a roundabout, balance beams, wobble boards and more, to suit children of all ages. A new Multi Use Games Area is also due to be open in the near future.

The Leader of Chorley Council, Councillor Alistair Bradley and Mayor of Chorley, Councillor Julia Berry attended the recreation ground, along with Beth Santangeli Senior Business Development Manager and John Betteridge Senior Site Manager from Robertson Construction, and children from Tatton Nursery and St James' CE Primary School who were the first to check out the new equipment.

Leader of Chorley Council, Councillor Alistair Bradley said: "It's great to see another milestone reached as we progress this project to create new facilities that will benefit the community. The new play equipment is fantastic, and along with the rest of the development once complete, will benefit the residents for many years to come. It will provide somewhere for people to play, socialise, integrate with the local community and have improved access to healthcare provisions."

The play equipment is just some of the recreation ground improvements with further works due to be completed later this year, including a new bowling green hut to complement the existing bowling green.

The work is part of the wider development in this area. Tatton Gardens, next to the recreation ground, is currently being developed into 62 extra care apartments, GP surgery, pharmacy, community café, hair salon, community centre with children's nursery, by Robertson Construction, one of the largest family-owned construction businesses in the UK.

Peter Grieve, Operations Director, Robertson Construction North West, said: "The opening of the recreational grounds mark a significant milestone in the progress of the project.  It was important to the Council that this part of the wider programme was available for use by the community for the summer break and we are confident that the space will become a focal point within the community which will encourage health and wellbeing from early years, which will have ongoing wider benefits. We are proud to be the partner of choice for Chorley Council in the delivery of Tatton Gardens."

This extensive development is being supported by a £5.2m investment from Lancashire Enterprise Partnership's Getting Building Fund with additional funding from Homes England and Chorley Council.

Debbie Francis OBE, Chair of the LEP, said: "Tatton Gardens is one of several major projects across Lancashire which has been supported by the Getting Building Fund. It's a fantastic example of how we use targeted investment to help improve the lives of residents, and bolster local communities, while also helping to create new jobs and generate new commercial opportunities." 

The development is expected to be complete later this year.

 

^{Photographs show children from St James CE Primary School with the Mayor of Chorley - Councillor Julia Berry, Leader of Chorley Council - Councillor Alistair Bradley and John Betteridge - Senior Site Manager from Robertson Construction at the new play equipment on Tatton Recreation Ground.}

Getting Building Fund

On 4 August 2020, the government confirmed the list of over 300 successful projects which will receive a share of £900 million from the Getting Building Fund.

The full list of projects is available on the GOV.UK website.

The Getting Building Fund is investing in shovel-ready infrastructure projects to create jobs and support economic recovery across the country.  Projects funded include:

• regeneration of town and city centres
• green infrastructure and clean energy
• transport and digital connectivity improvements
• unlocking of housing and business sites
• support for SMEs and learners

The successful projects (over 300) are expected to deliver up to 85,000 jobs, over 1,500,000 sqm of commercial floor space, unlocking 45,000 homes, almost 1,000,000 sqm of public realm or green space improved or created, over 50,000 new learners assisted, and 65 million kgs of CO2 emissions saved.

All projects have been selected by Local Enterprise Partnerships and Mayoral Combined Authorities in each area and endorsed by the Housing Secretary.

Lancashire received an allocation of £34.1m for 10 projects which will create jobs and invest in much needed infrastructure improvements, helping the county recover and bounce back quicker from the pandemic.

All of the successful ten schemes have demonstrated they have the ability to accelerate growth and create employment, and are a good mix of projects which will have an impact across the whole of the county.  The schemes range from regeneration projects in some of Lancashire's towns which have been adversely impacted by Covid-19, to high-end research and development facilities which will contribute to the Government's clean growth agenda.

Projects which have secured funding from the Getting Building Better Fund are: (figures have been rounded):

• Houndshill Extension Scheme, Blackpool (£5m)
• Abingdon Street Market Acquisition and Rejuvenation, Blackpool (£3.63m)
• Alker Lane, Chorley (£2.25m)
• Pioneer Place, Burnley (£3.68m)
• Lancashire Centre for Alternative Technologies -'RedCat' (£1.5m)
• Low Carbon Manufacturing Building Demonstrator (AMRC), South Ribble and Ribble Valley (£2.5m)
• Project Neptune, Fleetwood (£4.03m)
• Hillhouse Enterprise Zone, Wyre (£0.5m)
• M55 Link Road, Fylde (£5.79m)
• The Tatton Scheme, Chorley (£5.2m)

For more information visit the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership website.